Caring for the Patient During Treatment
How to take care of the patient during Campath® (alemtuzumab) treatments
To be an active partner in the healthcare of your friend or loved one during treatments, the caregiver should talk to the doctor or nurse to learn more about B-CLL and Campath. You can help with treatment by reminding the patient of the following important tips for self-care:
- Make sure that premedications are taken exactly as directed, both during and after Campath therapy, to help prevent infections
- Ask the doctor before the patient takes any other medications, including over-the-counter medications such as aspirin
- Because platelets may be temporarily reduced, the patient should avoid excess bleeding from small cuts by using an electric razor and a soft toothbrush
- The patient should avoid contact sports and activities that could lead to injury
- The patient should avoid any immunization with live viral vaccines while on Campath therapy. The safety of live viral vaccines with Campath has not been studied
- Handwashing should be done often, since it's a simple but effective way to help reduce the risk of infection
- The patient should avoid people with coughs, colds, or other contagious infections
- The patient should get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and eat healthy foods. It is best to avoid eating the skin of fresh fruits and vegetables, and to avoid unpasteurized milk, certain cheeses (ask the doctor), and undercooked meat or poultry
- Schedule regular follow-up visits with the doctor as he or she recommends, and comply with his or her requests for lab work
- Talk to the doctor and nurse before, during, and after treatments. Ask questions and discuss your concerns. Tell them about any new symptoms or problems
Other things you can do to help your friend or loved one
Learning to live with cancer means learning many new things about the disease, treatment, and changes in daily life. Family members and/or caregivers can help patients by listening, helping with household chores, accompanying them on doctor visits, and just spending time with them doing things that all of you enjoy.
