Home Treatment

The side effects of cancer treatment can be serious. Healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep and exercise may help control your symptoms. Your doctor may also give you medicines to help you with certain side effects.

• Home treatment for nausea or vomiting includes watching for and treating early signs of dehydration. Signs include a dry mouth, sticky saliva, and reduced urine output with dark yellow urine. Eating smaller meals may help. A little bit of ginger candy or ginger tea can help too.
• Home treatment for diarrhea includes resting your stomach and being alert for signs of dehydration. Check with your doctor before using any nonprescription medicines for your diarrhea.
• Home treatment for constipation includes making sure that you drink enough fluids and include fruits, vegetables, and fiber in your diet each day. Don't use a laxative without consulting your doctor.

Other symptoms that can be treated at home include:

• Sleep problems. If you find that you have trouble sleeping, some tips for managing sleep problems may help.
• Fatigue. If you don't have any energy and tire easily, try some ways to help your fatigue. These include getting extra rest, eating a balanced diet, and reducing your stress.
• Urinary problems, which can be caused by both cervical cancer and its treatment. It may help to remove caffeinated drinks from your diet and to establish a schedule of urinating every 3 to 4 hours, whether you feel the need or not.
• Hair loss. Hair loss may be unavoidable, but using mild shampoos and avoiding damaging hair products will reduce irritation of your scalp.
• Stress.Managing stress may include expressing your feelings to others. Learning relaxation techniques may also be helpful. Relaxation techniques, such as meditation, and support groups may help too.
• Pain. Not all forms of cancer treatment cause pain. But if you do have pain, there are many home treatments that can help. For more information, see:

Cancer: Controlling Cancer Pain.