Has your spouse been living with cancer? Or recently diagnosed with cancer? Has he/she relapsed? If so, do you feel totally discouraged, confused, and terrified at what’s coming up next? It is wise to be informed of the stages a cancer survivor might go through, not only from the point of view of a diagnosis but also for better recovery. The first step is for the cancer survivor to overcome denial regarding the big “C” diagnosis; the mere diagnosis in itself is scary and it brings up a lot of issues in people… Denial is an obstacle to take necessary action, so the sooner you deal with it, the better. In many cases, early intervention is the key to a successful prognosis later on. The second step is accepting help. Most likely, the survivor is still in a state of shock, when attention skills and other response skills are not the sharpest. This kind of shock is paralyzing to a lot of people, draining them of energy and all other resources. You need the most support at this time, not only from the medical community but also from your friends and family; some people do exceptionally well being supported by a trained coach during these times; a coach would introduce the survivor to new coping skills, support him/her through the changing relationships and the changing world around him/her. The third step is for the survivor is to show a willingness to make the necessary changes to become healthier. This often involves giving up some of the old habits he is accustomed with, building a new support system of healthier babitsfriends, learning new coping skills, and changing many of his relationships. The fourth step is a commitment to get healthier which entails managing stress, sticking to treatment procedures, and following a healthier lifestyle. The fifth step is advanced recovery in which the survivor has learned the triggers for low energy and has learned how to listen to his/her body for signs of imbalance and has altered his/her lifestyle to minimize these triggers. In addition, he/she has become involved in helping others in the same situation and has become an inspiration and a role model for many in the community. Now, the survivor has a good balance in his/her life in all levels between work, home, and everything else. It is always of great help to keep in mind the cancer experience and to move ahead preventatively: continuously living a healthy balanced lifestyle. This will prevent risk of all diseases, not only decrease the risk of cancer recurrence. As a cancer survivor, remember: you are a winner already! Keep going and enjoy life! Your cancer recovery starts with getting more information about your disease and your recovery.
Posts Tagged ‘Recovery’
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How Can I Boost My Recovery After Chemotherapy?
Question: I’m now on my fifth cycle of chemotherapy for breast cancer, with one more cycle to go. The side effects, mainly digestive problems, get worse each time. is there any thing I can do to help myself through this and to put myself back on the path to good health when the treatment ends? Answer: The goal of chemotherapy is to destroy the spread of the cancer cells in the breast tissue or lymph nodes. Although chemotherapeutic agents have a devastating effect on the cancer cells, the body pays a price: the liver, kidneys and other organs with healthy cells are severely affected too, because the chemo agents aren’t able to target only the cancer cells. Up to six cycles of chemo seems to offer optimum benefit, as any more therapy would increase the toxicity in the body to an unacceptable degree. When chemotherapy is over, the body has to rebuild everything quickly – like reconstructing a house after a hurricane. The sooner the body’s wellbeing is reinstated, the better chance it has of going into a remission or cure. In my experience, there is a lot you can do to build up your physical and mental strength as soon as your cancer is diagnosed, and you should keep up this programme for the long term. Stress management is paramount you need to control emotions such as anger, frustration, fear and embarrassment. My own belief is that saying things such as, ‘I’ll fight it tooth and nail, care counterproductive: you can maintain your fighting spirit most effectively by staying calm. It is best to accept the condition, approach it spiritually and rectify the damage to your body and mind. If you create serenity within yourself and slow down your mind and body, this may check the spread of cancer cells. Worries, stress, financial difficulties, and so on, will always be there, but you have to learn to become ‘immune’ to them: doing this will help you most. Starting to get the ‘feel good’ factor back is a sign of your body’s innate healing power responding to the changes you’ve made. This force – which we take for granted to mend cuts, bruises and broken bones – can help you overcome your maladies. Here are my suggestions Diet * Try to eat organic foods whenever possible. * Regularly drink freshly juiced carrots, apples, ginger, celery and fresh mint with wheatgerm. * During chemotherapy, eat soft foods, such as mushy rice, mashed potatoes, soft-boiled eggs, minced chicken, grilled or poached fish, overcooked or pureed vegetables, soups, juices, porridge, lentils and fresh (non-citrus) fruits. * Always avoid foods that agitate the body, such as coffee, excess salt strong spices, sugar, yeast products, red meat fatty or fried foods, canned products, plus soft drinks, alcohol and cigarettes. Supplements From the start of chemotherapy, take the following to support the body’s functions: * Dr Ali’s Multivitamin and Mineral or BioCare One A Day : one daily for three months. * Bio Liv : one twice daily for three months. * Stomach Formula : two twice daily for two months. Relaxation * Try meditation, chanting prayer, creative visualisation, singing, playing music, painting, dancing, recreational sports or games. I also recommend therapeutic iyengar yoga, which combines exercise and meditation. It incorporates pranayama – the art of breathing, which calms and stills the mind while supplying blood and oxygen to the body’s cells. (Vigorous yogas lack the peace the body needs to slow down the madness of cell division.) * Read my book Theropeutic Yoga, co-written with Jiwan Brar ; particularly practice the corpse pose with retention breathing (breathe in for three seconds, hold for three to six seconds and breathe out for six seconds). I talk you through this on my Lifestyle DVD, £19.95, and Relaxation CD, (both Integrated health Group). Massage Ask someone to massage your neck, shoulders, back, calves and the soles of your feet every week, but to avoid the breasts and lymph nodes. Reflexology is excellent, too. Nutritional therapy My colleague Dr Wendy Denning( at the Integrated Medical Centre) gives controlled intravenous infusions of vitamins and minerals to cope with the demands of hemotherapy and keep the life force active. When the liver is sluggish and the appetite is poor – or there is a digestive problem, as in your case – you lack nutrients at the time you need them most.
Breast Cancer Surgery Recovery Time
The type of surgery recommended in any given case of breast cancer has significance for postoperative therapy. Breast cancer surgery may be less extensive or radical where the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body; the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy may then be more aggressive. Breast cancer surgery recovery time depends on the procedure involved. More commonly, the cancer is localized. The patient’s options may, in consequence include: surgery only, surgery with radiation, surgery with chemotherapy, surgery with a combination of these treatments; or radiation or chemotherapy without surgery. However, breast cancer surgery recovery time would differ depending upon the kind of surgery they had. If the lesion is malignant, the surgeon proceeds with the mastectomy. Depending upon the seriousness of the case and the procedure recommended by the surgeon and the pathologist, the operation may be a simple mastectomy, a radical mastectomy, a modified radical mastectomy, or any of a number of other forms of breast operation. In the United States, until recently, radical mastectomy was the usual procedure for breast cancer treatment. Today at least seven different types of mastectomy, some more widely accepted than other, may be performed namely: lumpectomy, simple mastectomy, modified-radical mastectomy, halsted-type radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, super-radical mastectomy. All may be recommended in different cases depending upon the type of cancer, its invasive potential, or ability to spread, and other factors. Most patients have deep concern about many aspects of breast cancer surgery recovery time, including the cosmetic effects. For that reason, it is important to select the appropriate type of surgery. The rates of survival appear to depend as much on timely use of pre and postoperative radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy as on the type of operation. But the kind of operation may determine whether the patient will be able to function and recover normally in a relatively short period of time.