Living well

It is very common for people with lung conditions to experience loss of appetite and weight. This might be due to the condition itself, the medications you are offered or the feelings associated with your experience.

It is really important to try and maintain a balanced diet with plenty of calories during this time.

Eating Well Roy Castle information - www.roycastle.org/about-lung-cancer/living-with-lung-cancer/eating-well/

Macmillan build up diet digital - www.be.macmillan.org.uk/be/p-26168-the-building-up-diet.aspx

Breathlessness is an unpleasant sensation of uncomfortable, rapid or difficult breathing. People say they feel puffed, short of breath or winded. The medical term is dyspnoea. Your chest may feel tight and breathing may hurt. Everyone can experience breathlessness if they run for a bus or exert themself to an unusual extent.

Improving breathlessness can improve your future cancer treatment options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XxzHT7mxvQ  Cambridge breathlessness video

• Conditions of use
• The BTF model image and animation are free to use with the following conditions:
• 1. The image and animation cannot be amended or adapted in any way.
• 2. The following statement needs to be included with the image or animation:
• Reproduced with permission of the Cambridge Breathlessness Intervention Service.
• 3. The following reference needs to be cited:
• Spathis A, Booth S, Moffat C, Hurst R, Ryan R, Chin C, et al. The Breathing, Thinking, Functioning clinical model: a proposal to facilitate evidence-based breathlessness management in chronic respiratory disease. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine. 2017;27(1):27.

https://shop.asthmaandlung.org.uk/collections/health-advice-resources/products/breathlessness-booklet

Your general health and well-being can be improved by small increases in your daily levels of activity. These small changes can improve your future treatment options.

This might be achieved by walking for a few more minutes every day or by doing chair-based exercises.

• Stay active and stay well | Asthma + Lung UK (blf.org.uk)
• Singing for Lung Health Stoke | Asthma + Lung UK (blf.org.uk)
• www.shop.asthmaandlung.org.uk/collections/health-advice-resources/products/exercise-handbook-2

Why quit?

Stopping smoking is good for everyone. It’s even more important if you have a pre-existing health condition or a potential lung cancer. Treatment is safer and works better for those who have been able to stop smoking; symptoms and quality of life are also improved by stopping smoking. (Global Lung Cancer Coalition, 2017).

Smoking decreases the level of dopamine (happy hormone) in your brain, if you stop smoking this level will return to normal and there are medications available to help you during the transition period. As well as Nicotine, cigarettes contain many toxic chemicals, these increase the risk of many diseases long-term and smoking during treatment for lung cancer significantly increases the risk of complications, doubling your risk of dying after surgery! This is why it is so important to stop now and we are here to help you.

Help giving up smoking | Help giving up smoking | Stoke-on-Trent

Stop Smoking - Everyone Health Staffordshire

Quit smoking - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Stop smoking – Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Smoking | Asthma + Lung UK (blf.org.uk)

Vaping and e-cigarettes | Asthma + Lung UK (blf.org.uk)

Low mood and anxiety is common for people to experience anxiety and other symptoms and conditions relating to mental health. These can be heightened during this process.

Cancer and your emotions | Macmillan Cancer Support

Managing your mental health and lung cancer – Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

What is cancer fatigue? | Coping physically | Cancer Research UK

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Wellbeing Service (staffsandstokewellbeing.nhs.uk)