Self-Care

If you've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, keep in mind the following points regarding pain, nutrition and susceptibility to infections.

About pain

• No pain should go ignored. Talk to someone about it.
• Tell your doctor about pain soon, before it gets worse.
• Tell your doctor if the pain medications are helping or not.

Nutrition

• Maintaining a balanced diet with sufficient calories can be difficult either because of the cancer, chemotherapy or both.
• High-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain products, while generally recommended, may aggravate diarrhea, bloating and other digestive symptoms while on chemotherapy.
• Nutrition recommendations for cancer patients generally focus on high-calorie and high-protein drinks and solid food as tolerated to regain any lost weight and strength and to support the immune system.
• Professional, individualized counseling from a licensed nutritionist is important in planning and maintaining a diet during cancer treatment. A good nutrition program can help control weight loss and improve results by helping you get through chemotherapy.

Protection from infection

• Ask your doctor whether your chemotherapy will put you at risk for infection.
• If you are in the hospital receiving chemotherapy, the staff may need to wear masks and gowns to protect you from infection while your white blood cell count is low.
• Remember to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
• You may need to avoid uncooked fruits and vegetables while your white blood count is low.

More on Ovarian Cancer

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.