Symptom Control

This section describes some of the symptoms which may occur during your illness. Some may be caused by the illness itself, while others may be the result of treatment. You may have one or more of these symptoms, or none at all. However, if you do have symptoms, these can usually be controlled with help from your nursing and medical team.

If you need to attend hospital, you can ask to see a hospital palliative care nurse. They can advise the doctors and nurses looking after you on how best to manage your symptoms and can offer emotional support to you and your loved ones.

Treatments

You may have the option to be given treatments to control your illness for a time and reduce symptoms.

It might be a good idea to make a specific appointment with your doctor to go over all the options available to you. You can ask your doctor to explain all the treatments fully and to tell you about the benefits and possible disadvantages of each treatment. You can also ask them what is likely to happen if you have no further treatment.

It’s important that you don’t feel under pressure from your family or friends to accept or refuse treatment. The final decision must be your own, even if you discuss the options with your partner or friends.