Manage Your Symptoms
Cancer treatment may cause symptoms (signs that you are not feeling well). Your health care team will help you understand which symptoms you may have, and how to manage them.
Your health care team has developed and gathered helpful patient and caregiver education materials and resources to help you manage your symptoms from your cancer treatment.
Click
here to see a list of all of our Patient & Caregiver Education Materials & Community Resources.
If you would like to learn more about how to manage certain symptoms or side effects of cancer treatment, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) has many
symptom management booklets with information that are available in 11 different languages.
If you need help with managing your symptoms, call:
-
During the day, call REACT
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
905-813-4412 -
In the evening, on weekends or holidays, call CAREchart@home
Monday to Friday, 4:00 p.m. - 8:30 a.m.
1-877-681-3057
Your Symptoms Matter
What is ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
‘Your Symptoms Matter’ is a tool that helps you tell your health care team how you are feeling.
When do I complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
Complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’ each time you go to appointments with your health care team (for example, an appointment with your cancer doctor or nurse, or treatment).
How do I complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
Ask your health care team how you can complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’.
Why should I complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
When your health care team knows about your symptoms, they can help you manage them better. It will also help you and your health care team keep track of the changes in your symptoms over time.
What if I don’t have any symptoms?
Even if you do not have symptoms, please fill out ‘Your Symptoms Matter’. If you start to have symptoms later, your health care team may look back at ‘Your Symptoms Matter’ scores over time. This will help them find out what caused the change in your health.
What happens after I complete ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
Your health care team will review your scores and give you personalized support. Tell your health care team about any symptoms you have that are not part of ‘Your Symptoms Matter’.
What do I do if my health care team doesn’t talk to me about ‘Your Symptoms Matter’?
Your health care team should talk to you about ‘Your Symptoms Matter’. If your health care team does not ask you about ‘Your Symptoms Matter’, talk to them about your scores.
What if I want to complete Your Symptoms Matter in another language?
‘Your Symptoms Matter’ is available in more than 30 different languages. If you would like to fill out ‘Your Symptoms Matter’ in a language other than English or French, ask your health care team during your appointment.
If you have any questions about ‘Your Symptoms Matter’, please ask someone on your health care team.
A new and enhanced Your Symptoms Matter (YSM) survey has been launched at the Carlo Fidani Regional Cancer Centre at the Credit Valley Hospital and the Betty and Buster Lockwood Cancer Detection and Treatment Centre at the Queensway Health Centre. The new survey, YSM + (ESAS-r-+), includes three additional questions related to sleep, constipation, and diarrhea. If you have any questions about the YSM + (ESAS-r-+) survey, please speak with your health care team.
