What does the discharge guidance for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients include?

Discharge guidance refers to the health education prepared by the hospital for patients who are about to be discharged, including how to provide psychological care, dietary care, how to arrange exercise and rest, how to effectively prevent or deal with possible complications after treatment, and when to go to the hospital for a follow-up examination. It can guide patients on how to recover after discharge, so patients and their families need to carefully understand the content of discharge guidance. Discharge guidance for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients may include the following points:

1. The first treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is radiotherapy. After the treatment, the patient should continue to keep the skin in the radiation field dry and clean, avoid any stimulation from physical and chemical factors within one year, and wash it with mild water.

2. During radiotherapy, the salivary glands are damaged, affecting the body's normal saliva secretion function. Therefore, patients often feel dry mouth and tongue. They need to carry drinking water or a water cup with them when going out.

3. One to two months after radiotherapy, patients may experience swelling of the face, jaw, submandibular area, and neck, and may also have symptoms such as hoarseness and laryngeal edema. Patients do not need to be anxious or nervous at this time, as this is due to subcutaneous edema in the face and neck area caused by poor lymphatic drainage due to irradiation of the deep neck tissue during radiotherapy.

4. You should know the follow-up examination time, and if you experience bloody mucus, nasal congestion, tinnitus, headache, facial numbness, double vision, etc., you should go to the hospital for a follow-up examination immediately.

5. Patients should maintain an open-minded and happy mood, arrange their diet and daily life reasonably, combine work and rest, and engage in moderate activities.