lori0513's Cancer Blog
October 31, 2007
| Taking Care of Yourself After Cancer | Views: 158 |
I am a on the edge of being a 19 month cancer survivor. Do I think about cancer coming back?
Yes, it does cross my mind once in awhile but I refuse to give in to being scared of it all the time.
Do I let the thought of cancer ruin my life? No, I can’t let cancer run my life. Letting cancer run your life does no one any good.
Should you vent about it once in awhile? Yes, but don’t let it ruin your new life. Having cancer and going through all the treatments is almost like being reborn again.
Can I do anything to help nonrecurrence? Yes,
Go to your follow appointments, which should be every 3 months for a good while.
Get your yearly mammograms. Do monthly breast exams. I have a habit of checking the breast I had cancer in all the time. Learn how your breast feel. This will help you know when you have found something new or not.. I happen to check my every week and once a month I do a more in depth exam.
I see my oncologist every 3 months and I still see my
radiologist. I only have to see him once a year now. I am on Arimidex for the rest of my life is what I have heard.
Remember that a doctor is going to pay more attention to you having a pain then someone else who hasn’t had cancer. I have heard from many cancer survivors that they always use the 2 week method of pain. If you have consistent pain for two weeks straight, have it checked. You are still going to have a headache once in awhile but that doesn’t mean you have cancer again. Be smart about how your body is feeling.
My doctor told me to have ovaries out. I insisted on a total hysterectomy. My gynecologist had no problem taking out the ovaries, but said hysterectomy would take longer to heal. (6 weeks recovery). Six weeks is nothing compared to the chemo & radiation I had just went through. So he did what I wanted, took everything out.
I started doing this before I had breast cancer. I go to a Dermatologist to have my skin checked for any cancer once every year.
Chemo has an effect on your bones and being on Arimidex can have a side effect on my bones so my doctor has told me to take 1200 mg of calcuim and atleast 800 UI of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is good for breast health. I asked him about Flaxseed and he wasn’t to crazy about me taking flaxseed products. I have read that results of taking flaxseed are still out on patients that have had breast cancer especially estrogen positive.
I drink organic milk now, because it isn’t full of hormones that cows are given. Some milks have hormones in it and it can cause estrogen in your body. They say that is why girls are starting their periods a lot sooner then they used to.
I have recently decided to start watching my cosmetics, and personal products. There is an agent called
Paraben that is in personal products that can cause cancer. Now it may have to be a big dose of it but I feel if I cut some of that out of my life style what can it hurt.
It’s like an estrogen. Some other names are (butylparaben)
getting rid of paraben in their products.
Drinking out of a water bottle that has been sitting your car is not good either. Sheryl Crow has told this many times that it’s not safe to drink bottled water that has been sitting. The plastic turns into an estrogen when it gets a little warm. They say you shouldn’t microwave anything in plastic. Only use microwave safe dishes.
If you notice that is why fast food places use cardboard containers now instead of the plastic foam ones.
They say walking 30 mintues at least 4 to 5 times a week is also good. My doctor is all for the self healing. He recommends yoga for stress. Stressing about things doesn’t help our body to heal.
I know I can’t watch everything but if I am aware of some of this stuff I feel like I am doing something to protect myself.
Don’t dwell on cancer go on with life and enjoy it.
Look back on all you have went through and accomplished in your journey. Last year at this time the kids were painting a Jack o lantern on my bald head, and now a year has gone by and my hair is back. Start the new chapter in your life.
Taking Care of Yourself After Cancer, 
3 comments)
10.11.07 - 
Thanks for your support -
Excellent advice. A number of things that I didn’t know, especially about plastic. I’m changing how we microwave things immediately.
We are the most responsible parties in our own recoveries and what you have written is a blueprint for us all. But as you have shown, it important to talk to th oncologist and other physicians about what we want to do to improve our health. I was intent on taking large doses of vitamins, including vitamin E. I did talk to my oncologist and was told, with my treatment, I should take a 1 a day multiple vitamin and to stay away from vitamin E all together. Thank goodness, I discussed this with the oncologist.
Lori,
Great advice! I am a huge advocate for organic food. I went on a vegetarian diet during all of my treatments. I am finally incorporating chicken and fish back into my food. I drink things that taste terrible but I believe helped my recovery. I take a tablespoon of flax oil every day. My cancer was not estrogen positive. You can google Johanna Budwig. She is doctor from the 50’s that developed a flax oil diet to treat & cure advanced cancers. It is really fascinating.
Melissa
Lori.
How are things going with you?
Let us know what is new with you.
Congrats on 19 months for Cancer Survivor.