How to properly care for lung cancer after radiotherapy?

Lung cancer is a serious disease that affects human health and life. Generally speaking, long-term heavy smoking or long-term inhalation of bad air and smoke can easily lead to lung cancer. Radiotherapy is a common method for treating lung cancer. Radiotherapy can kill cancer cells in the body and achieve the purpose of cure. After radiotherapy, the body is relatively weak and should be cared for in time.

What should we pay attention to in lung cancer radiotherapy care?

Psychological care before radiotherapy

Before undergoing radiotherapy, lung cancer patients will experience varying degrees of tension, anxiety, and worry, and may even have a certain resistance to lung cancer and fear the side effects of radiotherapy. A reasonable nursing plan should be formulated according to the patient's physiological and psychological characteristics:

Take the initiative to communicate with lung cancer patients before radiotherapy, and answer the questions raised by the patients as detailed as possible without evasion or evasion. Timely eliminate the patient's anxiety and uneasiness, give the patient enough warmth and comfort, strive to allow the patient to receive treatment in a good condition, and successfully complete the radiotherapy course.

Dietary care for lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

During radiotherapy, patients will experience many side effects of varying degrees, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and decreased white blood cell count. At this time, the patient should eat mainly small meals and frequently, and should not eat too fast to avoid damaging the esophagus. It is advisable to choose high-protein, high-calorie, simple, low-fat and easily digestible foods, such as rice soup, rice paste, sweet potatoes and potatoes.

In terms of diet, you can also eat more foods rich in vitamins, such as fresh vegetables and fruits. If the patient has difficulty swallowing, you can make vegetables into salads and drink fruit juice, which can also replenish vitamins in the body. If you have any dietary taboos, don't smoke or drink; don't eat sour, salty, or spicy foods.

Hair loss care

The principle of nursing is mainly to nourish yin, blood and promote hair growth. Commonly used suitable medicines include donkey-hide gelatin, raw rehmannia, Polygonum multiflorum, wolfberry, longan and coix seed.

Radiation pneumonia

In nursing principles, Chinese medicine believes that radiation pneumonia is caused by the dry and hot air of radiation burning the lung yin. Therefore, treatment and conditioning should focus on clearing heat and moistening the lungs.

Commonly used suitable medicines include lily, adenophora, platycodon, salvia miltiorrhiza, ophiopogon, houttuynia, fritillaria cirrhosa and asparagus. If there is hemoptysis, you can add Huaruishi, Baiji, and Agrimony Root as appropriate.

Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis

The nursing principle is to nourish yin and moisten the lungs, and to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.

For example, northern apricot, adenophora, platycodon, astragalus, salvia miltiorrhiza, peony and mulberry bark are all excellent. It is worth noting that during radiotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine should be used for combined Chinese and Western treatment. For example, the third-generation wall-removed Ganoderma lucidum spore powder can effectively prevent and alleviate the symptoms of radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis and enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy.

Radiation brain reaction

The nursing principle can be mainly to promote diuresis and nourish the kidney.

Suitable medicinal materials or prescriptions include Plantago seed, Akebia, Atractylodes macrocephala, Uncaria rhynchophylla, Semen Cassiae, Poria, Alisma orientalis, Polyporus umbellatus, Bombyx batryticatus, etc.

What other nursing precautions should be taken during radiotherapy for lung cancer?

Take good care of your oral cavity and quit smoking and drinking. During radiotherapy, it is advisable to choose high-calorie, high-protein, high-vitamin foods as well as simple and easy-to-digest foods, and eat them in small and frequent meals.

Pay attention to keeping the patient warm, pay attention to the air circulation in the space, and keep the air fresh to avoid other complications of the patient. During radiotherapy, pay attention to whether the patient has symptoms of coughing and sputum. If so, active care should be provided and the sputum should be cleared. Patients with irritating coughs should be given cough suppressants.

During radiotherapy, we should also pay attention to whether the patient has acute symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. If such problems occur, they should be dealt with in a timely manner. During radiotherapy for lung cancer, Chinese medicine and related conditioning treatments can also be used to achieve the purpose of strengthening the body.