Home modifications required? Should I move downstairs for duration of treatment?

angieh — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 13:34:32 GMT

Hello, I am 56 and have just been diagnosed with cancer in tonsils and tongue. I will be having PET, MRI etc on Thursday and then assessments on Friday at Cancer Clinic and given the treatment options. My ENT has already advised me that most likely I will be looking at chemo-radiotherapy combination.

I live in a 2 storey house with internal stairs. My bedroom and bathroom is upstairs, kitchen downstairs. I am wondering if I will need to swap to a bedroom downstairs rather than have to go up and down the stairs all the time. (I am also hoping to continue working to whatever degree is possible from home but the office space is also downstairs).

My stepson is in the downstairs bedroom currently but will relocate if necessary. There is also a shower and toilet downstairs. If moving myself downstairs is the smartest option, then I would rather organise it now while I am able to move my belongings (before the side effects of treatment make me unwell).

Any advice, suggestions would be really appreciated

thank you

Re: Home modifications required? Should I move downstairs for duration of treatment?

Lolie — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 01:42:39 GMT

I would.

While when it begins and how long it lasts may vary, some degree of fatigue seems to be a universal experience for both chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients, not just during treatment but also during the immediate post-treatment period.

I'm currently undergoing chemotherapy for a different type of cancer and have been told to expect the fatigue to set in from about half way through my course of treatment. I've been planning for that eventuality since before I had my first cycle. Although fatigue hasn't yet set in for me, I am beginning to find some of my usual walks a little more taxing and I imagine something similar may happen with climbing stairs.

There's a lot about our experience of cancer which we can't make any easier for ourselves. I'm highly in favour of making everything else easier whenever and in any way that we can, so I would move downstairs.

topic Re: Home modifications required? Should I move downstairs for duration of treatment? in Treatments and side effects

Home modifications required? Should I move downstairs for duration of treatment?

Re: Home modifications required? Should I move downstairs for duration of treatment?