Nutrition therapy
During cancer treatment, good nutrition plays an essential role in your health and your outcome. You may experience side effects, such as difficulty swallowing, changes in taste or smell, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite and feeling full after eating only a small amount of food. These side effects can lead to inadequate nutrition and unwanted weight loss. From the time you’re diagnosed, a dietitian will be involved in your care plan.
Your dietitian will help you find ways to get enough of the right nutrients, manage nutrition-related side effects and prevent malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. You’ll also receive advice about herbs, supplements and vitamins. When treatment ends, your dietitian can continue to guide diet and lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of cancer recurrence.
Emotional Support
Our psychosocial oncology program focuses on helping you cope with the stress associated with cancer and its treatments. At key points before and during treatment, we’ll spend time together discussing your answers to questions about your sources of stress. We’ll talk about what you’re experiencing and identify ways to relieve or resolve your concerns. If needed, we can connect you with community resources and financial assistance.
You may also find support through therapies like stress management and yoga, individual counseling and participation in support groups with others who share your experience.
Pain management
As a patient in our care, you have access to the latest pain management techniques and pain specialists. We understand that each patient has different perceptions of pain as well as tolerances for pain. Therefore, it only makes sense that you have an individual treatment plan to manage any discomfort.
More about pain management services.
Lymphedema therapy
Lymphedema is a chronic, painful swelling in your arms or legs due to having your lymph nodes removed or damaged during surgery or radiation therapy. It can occur months or years after cancer treatment. Although there’s no cure for lymphedema, techniques are available that successfully reduce or relieve symptoms. Seeking treatment right away can lower your risk of infections and complications and prevent lymphedema from getting worse.
More about lymphedema therapy.
Palliative care
Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on treating discomfort, stress and symptoms associated with serious illnesses, particularly chronic or life-limiting ones. Palliative care can be provided along with other treatments designed to help you get better, or it may be considered when such treatments are no longer desired or effective. The goal of palliative care is to improve your quality of life, help you live as actively as possible during treatment and provide support to you and your caregivers.
Hospice care
Hospice is a special type of care for people at the end stages of life. If treatment is no longer working or you choose to discontinue treatment, hospice can help ensure that the final stages of life are lived with dignity, control and comfort.
Care after cancer
Once you’ve completed cancer treatment, you face a new set of challenges as a survivor. You may need support for emotional issues or new ways to relating to family, co-workers and loved ones. You’ll want to take extra care of your health and possibly make lifestyle changes to lower your risk of recurrence.
Our survivorship care planning program can help you meet these challenges. This program begins when treatment ends and can include your family, friends and caregivers. You’ll receive support through follow-up visits with cancer care experts, who will help you maintain and improve your health and wellness and work with oncologists and other team members to provide comprehensive care after treatment.
