Under One Roof With Someone on Chemo: How to Care for Your Loved Ones

Living with someone who has cancer and is undergoing treatment is difficult. Witnessing your loved one’s battle with chemotherapy and its side effects can be heart-wrenching, but do know that your presence and support mean the world to them. On the one hand, you want to offer unwavering support to make their journey easier while dealing with your emotions. In times like this, being there for them day and night shows them that they are not alone in this journey. Your help and support will undeniably bring greater ease to your beloved’s life.

This article highlights the crucial physical and medical aspects of caregiving for a cancer-stricken loved one. Being well-informed can make your tasks more manageable and adequately prepare you to handle them. Having this prior knowledge will streamline your duties and look out for potential concerns in your household.

What to expect: Cancer patients often experience a weakened immune system, leaving them immunocompromised and more prone to infections

Useful tips:

• Consult a doctor about any health issues or medication that can help boost the immune system
• Remind patients to get vaccinations for potentially life-threatening illnesses, such as the flu shot
• Try to avoid injuries and skin breaks on the patients
• Practice good personal hygiene, including regular hand washing and proper oral hygiene
• Practice food safety and avoid eating raw food
• Avoid large crowds and contact with sick people
• Seek medical attention immediately if the patient experiences any signs of infection like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, runny nose, and so on

What to expect: The chemo patient undergoing chemotherapy is too sick to manage daily activities

How to cope: Be specific on the kind of help needed. For example:

• Have meals prepared
• Help to shower or get to the washroom
• Prepare phone numbers and people to contact, in case of a medical emergency
• Be aware of the medications available to cope with discomfort, including where they are kept and how to take them

What to expect: Chemotherapy targets fast-growing cells like hair follicles. Not everyone experiences hair loss as a side effect of chemotherapy. If hair loss occurs, it usually starts at 2-4 weeks into the treatment. Besides the loss of hair, the scalp may become sensitive too.

How to cope: Regrowth of hair usually starts at 6-8 weeks after treatment. Use milder shampoo with fewer chemicals (e.g. baby shampoo) to avoid irritation of the scalp. Help the patient transition to hair thinning and total hair loss by suggesting cutting your hair short. Plan for a head covering, such as scarf, beanie or soft wig cap, should they be more comfortable with it.

What to expect: Chemotherapeutic drugs, especially platinum-based drugs (e.g. cisplatin and carboplatin) may affect your bone marrow and blood cells production, causing:

• Anemia
• Easy bleeding or bruising (thrombocytopenia)
• Increased risk of infection due to neutropenia

How to cope: Watch for symptoms of anemia (fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath), easy bruising and bleeding of nose and gums, blood in urine or stool and signs of infection. Notify the doctor when these symptoms arise. The doctor may:

• Reduce or stop chemotherapy temporarily to allow the bone marrow to recover
• Order a blood transfusion to replenish red blood cells and platelets
• Prescribe growth factor injections to stimulate blood cell production from bone marrow

What to expect: Exposing family members and pets to cytotoxic drug waste. Chemotherapeutic drugs are hazardous since they kill both cancer and healthy human cells. The medications take 48-72 hours to break down and leave the body. The excreted drug waste may be found in body fluids like blood, urine, vomit and sweat.

How to cope: Use a different toilet from the patient undergoing chemotherapy. Flush the toilet twice before use. Wear gloves when handling any items that come in contact with the patient’s body fluids. Wash their clothes or sheets in a separate load in the washing machine. Double bag the disposable adult diapers, sanitary pads or underwear and discard them as regular waste.

What to expect: Care for chemo port – for easy and frequent administration of drugs, some patients have a chemotherapy port installed. It is a plastic or metal disk-like structure implanted under the collarbone to access the jugular or subclavian vein. The port may stay with the patient for years if he/she continues to receive maintenance therapy.

How to cope: Chemo port has two major complications – infections and thrombosis. Sanitation and hygiene are important in caring for chemo port. To clean the port, a nurse will flush it using sterile saline and check for any signs of infection. The addition of heparin in saline effectively breaks up minor blood clots and prevents thrombosis (blood clotting). In case of major thrombosis, the port must be replaced.

What to expect: A healthy and balanced diet is crucial for patients undergoing chemotherapy as it helps to boost immunity and potentially relieve certain side effects of chemotherapy. Very often, these patients experience loss of appetite accompanied by common side effects like nausea or fatigue. Even so, it is crucial for patients to make an effort to eat

How to cope: As the caregiver or household member, one can remind the patients about their diet planning. It includes:

• Avoid foods that are
  • Raw or undercooked
  • Acidic or spicy
  • High in fats, sugar and salt
• Drink plenty of water or other fluids
• Eat small but frequent meals
• If needed, consult a dietitian for specific needs and preferences and to help manage chemotherapy side effects