Five Ways to Prepare for Leukemia Treatment

Leukemia treatment can be a long and difficult journey. The process of fighting cancer will require significant amounts of both time and energy. As a result, it will likely interfere with your daily activities and disrupt your life. By taking some steps to prepare yourself ahead of time, you can help to ensure that you will be ready to face the challenges of leukemia treatment, and also minimize its impact on your physical, mental and emotional health.

How to get ready for leukemia treatment

There’s no way to predict how your individual experience with leukemia treatment will play out. Therefore, some advance preparation can provide you with peace of mind in knowing that you’ll be ready for any treatment side effects that might sneak up on you. Here are five specific things you can do:

1. Create a list of tasks that you perform on a daily basis. Then, enlist the help of people around you, establish a rock-solid support team and delegate any responsibilities that you can.
2. Adopt some healthy eating strategies now, so that they’ll be second nature by the time your leukemia treatment starts. Prepare and freeze some simple meals that you can enjoy later with minimal effort.
3. Reduce your risk of infection by minimizing your exposure to germs. Develop a habit of washing your hands thoroughly and often, carry antibacterial wipes with you and arrange for someone to clean your house regularly throughout your leukemia treatment.
4. Talk with your oncologist about your pre-treatment testing requirements, which may include several blood and imaging tests. Also, arrange to have a comprehensive dental examination (a dentist can spot signs of infection that could lead to complications during cancer treatment).
5. Take some time to rest now, so that you can embark on your leukemia treatment feeling as strong, healthy and well-rested as possible.

If you’d like to receive individualized advice and guidance on how to further prepare for your leukemia treatment, the specialists at Moffitt Cancer Center can help. You can request an appointment with an oncologist in our Malignant Hematology Program by calling 1-888-663-3488 or completing our new patient registration form online. No referrals are required.