In this posting we will discuss one form of treatment of the mesothelioma cancer, that is through surgery.

Before you consider surgery, please consider your overall health. Make sure your health is evaluated carefully by a doctor. Make sure your doctor have you tested to make sure that you don’t have metastatic disease. Metastatic disease is cancer that spreads to distant area of your body.

There may be an occasion where cancer is only in one area of the pleura, where surgery can be used to cure mesothelioma cancer. Using surgery, it can remove part, or all, of the pleura and tissues closes to the cancer. Sometime, the affected side which involves the pleura, whole lung, and diagram are removed along with the tumor.

Even though you may do the surgery, beware that even surgery may not cure mesothelioma cancer. It is important that you discuss this with your doctor before hand so that you have the full understanding of what is happening/going on with the surgery. Only you can consent the surgery, so please make sure you have a full understanding of what is involved.

Sometime, in order to achieve the full effect of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be involved in order to ensure that mesothelioma cancer is, at best cured.

After operation, sometime it can take many weeks to recover from the surgery. In order to speed up recovery, it is best to be active as possible. If you are required to stay in bed, keep regular leg movements to stay active. To help out with the breathing exercise, a physiotherapist will work with you on this.

Intravenous infusion and drainage tubes will be on you in order to maintain and monitor your overall health. Tubes usually go away when you begin to eat and drink normally and when the overall health improves.

You may feel some pain or discomfort after the surgery. This is quite normal and by making a request to the nurse or doctor, you can control it with painkillers. Be aware that pain or discomfort may persist for few weeks. Be sure to ask your doctor on what to do about the pain.

Mesothelioma cancer patients usually go home 5 to 10 days after the operation. When you go home, be sure to exercise often but gently to build your strength. Be sure to ask your doctor on type of exercises that are appropriate for you. Typically walking and swimming exercise will suffice for those with surgery in the approximation of lungs.

In the next posting we will discuss another form of treatment for the mesothelioma cancer that is by chemoterapy.