Highlights / Articles

Articles

March 26, 2024

Living with Kidney Cancer

Like all cancers, the diagnosis of kidney cancer can be daunting. It can take one through a range of emotions, making it natural to feel overwhelmed. However, stress and sadness will not help in any way. Instead, it will add to your physical stress which can lead to more complications.

Today, we will discuss a few useful tips and tactics which can help you during this difficult time. Following these can help you cope better enabling your body to respond to the treatment.

There are three pillars to living with kidney cancer: Nutrition and Diet, Physical Activity and Mental Health. Let’s deep dive into each of them.

Nutrition and Diet

The illness and the treatment can have a vast impact on what you eat, and hence diet and nutrition play a pivotal role. Good nutrition helps maintain strength and prevent infection, breaking down tissues and promoting new tissue generation.

Cancer and its treatment are closely linked to obesity and high sugar consumption. Consulting a qualified dietician is pivotal in coping with kidney cancer since your kidneys process waste material in the body. People often lose their sense of taste while receiving cancer treatment. A dietician can suggest alternatives that you may find tasty.

A kidney-friendly diet will consist of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins such as fish and chicken and whole grains. You need to eat enough food to meet your daily calorie requirement.

Here are some general guidelines that your medical team might suggest:

Reduce protein intake: A high protein diet may be heavy on your kidney. Eating less meat, fish, eggs, dairy and beans can be helpful. However, some studies show vegetable protein may not stress your kidneys as much as animal protein.
Avoid salt: This is a must-do while dealing with any kidney disease, not just cancer. Your kidney removes salt from your blood. Hence, eating too much salt can spike your blood pressure, which in turn, can harm your kidneys.
Quit smoking: Another very important aspect is to quit smoking as smoking is one of the main causes of kidney cancer. Restarting smoking after kidney cancer treatment may lead to a relapse.

Keep your phosphorus in check: When the kidneys don’t work at the normal capacity, the phosphorus levels can go up. Phosphorus is found in high amounts in nuts, seeds and beans. Hence, you may need to limit the intake of these.
Limit the amount of potassium: Another mineral to watch out for is potassium. High potassium can lead to irregular heartbeat and heart attack. Potassium is found in almost all foods, higher in some foods. Talking to a renal dietician can help you understand which foods are high in potassium so that you can avoid them.
Reduce alcohol intake: Too much alcohol is not good, especially while being treated for cancer. Avoid excessive alcohol intake.

Each person is different, and so are their bodies and diet. Speaking to a renal dietician and finding out what will work specifically for you is highly recommended. In case a kidney has been removed as a part of the treatment, you won’t be allowed to eat certain foods. Follow your doctor’s advice to know what’s allowed and what’s not.

Physical Activity

Another crucial element of staying healthy while dealing with kidney cancer is physical activity. Regular physical activity helps regain muscle tone following surgery and promotes good cardiovascular health.

However, it can be difficult to exercise as treatment can drain you physically. You might feel tired all the time. But exercising can help you gain your energy back. Talk to your doctor to know what kind of physical exercise is allowed.

Aim for half an hour of physical activity every day, however you can start with less. Listen to your body and don’t push too hard. Even a short walk can be helpful.

Mental Health

An important aspect of dealing with kidney cancer is mental health. Emotional well-being is essential not only for patients but also for caregivers. A diagnosis of kidney cancer can be daunting and can lead to depression and anxiety.

Mental stress can affect your body especially the immune function, which in turn, can affect the way your body responds to treatment.

Tell your treatment team if you suffer from a feeling of anxiety, stress or depression. Talk to your friends and family who understand you and can support you in different ways. A supportive emotional environment can be of great help while being treated for kidney cancer.

Post Treatment Care

All the above aspects are not only true while getting treatment for kidney cancer, but also recovering from cancer treatment. Even after you complete treatment, your doctor might want to watch you closely to monitor your progress. It is most important to go for all your follow-up appointments.

Discuss any issues that you’re facing during your appointments, which may not easily reflect in your lab tests. Almost all cancer treatments have some side effects. Discussing with your doctor can help your doctor address different issues on time.

Is it Possible to Lower the Risk of Kidney Cancer Coming Back?

We know that one of the most important things in everyone’s mind is whether it is possible to do anything to lower the risk of kidney cancer from coming back. While no one can say for sure if this is possible, one of the main things to keep in mind is not to start or restart smoking. Not smoking reduces the risk of relapse to a great extent.

Moreover, adopting a healthy lifestyle such as a good diet and regular physical activity can help you get healthy in general.

Courage is an Important Virtue

When it comes to kidney cancer, courage is the most important thing. There will be days when things will become too much to handle.

Take one day at a time and have patience. Surround yourself with loved ones.

Together we can make the impossible possible.

Sources:

Back to Articles