Mesothelioma Patient Care and Mesotheliom Treatment

Caring for a mesothelioma patient can be quite challenging — emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially. Whether you're just beginning to deal with your loved one's mesothelioma diagnosis or you've been caring for a mesothelioma patient for some time now, it's a good idea to gather all possible tips and helpful information. Your loved one's physician may have given you an idea of what to expect, and as you strive to provide the best possible care, the choice of where your loved one's caregiving will be provided is fundamental.

Mesothelioma Cancer Nursing Care Provided

There are a number of options for caring for a mesothelioma cancer patient. Your loved one's health, his or her desires and needs, your own needs, and financial factors will all play a part in the determination of where the patient's medical care will be provided. In addition, the location of the caregiving may need to change as your loved one's condition changes. The places where caring for mesothelioma patients takes place usually include:

• At home — Lots of people prefer to spend the end of their lives with their families, at home. Home care may be a feasible option for the whole term of your loved one's care, or it may be appropriate for just part of the process (for instance, in the early stages of the disease or in the final days). Whether or not your loved one has been cared for in another setting at an earlier point, he or she (and you) may want to have the last days spent at home with family. At-home care can usually be supplemented with professional home-care services, including visiting nurses.

• At a hospital — A significant benefit of hospital care is that doctors, nurses, and emergency equipment are always at hand. As a family member, you may also be able to share in the provision of caregiving for a mesothelioma patient at the hospital.

• With hospice care — Hospice care for a mesothelioma cancer patient can be provided in a number of settings: at the patient's home or another residence, or at a nursing home, or at a specialized hospice center. The purpose of hospice centers is to provide comfort and care to the terminally ill. It is often a more warm and hospitable setting compared to hospitals.

• At a nursing home — A nursing home provides medical care around the clock, and if your loved one with mesothelioma cancer needs nursing care that you are not able to provide, a nursing home can be a good choice. Some mesothelioma patients prefer to use the services of a nursing home in order to take the burden of care from their family members.

Private health insurance, an asbestos cancer settlement, an asbestos trust fund, and Medicaid or Medicare may cover part or all of the nursing care at differing facilities, including the home.

Caring for a Mesothelioma Patient

There is much more to learn about caring for a mesothelioma patient, and we're here to help you. Contact mesothelioma treatment center online to arrange an appointment to discuss your circumstances and your needs.

MESOTHELIOMA'S CAUSE - ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

At some point in our lives, nearly all of us have been exposed to asbestos in the air we breathe and the water we drink; from natural deposits in the earth, and from the deterioration of asbestos products around us. Most of us, however, do not become ill as a result of our exposure. More commonly, those who at some point are diagnosed with asbestos disease, have worked in jobs where more substantial exposure occurred over longer periods of time. Nevertheless, cases of mesothelioma have been documented as the result of lesser exposure, affecting family members of workers who came into contact with asbestos and brought it home on their clothing, skin or hair, or affecting those who lived in close proximity to asbestos manufacturing facilities. Symptoms of asbestos disease usually are not be apparent until decades after exposure.

Asbestos was used commercially in North America as early as the late 1800s, but its use increased dramatically during the World War II era when shipyards produced massive numbers of ships for the war effort. Since that time, asbestos-containing products were used by the construction and building trades, the automotive industry and the manufacturing industry. All told, more than 5,000 products contained asbestos.

For more than 50 years, products containing asbestos remained unregulated, and the manufacturers of those products continued to prosper, knowing full well that many of the millions of workers who came into contact with their products would ultimately suffer as the result of their actions. Finally, in the late 1970s, the Consumer Products Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in wallboard patching compounds and artificial ash for gas fireplaces because the fiber could easily be released during use. In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency banned all new use of asbestos, but uses established prior to that time were still allowed. Although awareness of the dangers of asbestos and public concern over the issue have led to a decline in domestic consumption over the years, a total ban on asbestos has not come to fruition. Asbestos is still imported, still used and still dangerous.

Although it is suggested that the number of mesothelioma cases in the U.S. has reached its peak and has begun to drop, a forecast released by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER), in April, 2003, projected the total number of American male mesothelioma cases from 2003-2054 to be approximately 71,000. This number, however, does not take into consideration events such as the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001, when millions of New Yorkers were potentially exposed to air filled with carcinogenic asbestos particles. When the latency period for asbestos disease is factored in, cases of mesothelioma will continue to be diagnosed for years to come. See our page on mesothelioma risk factors.

What is Mesothelioma?

What is Mesothelioma?
The National Cancer Institute states that: "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura), the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) or the lining around the heart (the pericardium)."

What is peritoneal mesothelioma?
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity. This form of cancer makes up approximately one-fifth to one-third of the total number of mesothelioma cases diagnosed.

How do you get Mesothelioma?
Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. More about the different ways in which people have been exposed to asbestos.

How much exposure does it take to get the disease?
An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. Mesothelioma cause.

How long does it take after exposure for the disease to show up?
People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of asbestos disease.

What is the prognosis for mesothelioma?
Like most cancers, the prognosis for this disease often depends on how early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated.

Is there any promising research or are there promising drugs for mesothelioma?
Research is being conducted at various cancer centers all over the United States as well as by pharmaceutical companies. To find more about these studies, click on Clinical Trials. To read abstracts of the latest journal articles on mesothelioma research and to access these articles, click on Medical Journal Articles; or Mesothelioma News for news articles. A recent study of Alimta showed patients living much longer with Alitma than other chemotherapy drugs.

Where can I find information on living with mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma Aid is a good website for resource for families dealing with mesothelioma. It includes advice and referrals to other resources for coping with cancer, caregiving, financial challenges, and support groups. Alternatively, contact us here at Mesothelioma Web for help finding resouces for living with this disease.