Diary 20100521 Palliative Radiation Therapy
Julie completed five days of palliative radiation therapy. Palliative treatments are used to reduce pain and improve patients' quality of life. To palliate means to lessen the intensity of something. Many of the same techniques used to contain cancer also are used for palliation. By reducing the number of cancer cells, radiation treatments can ease pain, stop bleeding and relieve pressure, even when the cancer cannot be controlled.
Palliative radiation treatments can be especially helpful for cancer patients who have:
A cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones or brain.
A tumor that is pressing on the spinal cord and could affect the ability to walk or move.
A tumor that is making it hard to eat, breathe or have bowel movements.
The choice was made not to treat other tumors/lesions that were on her spinal column.
Julie is in good spirits, her walk is a little unsteady and she is still in some pain in her legs and butt. They are giving her some pain medicine and patches. She still tries to do some work around the house like laundry and she puts dishes away. She wants Olesia to take her to home-depot tomorrow to get birdseed and water softener salt that I let run out.
Julie completed five days of palliative radiation therapy. Palliative treatments are used to reduce pain and improve patients' quality of life. To palliate means to lessen the intensity of something. Many of the same techniques used to contain cancer also are used for palliation. By reducing the number of cancer cells, radiation treatments can ease pain, stop bleeding and relieve pressure, even when the cancer cannot be controlled.
Palliative radiation treatments can be especially helpful for cancer patients who have:
A cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones or brain.
A tumor that is pressing on the spinal cord and could affect the ability to walk or move.
A tumor that is making it hard to eat, breathe or have bowel movements.
The choice was made not to treat other tumors/lesions that were on her spinal column.
Julie is in good spirits, her walk is a little unsteady and she is still in some pain in her legs and butt. They are giving her some pain medicine and patches. She still tries to do some work around the house like laundry and she puts dishes away. She wants Olesia to take her to home-depot tomorrow to get birdseed and water softener salt that I let run out.
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