Living with leukaemia

Leukaemia is a form of cancer of the blood mostly found in children and the elderly. Because blood is not limited to one part of the body, it tends to cause general symptoms. Leukaemia treatment involves extended stays in the hospital and several courses of medicines that have serious side effects.

Leukaemia has symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, swollen lymph nodes and easy bleeding. Treatment will improve your symptoms, but you are at risk of infections because body's defence system is affected by the medication. You have to follow strict hygiene measure to avoid such infections, such as handwashing before preparing and eating your food.

With leukaemia treatment you will have prolonged stays in the hospital, which will effect your work. Sometimes, you may need to stop work or school altogether because of the side-effects. Inform your co-workers so that you can be assisted at work. Since you are not at your full strength, do the work that you feel strong enough to do.

The leukemia and lymphoma society recommends a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables (e.g. oranges, spinach, watermelon and ‘ugwu’0), high-protein foods (e.g. meat, poultry and fish), whole grains (e.g. rice and oats) and low-fat dairy (e.g. skimmed milk).  A dietician may recommend a special diet for you. This helps to replace nutrients that you need and will help speed your recovery. You should also drink enough water as this will help protect your kidneys from the effects of the medicines.

Leukaemia tends to affect your bones, causing a lot of pain. This pain and tiredness tend to limit the activities you can do. When not in pain, you can do low impact exercises like walking, jogging and stretching. Do these regularly for short periods of time. Avoid exercises that put you at risk of falling and bumping into objects to prevent injuries. Try what works best for you and discuss exercises with your healthcare provider.

Inform family and friends that can help you in these trying times. They can offer physical, emotional and financial support.  You can also join cancer support groups in your neighbourhood.

The treatment for leukaemia can be financially draining. Some of the treatments involve radiation and chemotherapy, which are available at teaching hospitals in Nigeria such as Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). A bone marrow transplant centre was recently opened at LUTH. This treatment is expensive. You may also need to stop working which can put you in a difficult financial position. You may need to ask friends and family for financial support. Several NGOs offer funds, and some hospitals also offer price reductions for people who cannot afford care.

Recovering from leukaemia is a long, difficult process, but you don’t have to do it alone. Support from friends, family and even therapists can make the journey easier.  It’s not a problem if you need help or if you feel uncertain at times.