Ways to Fight Mesothelioma
Many people that work in environments that deal with hazardous materials end up with chronic illness. Because these illnesses show very few symptoms when contracted, it’s challenging to detect them during the early stages. One of these chronic diseases is mesothelioma – a variant of cancer that occurs in the thin tissue layer covering the majority of internal organs.
This disease is contracted through high asbestos exposure and is often detected on X-ray tests and during its last stages. Furthermore, due to the company’s negligence in following safety protocol, many employees hire a mesothelioma attorney to cover the treatment cost.
Fatigue, nausea, chest pain, shoulder pain, cough, shortness of breath are symptoms of mesothelioma. However, if this chronic illness is detected at its 3rd or 4th stage, the patient has grim chances of survival. Consider visiting a general physician or a pulmonologist if you’re suffering from these symptoms.
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, let us see a few ways to fight these symptoms.
While mesothelioma is incurable, surgery can remove the affected area and stop cancer growth in most cases where the cancer is detected in its early stages. These are some of the treatments for mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Treatment
- Pleural Mesothelioma Surgery
- Palliative Treatment for Mesothelioma
- Other treatments include
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Gene Therapy
Conclusively, the type of surgery you need to undergo depends on the stage of your cancer diagnosed in the screening test. Since the treatment is long-term, it’s essential to be consistent in your appointments take a few second opinions before you begin any treatment.
Additionally, mesothelioma patients generally opt for these post-surgery treatments.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a non-invasive treatment option that involves attacking your mesothelioma with high-energy gamma rays or X-rays killing cancer cells. A high-powered X-ray or Gamma-ray emitter is utilized to attack cancer-affected organs. This treatment option kills cancer cells and slows down the spread of cancer to other organs.
Your doctor might suggest you take a few immunotherapy sessions coupled with radiotherapy or chemotherapy for best results. Immunotherapy helps improve the immune system, enabling the patient to neutralize infections.
Chemotherapy
If you’ve detected mesothelioma in its early stages, you’ll be advised have to undergo chemotherapy to kill cancer cells or slow down the spread of cancer cells. There are two kinds of chemotherapy treatments for malignant mesothelioma; neoadjuvant therapy and adjuvant therapy. The former is used presurgery to shrink the cancer growth, while the latter is to eradicate cancerous cells from regrowing.
Chemotherapy is often given in cycles of 3 – 4 weeks to provide the body with enough time to recover. This treatment has two methodologies, systemic chemo, and intrapleural or intraperitoneal chemo. Chemo is injected into the blood through a vein to detect and destroy cancer cells in systemic therapy. On the other hand, chemo drugs can also be put into the body where cancerous growth is present. This treatment can be into the chest (intrapleural) or the abdomen (intraperitoneally).
Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
Patients often deal with excruciating painful routines while staying consistent with their doctor’s appointments, some drastic changes to the lifestyle and help boost their immunity significantly. When battling a foe like cancer, incorporating daily exercises and healthy foods into the diet can boost your immunity to viruses. Immunity-boosting foods include apples, beetroots, pumpkin, tomatoes. Alternatively, it’s worth noting that cold cuts in meats, beer, and processed foods high in salt have contributed to lung inflammation.
Additionally, you can do plenty of different exercises without hitting the gym, especially if you have limited time and energy. Some of the primary activities are deep inhaling and exhales pruning, and stretching that expands the diaphragm
Lifestyle Adaptations and Therapy
While you’re fighting with mesothelioma, doctors may advise chemotherapy patients to go for psychotherapy sessions. These may include individual sessions or focus groups. In either case, the patient’s caregivers must understand the treatment weighs heavy on the patient’s mental psyche. These therapy sessions give patients a platform to talk about their issues, and finding relatable groups helps boost the patient’s ability to adapt to a new lifestyle.
In a Nutshell
Mesothelioma is a life-threatening chronic illness, often detected late due to its symptoms. So for people showing prolonged symptoms like cough, wheezing, constant fatigue should consider getting themselves screened. Though screening may prove expensive, early cancer detection significantly improves the chances of survival and the patient’s quality of life.
