How to take care of yourself when you have lung cancer? Patients, please keep these 3 key points in mind

Lung cancer, as one of the cancers with the highest morbidity and mortality rates worldwide, requires nursing care that cannot be ignored in order to improve the patient's quality of life and prolong their survival. The current traditional treatments for lung cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and emerging targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In addition, comprehensive and meticulous care also plays a key role in the treatment process. So how should you care after you have lung cancer? This article will explain in detail three key points of care to help patients better cope with the occurrence of lung cancer!

Physiological care: symptom relief and complication prevention

After lung cancer patients become ill, their common symptoms include coughing, coughing up blood, dyspnea, chest pain, etc., and they may also have varying degrees of indigestion and malnutrition. Therefore, it is very important to carry out corresponding refined management in a timely manner for these symptoms.

1. Symptom control

For lung cancer patients, coughing and dyspnea are the most common problems. Nursing staff should instruct patients on the correct use of inhalers or nebulizers, and teach simple breathing exercises such as abdominal breathing to relieve dyspnea. In addition, bedridden patients also need to turn over in a timely manner to reduce the risk of lung infection and promote the discharge of respiratory secretions. At the same time, coughing and hemoptysis caused by coughing also require the use of hemostatic drugs as prescribed by the doctor, and the respiratory tract should be kept moist, and the respiratory tract should be cleared in time if necessary.

2. Nutritional support and energy supplementation

However, since lung cancer patients may develop cachexia, malnutrition at this time will seriously affect the patient's quality of life and treatment effect. Therefore, nursing staff should formulate personalized nutritional support plans based on the patient's physical condition and digestive and absorption functions. Among them, it should include high-protein, high-calorie foods, as well as necessary vitamins and mineral supplements to ensure the patient's energy and nutritional intake.

3. Pain management

Finally, chest pain is a common problem for lung cancer patients, which is usually related to tumor growth, radiotherapy or chemotherapy and other treatment methods. For pain management, patients should first use painkillers according to doctor's orders, and can also take some non-drug therapies, such as hot compresses, cold compresses or psychological therapy, to relieve patients' pain.

Psychological care: emotional support and psychological adjustment

In addition to the physical symptoms, lung cancer patients often face tremendous psychological pressure, such as fear, anxiety, depression, etc. Therefore, psychological care is equally important for the overall treatment of patients. A good mental state will be very helpful in improving the patient's enthusiasm for treatment and quality of life.

1. Emotional support

In this regard, nursing staff should first give patients adequate emotional support to establish a trusting nurse-patient relationship, and encourage the active participation of patients' families to create a warm, understanding and supportive environment. In addition, timely psychological counseling and group support are also very necessary, which will effectively help patients share experiences, release emotions, and increase their courage and confidence to overcome the disease.

2. Psychological adjustment

In addition, patients often have a period of psychological adaptation after receiving a diagnosis of lung cancer. At this time, nursing staff should effectively guide patients to conduct positive thinking training and relaxation techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing, to help patients reduce tension and anxiety. At the same time, they should also guide patients to have a correct view of the disease and encourage them to actively cooperate with treatment to build up their determination to overcome the disease.

Daily life care: regular life and balanced nutrition

Finally, optimizing lifestyle and diet is also critical, and is the key to improving patients’ physical functions and maintaining their quality of life.

1. Regular living habits

In daily life, nursing staff should first guide patients to establish regular living habits, ensure adequate sleep, and avoid overwork. By encouraging appropriate physical activities such as walking and jogging, and conducting them appropriately according to the patient's physical condition, it will effectively promote the recovery of the patient's respiratory function and body blood circulation, thereby enhancing immunity.

2. Balanced diet

In addition, a proper diet is crucial for the recovery of lung cancer patients. Nurses should guide patients to avoid spicy and irritating foods, choose foods that are easy to digest and absorb, and maintain a diversified diet to ensure balanced nutrition. Moreover, patients should pay attention to maintaining water intake and replenishing electrolytes in time, especially during chemotherapy.

In summary, nursing work for lung cancer is a systematic work, which often requires nursing staff to carry out comprehensive and meticulous care from multiple dimensions such as physiology, psychology and daily life. Through the in-depth implementation of the above three key points, the treatment effect and quality of life of patients can be significantly improved, so that patients have more solid support and confidence.

Author: Cui Dan Shifang People's Hospital