When the cells of the liver grow out of control and form malignant tumors, it is diagnosed as liver cancer. It is a life-threatening disease that requires immediate action once diagnosed. Treatment may include surgery to remove part of the liver, chemotherapy, radiation, and possible other treatments. Hiring 24-hour home care providers can help the recovery go smoothly.
Liver Cancer Symptoms
Early-stage liver cancer doesn’t present a lot of symptoms. As the cancer progresses, some symptoms that may be seen include:
- Jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes)
- Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen.
- Shoulder pain, most commonly on the right side.
- A swollen abdomen.
- Bruising without remembering what caused the bruising.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Losing weight without trying.
Many of these symptoms can also be symptoms of other conditions as well. Only a visit with a professional can help your loved one determine if he has liver cancer.
Liver Cancer Risks
Because early-stage liver cancer doesn’t exhibit many symptoms, knowing the lifestyle and health history of your loved one is important to help you be aware if he is putting himself at greater risk of developing liver cancer.
With this knowledge, any symptoms either noticed by you or other caregivers can be examined right away.
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
- Having Hepatitis B, or C.
- Obesity.
- Being a cigarette smoker, or possibly someone who uses vapes for smoking.
- Having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
No matter how or why your loved one developed liver cancer, the goal is to treat the disease. Those treatments can be hard on the rest of the body as they fight off the cancerous liver cells. It can take months or years for your loved one to complete his liver cancer treatments. During this process, if your loved one is not able to have someone nearby to care for him, you might consider having a 24-hour home care team step in to aid him in his healing process.
24-Hour Home Care Teams Can Provide Extra Care Needed at Home
Your loved one’s professional care team will provide him with guidance about how to best care for himself once he returns home either after surgery or to begin his treatment. It’ll be imperative that he follows their care guidelines to a t, but he might need a bit of help doing that. For that reason, a 24-hour home care team at his house at all times can be a great way to help him recover more quickly.
Some areas a 24-hour home care team may assist with include:
Providing your loved one with the best and right food to eat. His treatments may make him not want to eat, but keeping his body fueled is an important step in his recovery plan. Sometimes just knowing he doesn’t have to prepare the food and clean up afterward, will encourage him to eat when he can.
Managing medications. Your loved one may come home with a lot of medications that need to be taken exactly as prescribed. A 24-hour home care team can help him manage his medications safely.
Encouraging rest. It’s hard for some people to rest when they know there are responsibilities around the home that need to be taken care of. A 24-hour home care team can step in and help with household chores, pet care, and personal care.
Finally, a 24-hour home care team can be there in case your loved one needs any type of immediate attention and get him the help he needs.