Breast Cancer Tips: Part 2 by Yvonne Ortega
Breast Cancer Tips: Part 2 by Yvonne Ortega
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the United States. Here are five breast cancer tips: part 2 for patients and caregivers.
6. Join a cancer support group.
Breast cancer can make you feel lonely, different, and isolated. You may feel like a patient number in treatment. When you join a cancer support group, you belong. Others will be in different stages of chemotherapy, radiation, or aftercare. You will receive encouragement, support, and understanding. You’ll learn from one another, cry and laugh together. I belonged to a breast cancer support group at the hospital and my church. They differed and served me in unique ways.
7. Let others help you.
When others ask you how they can help you, tell them. In honesty and transparency, let them know if you need a ride to and from treatment. When I asked for a ride, I hesitated to do so. My independent personality struggled to admit a need. If you need yard work, housework, or a meal, ask for those specific items. Perhaps you have allergies or dislike certain foods. Let the ones who bring you a meal know that. Ask them to use disposable containers. After treatment, I took unmarked dishes to both cancer support groups to find their owners.
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8. Set realistic goals during treatment.
If you have a full-time or part-time job during treatment, two realistic goals are to take a power nap and sleep more hours at night. You may have felt strong and independent before surgery and treatment. And yet, during and after them, you would profit from a goal of recovery. I reduced my work hours and scheduled time at home for a nap between my two jobs as a teacher and a counselor. Evening hours became shorter to provide enough energy for me to drive home, eat dinner, and get ready for bed.
9. Schedule treatment around your life, not your life around treatment.
As much as possible, enjoy your family. Maybe you have a job, children, and grandchildren. Include them in your schedule. Dates for the women’s retreat and Easter determined my start date and schedule for chemotherapy and radiation. At the completion of treatment, I attended a retreat for jail-based personnel. A friend drove me there. I slept off and on round-trip.
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10. Sign up for an annual mammogram.
Ask your family care doctor if he has an annual mammogram signup in the office. If not, check with the local breast cancer treatment facility. With an online calendar, you can insert your own reminder. If you lack peace after a mammogram, let your physician know and ask for an ultrasound. Dense breasts or a family history of cancer may warrant an ultrasound after your mammogram.
If this article doesn’t apply to you, please share it with a family member, friend, or coworker who could benefit from it.
Copyright © by Yvonne Ortega October 7, 2021
