Coping with symptoms and treatments

Sometimes the treatments you have for cancer can make you feel unwell. At the same time you may be trying to cope with a range of symptoms caused by the cancer itself.

The symptoms or side effects you have depend on your cancer, your treatment and how your body responds to it. But some are more common and linked with a certain cancer or treatment.

Support at King’s

The medical and nursing teams caring for you will try to minimise these side effects and symptoms so you can get on with your daily life as well as possible.

It is important to let them know any symptoms or side effects that are troubling you. They may be able to alter your treatment or give you other treatment to help ease and control them.

You may be offered palliative care, particularly if you need help controlling pain. This aims to make you more comfortable by preventing or treating symptoms and side effects, and you can have it as well as your cancer treatment.

Your key worker will also advise you on how to cope with the effects of your cancer and treatment before, during and after your care.

If you want to talk to someone, find out more about your condition and how it’s treated, or get advice about outside organisations that can help you, you can drop into King’s Macmillan Information and Support Centre.

Other support

The Macmillan Cancer Support website also has more detailed guidance on coping with treatment.