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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 8 June 2020

A handy list of resources for living with the coronavirus and managing your chronic conditions. Just look for your condition below. If you don't find what you are looking for, please leave a comment and we will get back to you.    

We must live with Covid-19 pandemic for a while. For people with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, rheumatic conditions, pulmonary conditions, it is even more essential to manage these conditions better. For e.g. a person whose blood sugars are under control is better equipped to deal with the coronavirus infection. 

As we prepare for the easing of restrictions, we must be aware of the risks of infection associated with it and mitigate these risks by practicing safety guidelines viz. mask hygiene, regular washing and sanitisation of hands, and maintaining safe distance at all times. 

We must also recognise that we cannot delay seeking help and treatment of our chronic conditions, and seek out the doctor. The process of these has changed in some places. While some places have started OPDs, most still require that you first connect and consult with the doctor through telemedicine. If the doctor advises you to go for tests or go see the doctor in person, please go ahead and not delay diagnosis and treatment. Do not let your fear of Covid-19 risk overtake your need for timely care.

We have also compiled resources for various conditions. Click on the topics you are interested in to get a detailed understanding of your specific condition. If you have specific questions, you can ask in our discussion forums or contact us at  https://www.patientsengage.com/contact

Cancer

1. How to manage cancer treatment during Covid-19 by Dr. Vinay Deshmane, Consultant in Surgical Oncology & Breast Diseases and Medical Director and Jnt. Hon secretary of the Indian Cancer Society. Link to the webinar recording.

2.Also, here is the link to the key notes from the recording of the above webinar    

Diabetes 

1. How to live well with Diabetes during Covid-19 by Dr. Debashis Basu, Diabetes Awareness and You

2. How to manage diabetes during Covid-19 lockdown by Dr. Piya Balani Thakkar. Summary of her webinar recording

2a. How to manage diabetes during Covid-19 lockdown by Dr. Piya Balani Thakkar. Link to the webinar recording

Dementia

1. Dementia Home Care, the COVID-19 infection risk, and Lockdown/ Unlock challenges

This is a good resource to track the impact of the changes due to lockdowns and re-opening of cities and areas and how it impacts dementia care and even elder care. Useful tips for family caregivers of persons with dementia.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

Changed
Tue, 04/13/2021 - 19:04

Stories

  • Breast Self Examination (BSE) is a good tool for early detection for Breast Cancer
    Learn the right method for Breast Self Examination (BSE)
    says Dr Geeta Kadayaprath, a Surgical Oncologist and Head of Breast Surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi. She strongly recommends Breast Self Examination (BSE) as one of the methods for early detection. How do you spread awareness about breast cancer? Through lectures, videos and street plays mainly 1.   Would you say the awareness has improved over the years? It has, but in select pockets only, mainly urban. There is no comprehensive, concerted method of creating…
  • Epilepsy Survivor for 4 decades Ignatius Misquitta with his wife and daughters
    Sustaining Employment With My Epilepsy Has Been A Constant Struggle
    Ignatius Misquitta, 56, who has been battling epilepsy attacks for over four decades, looks at how epilepsy shaped his life and humorously recounts how his seizures landed him in a soup many times. And why he wears a bracelet. My first seizure at 12 months was so severe that the doctor declared me dead. Yet, my father gave me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and pumped my heart, over and over. I have since survived to tell this tale. At first seizures were limited to just 2-3 a year (blank spells…
  • Epilepsy treatment options and other Frequently Asked Questions
    How to Stop Epileptic Seizures?
    And questions on seizures, ketogenic diet, depression answered by Dr Joy Desai, a Consultant Neurologist in Mumbai and on the Committee of the Bombay Chapter of The Indian Epilepsy Association. #AskTheDoctor series 1.  How effective is surgery for epilepsy cure? Surgery is effective in well selected patients. Patients are evaluated for surgery on 3 conditions: Is their epilepsy arising from one spot in the brain? Has testing confirmed this site and will it be possible to intervene and…
  • Image of a man with a mask in a polluted city.
    Air pollution is a Public Health Problem - A Leading Cause of Poor Health and Cancers
    Dr Radha Goyal, Deputy Director of Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), New Delhi, shares the research on how the carcinogenic elements in the air we breathe are lethal in more senses than one. The current pollution levels in our country, particularly in Delhi/NCR – how threatening is it for lung cancer cases? The latest urban air quality database released by the World Health Organization (WHO) reconfirms that most Indian cities are becoming death traps because of very high air…
  • Close up of the author Mariyam Raza Haider, caregiver of her father with oral cancer
    Handling Late Night Medical Emergencies
    The most important factor in medical emergencies is to not panic, think calmly and act quickly and effectively. Mariyam Raza Haider, 26, recounts an emergency due to side effects of chemotherapy for her father's treatment of oral cancer and the lessons she learnt from it. This concludes the two-part series. One of the biggest concerns when taking care of a cancer patient on chemotherapy is the bout of side effects. The most common side effects of any form of chemotherapy are — nausea,…
  • Picture of Mariyam Raza Haider whose father has oral cancer
    Ways to De-stress during Chemotherapy Sessions
    Mariyam Raza Haider, 26, gives a first person account of how she makes her father’s chemotherapy cycles for aggressive oral cancer as easy and comfortable as possible. This is the first of a two-part series. Chemotherapy, despite being one of the most rigorous medical treatments, demands a pretty simple administration regime. More often than not, cancer patients spend a few hours at the hospital’s daycare, get the chemo drugs through intravenous catheters, and are then discharged. Most side…
  • partial image of a woman holding her neck indicating a thyroid problem
    My Medication Caused Bone Health Deterioration
    Parul, 48 from Mumbai talks about tackling hypothyroidism in her own way, accompanied by food cravings and a debilitating bone health. Please tell us a bit about your condition  I have hypothyroidism. I need to take Eltroxin every day When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed in 1995, 3 months after the birth of my first child. I was around 25 years old at the time. What were the early symptoms? I noticed a small swelling around my neck area one day and decided to get it checked. Initially…
  • Image shows a strip of pills meant to be contraceptive pills
    Research Update: Do Contraceptive Pills Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer?
    One of the largest studies on women (1.8 million women) tracked the effect of the use of hormonal birth control pills on risk of breast cancer. Read on to know the findings:  The study: Recently, the New England Journal of Medicine published a research conducted by a team of scientists in Denmark. They studied 1.8 million women between the ages of 15 and 49 over a stretch of approximately 11 years. They were looking for women who used hormonal birth control — usually a combination of…
  • Image shows profile pic of Dr. Shailesh Shrikhande, Chief Surgical oncologist - Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Service, Tata Memorial Center, Mumbai.
    Pancreatic Cancer: Latest Treatment Options and Other Questions
    In our AsktheDoctor series, Dr Shailesh Shrikhande of Tata Memorial, Mumbai helps us better understand one of the most sudden and deadly cancers - Pancreatic Cancer. Also its relation with diabetes and the need for palliative surgery.  1.    There was a report on rising incidence of pancreatic cancer in India. What are the possible reasons? According to SEER database (2008-2012), incidence of the pancreatic cancer is static globally (including India) and incidence in India…
  • Movies and Documentaries on Health in 2017
    Shivani Maheshwari brings you a list of 10 movies and documentaries on health released in 2017. It is a random selection, with no preference or bias. They were picked up because they featured prominently on social media. The dominance of American staple probably makes a telling statement that more work needs to be done in the health sector in India, in terms of films, features, docudramas, narratives, and motion pictures. Hopefully, 2018 will be better. Watch them if you can. Many are available…