1, What should I do if a lung cancer patient develops fever during an outbreak?
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A: The typical symptoms of novel coronavirus pneumonia include fever, dry cough, malaise, and in severe cases, dyspnea. Patients with central lung cancer combined with obstructive pneumonia or pulmonary atelectasis may also develop fever; also, the above symptoms are common in adverse drug reactions during lung cancer chemotherapy.
Patients with lung cancer should not panic if they develop fever. It is recommended that you contact your doctor for advice, and if you cannot confirm lung cancer-related fever or adverse drug reactions, you should go to a community health center near your home, or a fever clinic at a designated hospital, for identification and screening based on the advice of your doctor.
2. Do lung cancer patients still need to go to the hospital and purchase medications when the epidemic is underway?
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A: Lung cancer patients generally have low immune defenses and should pay more attention to epidemic protection. They should minimize going out, pay attention to cold and warmth, reduce the risk of colds and flu, and avoid going to crowded places.
Lung cancer patients taking targeted drug therapy must adhere to their medications during the epidemic. It is recommended that a healthy family member go to the hospital on their behalf to purchase the medication. In addition, some designated or point-of-care pharmacies are also available for targeted drugs and other antitumor medicines. Such designated pharmacies are established in major provinces and cities across China, and some of them are designated pharmacies for medical insurance. It is recommended that patients contact their supervising physician first, and then contact the designated pharmacy near their city for advice on how to purchase drugs and the process, and whether they can use their health insurance.
Hospitals in non-epidemic areas are operating normally during the outbreak, with surgery, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy for patients with confirmed lung cancer. All medical institutions have taken measures to prevent and control the outbreak.
3, What do lung cancer patients need to be aware of during the epidemic when they visit the clinic?
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A: Before visiting the hospital, lung cancer patients must make a good online appointment. It is recommended to contact the doctor in charge first to reduce the waiting time and to ensure that the appointment and treatment can be arranged smoothly on the day of going to the hospital.
Before leaving home, patients should take their temperature at home and wear a qualified medical mask throughout the transportation and hospital visit. The patient should keep a certain distance (preferably about 2 meters) from the medical staff during the hospital visit. It is also important to keep family members to a minimum to avoid cross-infection.
On the way to the clinic, try to travel by private car or cab, pay attention to protective measures when taking public transportation, avoid rubbing the eyes after touching the bus handrail, and avoid contact with mucous membrane organs such as the mouth, nose, and eyes. If the patient is older, it is best to have a healthy family member accompany the patient to the clinic.
After the visit, please reduce your stay at the place you are passing, go home as soon as possible, and disinfect your hands and clothing.
4, Wearing a mask during an outbreak makes me breathless, will this worsen the progression of my illness?
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A: It is necessary to wear a mask during an outbreak, but not necessarily an N95 medical mask, which can interfere with smooth breathing to some extent. Patients can choose to wear disposable medical-surgical masks, which do not cause lung cancer to progress or interfere with treatment as long as they are chosen correctly and worn properly.
To avoid being infected by the virus, lung cancer patients should go out as little as possible, reduce unnecessary travel, and avoid enclosed, airless public places and places where there is a high concentration of people. If you do need to go out, especially to public places or crowded places, be sure to wear a full face mask.
You don’t need to wear a mask when you are at home, but you should open the windows regularly every day to keep the air inside and keep the kitchen and bathroom clean. When you go out, be careful to keep warm and avoid catching a cold.
5. What are the dietary and exercise recommendations for lung cancer patients at home, as daily exercise outside has been cancelled due to the epidemic?
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A: This new coronavirus epidemic period is also a flu-prone season. The morning exercise and outdoor activities of lung cancer patients will definitely be affected. It is recommended that patients switch to home fitness to maximize their immune system. In terms of diet, the general principle of “low fat, small amount of high quality protein and high carbohydrate” should be followed. It is recommended to have a light diet, eat more green vegetables and fruits, and consume high quality protein and low fat foods, such as fish, shrimp, quail eggs, fungus and various kinds of soy products, to improve immunity against influenza and new coronavirus. In addition, lung cancer patients without diabetes can also eat foods with more sugar such as honey and potatoes to supplement calories. Tonic should be appropriate and avoid eating too much greasy food.
During the epidemic, patients are advised to do some at-home aerobic health activities, such as lung exercises, health exercises and radio gymnastics, for 10-20 minutes a day at home, depending on their personal conditions. The amount of exercise can be based on your actual situation, and be careful not to make yourself feel too fatigued.
During the epidemic, families with cancer patients should also do a good job of cleaning and disinfecting their outside items and ventilation, wash their hands regularly, wash their clothes in a timely manner, and ensure proper air circulation, because lung cancer patients have a weak resistance to viruses and should try to avoid family members getting cold and flu.
6, How can oncology patients get good psychological protection in the face of the new coronavirus?
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A: Facing the dual threat of malignant tumor and novel coronavirus, lung cancer patients will inevitably have bad emotions such as tension, anxiety, depression, etc. These bad emotions will not only affect the patient’s immune system, but also make the patient overly panic and over-protective which is not conducive to the recovery of the disease. This is especially important when it comes to psychological protection, psychological counseling or psychotherapy.
Effective psychological protection requires us to scientifically screen a lot of information on the Internet, reduce the reception of negative information, learn to judge the reliability of information, not to blindly listen to rumors, reduce excessive attention to information on the epidemic, and reduce the misinformation of pseudoscientific information on ourselves; and maintain a regular routine. During the epidemic, although the scope of activities is restricted, it is still important to face the epidemic openly and look at life positively. Maintaining your original healthy routine as much as possible is a good medicine to deal with anxiety and panic, and scientific psychological adjustment to get rid of negative emotions. You can communicate more with your family, friends, and fellow patients via telephone and Internet to encourage each other, communicate your feelings, and strengthen mutual support.
7, What are the precautions for family members of lung cancer patients in the current epidemic?
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A: On the one hand, we should always pay attention to the changes in the patient’s condition, take the patient’s temperature daily, ask if there is any discomfort, and do a good job of monitoring the patient’s condition. During the epidemic, family members should maintain smooth communication with the doctor in charge, and if the patient develops fever or adverse drug reactions, etc., they should promptly communicate with the doctor in charge to find a solution.
On the other hand, it is important to protect your home from novel coronaviruses. It is important to disinfect everyday items such as dishes, doorknobs, keys, and other items brought outside. While keeping fresh air circulating, it is especially important to remind patients to keep warm and avoid getting cold.
The most important thing to do is to protect yourself and your patients by staying home as much as possible, making sure you wear a mask when you go out, and washing your hands when you get home to make sure that neither you nor your family members are infected by the new coronavirus.