When you have breast cancer, you need to be strong enough to survive this difficult, threatening, and life-changing battle. There is a strong need to fight hard for your survival no matter how shocking and draining the diagnosis and treatment are, and even after you have overcome the hurdles of the disease, you still have to master how to approach life as a cancer survivor.
With the emergence of modern medicine, however, a soaring number of breast cancer survivors are not only enjoying an extended lifespan, but they are also learning to lead better lives. You might know someone who had battled breast cancer and tried whatever it takes but didn’t survive, and so you’ll doubt, “how can we be lucky enough to survive this freaking disease?”
Well, listed below are “ways” to help you escape through breast cancer and relish the art of grateful living when you did have the rare chance to survive.
1. Be Greater Than Your Cigarette Addiction
As the cliché goes, “the best time to quit smoking was the day you started and the second best time to stop is today.” Deciding on staying smoke-free will never be an easy task, but if you can find that one convincing reason to stop then you can kick cigarette addiction out of your life forever.
When you have breast cancer, and you quit smoking, you diminish the risk of getting second cancer and other severe health conditions.
You will also start to experience improved blood circulation, lower heart rate, and better oxygen levels. On top of that, you will also protect your family members in the process from secondhand smoke and keep them out of harm’s way.
2. Sweat, Smile, and Repeat
It is crucial for breast cancer survivors to do regular exercise daily. Accordingly, various physical activities will reduce treatment side effects like overtiredness and depression, lessen the risk of cancer recurrence, and upgrade one’s survival rate. Breast cancer survivors must have at least thirty (30) minutes or more of daily brisk walking as a starter, or they may opt for other physical activities that they take pleasure in like dancing or gardening.
They must find time from their regular routines each day to be physically active and perform moderate-intensity exercises or try to be exercise with a family member or a group of supportive friends to stay motivated.
This kind of connection is the best way to alter a woman’s estrogen metabolism, ushering more good estrogen and less bad estrogen into the body, and eventually lowering the risk for cancer occurrence.
3. Make People Your Anchor
An excellent way to cope with breast cancer is to consider seeking help, support, and understanding from the members of your family, your closest friends, and those who have survived the disease.
Since living a life with cancer is exhausting physically, financially, and emotionally, asking help from your family and friends can save you a big chunk of your time and effort so you can focus on your recovery and on improving your quality of life.
Take a timeout from your busy schedule and have some quality time with your loved ones. You can even go to breast cancer survivors’ support groups, where you can open up about your doubts, fears, and feelings toward the disease. Staying connected with a social network is vital to keeping your hopes, positivity, and sanity intact.
4. Get Checked and Screened Regularly
If you’re one of the breast cancer survivors, there is nothing more essential than having routine post-treatment screenings and check-ups with your trusted doctor. These will keep you updated of your condition and how you can improve your overall health.
Follow up screening tests are crucial to know the risk of acquiring other health conditions and how to overcome them. Doctors will play an essential role in the road to your full recovery or in monitoring the continuing effects of your breast cancer treatment as well as the possibility of its recurrence.
5. Take away
Breast cancer is something that you have to battle hard enough. The massive risk for breast cancer is the fact that you’re a woman, and menopausal women, mainly, need to take specific measures for their bodies to recover from cancer treatment and to heal their minds.
Also read: 6 Reasons To Breastfeed Out Of 1 Breast that Every Mom Should Know