3 Tips To Help You Through Lung Cancer Treatment

Being diagnosed with lung cancer can be scary. Formulating a treatment plan with your doctors can help you feel more confident and supported, but you will still need to mentally prepare for the challenges of undergoing what can be a long and arduous treatment process. Allowing friends and family members to support you along this journey will go a long way. You can also turn to the following tips as you navigate your lung cancer treatment plan.

Work on changing habits related to risk factors.

Did certain habits contribute to your development of lung cancer? Smoking tobacco is the most obvious one, but sometimes habits like finishing wood furniture without a respirator can play into the disease, too. Work to identify habits that may have contributed to your lung cancer, and work to change them as you enter treatment. This will help make treatment more effective, and it will also help prevent a reoccurrence of lung cancer after treatment. 

If the habit you're trying to break is smoking, know that you don't have to do it on your own. Joining a support group can really help. Some people benefit from chewing nicotine gum or using nicotine patches.

Get a second opinion before surgery.

Surgery to remove all or part of a lung is a common part of lung cancer treatment. If your doctor says surgery is necessary, they are almost certainly right. However, there are different surgical approaches to consider, and you may want to get a second opinion before choosing an approach. For instance, one surgeon may want to remove the whole lung, while another may believe leaving part of the lung is a better approach. With a treatment this extensive, never make a decision until you have a second, and perhaps third, opinion to consider.

Be willing to cut back on your lifestyle.

Lung cancer treatment can be particularly hard on your body since it will impact your lungs' ability to take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. So, exercising or exerting yourself too much during treatment can be really hard on you and can slow down the healing process. As much as you may want to keep pushing, it's often best to lay low during treatment and know that when you return to activity post-treatment, you'll be all the better for having spent that time resting.

Treatment for lung cancer is more effective than ever. With good doctors and the tips above, you can make it through. Contact your doctor for more information about lung cancer care.