#1 Lung Cancer Symptom and Lung Cancer Treatment

What treatments options do I have?
Are there any clinical trials I can join?
Will I need to be hospitalised to receive my treatment, if so how long will I be there
How will my normal activities of daily living change during my treatment?
Side Effects of Treatment
What type of side effects should I expect?
How long will they last?
What side effects should I note and whom do I tell about them?
Follow-up Treatment
After receiving my treatment, how often do I need to have a check up?
What type of follow-up care should I receive?
Will I ultimately be able to resume my normal life style?

Follow-up care after treatment for lung cancer is essential. Regular checkups ensure any changes in health are noticed, and if cancer returns or a new cancer develops, it can be treated as soon as possible. Checkups usually include physical examinations, chest X-rays, and blood tests.

Providing Emotional Support to Someone Suffering With Lung Cancer
Living with a serious disease such as cancer can be very demanding. Besides having to cope with physical and medical challenges, individuals with cancer obviously face many doubts, feelings, and concerns that can make life difficult for not only them, but those around them.
They will almost certainly need help coping with the emotional side as well as the practical aspects of their illness. In fact so great a part is this side of cancer, attention to the emotional and psychological problems of having cancer is frequently part of a patient’s treatment plan.
Questions to Ask the Doctor about Lung Cancer
Asking the doctor the following types of questions help patients understand their condition.
Diagnosis
What tests will I undergo to diagnose lung cancer? Are they painful?
How soon after the tests will you inform me of the results?
What type of lung cancer do I actually have?
Can you tell me my prognosis

The side effects of aggressive lung cancer treatment can often be worse than the illness itself. The response of each person also depends on the type of treatment given and is very often different for each individual.
Side effects are usually only temporary, and the best way of dealing with them is to treat the symptoms as they occur.
Surgery Related Side Effects
Surgery for lung cancer is a major process and problems include
Air and fluid collecting in the chest. Patients usually need help coughing, breathing deeply and turning themselves over to drain their chest.
Pain and weakness in the chest, side and arm (On the affected side)
Shortness of breath
Patients usually need several weeks or months to get back to their usual strength and fitness levels. (Very often this is never achieved).

Side Effects of Chemotherapy
The problem with Chemotherapy is it affects normal cells as well as the cancerous cells. The side effects of chemotherapy depend largely on specific drugs and the amount of drug given.
Common side effects of chemotherapy are
Nausea
Vomiting
Hair loss
Mouth sores
Fatigue.

Radiation Therapy Related Side Effects
Radiation therapy is similar to chemotherapy inasmuch that it affects normal as well as the cancerous cells. So the side effects of radiation treatment depend mainly on the part of the body treated and also the treatment dose administered.
Common side effects of radiation treatment are
Dry, sore throat
Difficulty swallowing
Fatigue
Skin changes at the site of treatment
Loss of appetite.
Side effects for patients receiving radiation to the brain include
Headaches
Skin changes
Fatigue
Nausea and vomiting
Hair loss
Problems with memory and thought processes.
Photodynamic therapy has the following common side effects in those treated.
Coughing
Trouble swallowing
Painful breathing or shortness of breath.
From time to time the skin may become blistered, red, or swollen.
The skin and eyes become sensitive to light for six weeks or more.
If patients go outdoors, they must wear protective clothing, including sunglasses.