Sexuality includes holding hands, special looks, hugging, kissing, etc. It’s not just the sex act. This section addresses side effects of different treatments that affect your sex life and ways to relieve some common problems. It’s important that you talk about any questions or concerns with your cancer team, and even more important that you […]
Category Archives: Dealing with Patient
If the patient is having trouble breathing, the body might not get enough oxygen. Either the lungs can’t take in enough air, or the body can’t get enough oxygen through the bloodstream. A number of different problems can cause this, such as lung disorders, blocked airways, pneumonia (a lung infection), weak breathing muscles, or obesity. […]
When people say they are having pain, it usually means they’re hurting somewhere. But it can also mean that they just can’t get comfortable. They could be feeling bad in general, not in any one place. The feeling of pain can be worse if a person is sad, anxious, or depressed. Some people have a […]
A skin or pressure sore develops when the blood supply to an area of the body is stopped and the skin in that area dies, often leaving an open crater or ulcer in the skin. A person who is bedridden or always in a wheelchair puts pressure on the same places much of the time. […]
A person may gag, cough, spit, feel pain, or have other problems when trying to swallow. There can be a number of causes. It may be a short-term side effect of chemo or radiation treatment to the throat or chest. It may also be caused by an infection of the mouth or esophagus (the swallowing […]
Diarrhea is the passage of loose or watery stools 3 or more times a day with or without discomfort. It happens when water in the intestine isn’t being absorbed back into the body for some reason. Sometimes, diarrhea can be caused by an overflow of intestinal liquids around stool (poop) that’s partly blocking the intestine. […]
Skin changes color usually because there’s something going on in the body. For example, a person may look yellow because of liver problems, blue because of breathing problems, bruised because of blood disorders, or red because of skin problems. Changes in the skin can be due to tumor growth, sun exposure, or the side effects of treatment. […]
Hair is constantly growing, with old hairs falling out and being replaced by new ones. Some cancer treatments make people lose some or all of their hair, most often in clumps during shampooing or brushing. Sometimes, clumps of hair are found on the pillow in the morning. It’s normal for both men and women to […]
Dry mouth happens when there’s not enough saliva. It can be caused by mouth-breathing, or it could be a side effect of medicine, radiation treatment to the head and neck, or dehydration. What to look for Dried, flaky, whitish saliva in and around the mouth Thick saliva that’s more like mucus and that sticks to […]
Constipation is the infrequent or difficult passage of hard stool (poop), which often causes pain and discomfort. It’s caused by too little fluid or not enough movement in the bowel. Lack of activity, weakness, ignoring the urge to move your bowels, pain medicine, or poor food and fluid intake can all add to this problem. […]
