When to consider a lifestyle initiative. Shortly after their diagnosis, patients and their relatives are confronted by a sudden commotion activity usually travelling to the hospital for blood tests, x-rays, scan, biopsies, operations, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormones and more recently biological therapies such as Herceptin. This causes enormous upheaval to the daily routine both socially and at the work place.  Most of their time is taken up adjusting to their new diagnosis, with coping with the side effects of therapy and the difficulties of remembering, where and when they have to be and what to do when they get there! Forcing yourself or a patient into a strategy which you or they cannot do for practical or physical reasons would be inappropriate or at worse may project a feeling of guilt which is counter productive. Depending on the individual circumstances, at an early point in the treatment pathway, however, the subject could be introduced gradually and sensitively. The timing is paramount, as is ability of the clinician to assess the patient’s receptiveness to considering lifestyle issues at each stage. Too early and the anxieties of the circumstances will be confounded, too late and the benefits of lifestyle will be overlooked.  

Further general information Your doctors and specialist nurses are in an ideal position to give you relevant information on your disease and treatment as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the cancer journey.