Going through chemotherapy can be very hard. It impacts your overall life as it limits you to do things you usually do, makes you feel weak and can sometimes cause anxiety and depression. This procedure may not only give negative implications to patients but their family and loved ones too.
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Why Do You Have To Flush The Toilet Twice After Chemo - Updated 2020
What To Do To Keep Everyone In The Family Safe After Chemotherapy Session
It takes about 48 hours to release all the chemo drugs used to treat a patient. Within these 48 hours, caregivers and the patient’s family should be very careful especially in touching and getting close to the patient’s body fluids, like urine, blood, stool, vomit, vaginal secretion, tears and semen.When the drug used to treat chemo gets outside the patient’s body, it may cause irritation to you and the people around you. And with this, taking care of yourself while undergoing this procedure will not only save you but the rest of your family as well.
Here are some of the things a chemotherapy patient must do within 48 hours after the procedure:
Body Waste
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Flushing the toilet twice is highly recommended, when flushing, put the lid of the toilet bowl down to avoid splashing.
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A plastic sheet or mattress pad is recommended to be placed under the bed linens to keep the mattress safe from bowel or bladder control accidents.
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Prepare a container you can use when you feel like vomiting.
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Men and women must sit on the toilet bowl as this can avoid accidental spilling and splashing.
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After using the toilet, do not forget to wash your hands thoroughly. Dry your hands using a tissue and dispose it after use.
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If you accidentally vomit on the toilet and find splashes around the toilet rim, clean it thoroughly using a soap and warm water. Make sure that everything is cleaned well.
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Caregivers or family members must wear 2 pairs of gloves when touching any of the patient’s body fluid. Wash your hand thoroughly after removing the gloves.
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If in the event that the caregiver or any of the family member accidentally touches the patient’s body fluid, they have to clean the area where they touched.
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the fluid using warm water and soap. This may not be too harmful but it is still recommended that they tell it to the doctor on their next visit.
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If possible, consider using a different bathroom for the first 48 hours after the therapy just to avoid accidents.
Laundry
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Wash the patient’s clothes, bed linens and towels separate from other laundry items. Do not wash by hands, use a washing machine.
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If clothes, bed linens and towels cannot be washed right away, keep it in a sealed plastic.
Cleaning
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Wear gloves when cleaning soiled items or waste spills. You can use reusable gloves but make sure to wash them very well before storing. Disposable gloves are more recommended as disposing it after use is easier and safer.
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Clean spills and waste messes as soon as it happens, this can avoid spreading to other places of the house.
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To clean small spills, you can use toilet paper while for larger spills, paper towels is best. After using the toilet paper or paper towel, place it in a plastic bag before disposing.
Pregnancy Prevention
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Sexual activity for the next 48 hours after the therapy is a must to avoid. Sexual activity may expose the other person to vaginal discretion and semen. It is also advised that pregnancy is avoided a few months after the completion of the procedure.
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The chemotherapy drug can cause birth defects hence best to avoid.
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Ask your doctor about the birth control measures they will recommend until you are safe to conceive.
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In the event that you get pregnant during the procedure, make sure to tell your doctor right away.
Other Things To Consider
Pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding are highly recommended to be extra careful dealing with chemo patients. Single occurrence may not be too big of an issue but multiple occurrences could be dangerous.
What To Do During Chemotherapy Session
Chemotherapy can decline the ability of the body to fight different infections. Hence, there are things to do to ensure that you can keep yourself safe during the course of the procedure:
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Avoid going to places with huge crowds.
This is not the best time to go out and socialize, since you defense mechanism is low, it is best if you stay at home and keep yourself away from people who are probably sick.
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Wash your hands often.
Washing hands can kill different viruses and bacteria. Practice doing it regularly.
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Avoid minor scrapes and cuts.
By doing so, you are keeping yourself away from possible infections.