Breast Cancer - 7 Survival Tips That Work


    By Bella Jordan

    On Halloween day of 2006 I learned I had breast cancer. As I watched my 7 year old son bounce out the door in his Star Wars costume, it seemed the world, as I knew it, was over. I felt ambushed, kidnapped and thrown in the trunk of a speeding car going I had no clue where. I was trapped, panic stricken, gripped by a tsunami of terror that just kept crashing over me again and again. I knew I had to survive, not just for myself, but for my husband and my young son who needed me.

    Today I am healthy, happy, and looking forward to celebrating that benchmark, 5 years cancer-free, with my family. It's been a rough ride, but I'm grateful to have survived and learned a few important things along the way. If you, or someone you know is going through this I hope these tips will help you.

    1. Upon receiving news like this your first job is to calm yourself... focus and conserve your energy. Stress is your enemy. It will drain you mentally and weaken you physically. As you prepare for the battle ahead you must get it under control as much as you possibly can. I used prayer, meditation and deep breathing to help me deal with feeling overwhelmed and anxious. You might prefer exercise, or a warm bath with tranquil music. Find what works for you and do it.
    2. Learn as much as you can about your diagnosis and proposed treatment ASAP. I researched on the computer everything I could find about my diagnosis. Do this daily, but only for a few hours then stop-otherwise cancer will consume you and you will make yourself crazy. Knowing the basic terms, procedures and tests will help you communicate more effectively with your doctor, and you'll make better more informed decisions regarding your treatment. If you are not good on the computer, ask someone who is to help you. You get a lot of stuff thrown at you at once, and you have to make decisions fairly quickly, so the more you understand the pros and cons of each recommended step-the better your outcome. I found that doctors will rarely mention side effects or possible serious consequences to treatments, surgery, tests, or medication they are prescribing. You might still opt to go ahead with whatever, but at least you will know the risks of what you are signing up for. Also, arming yourself with the relevant info will help restore some small semblance of control over your own destiny.
    3. Doctors may be the experts on cancer, but you are the expert on you. The first doctor that diagnosed me was a much respected surgeon. She was aspirating some benign cysts in my breasts. After the exam, sonogram and procedure she rushed off to the next patient. But while dressing I noticed a small hard lump still remained in my breast. I knew something was not right. I called her back, and annoyed, she returned to examine me. She did a needle biopsy on the spot, and a week later-upon delivering the grim cancer diagnosis-she told me it was good I had found the lump because she had missed it and would have sent me on my merry way. I promptly fired her by the way, and found a great doctor who was thorough and never too busy to listen. And because I realized that I was the expert on me, I probably saved my own life that day. So never feel intimidated to speak up if you are uncomfortable, or notice something amiss.
    4. Doctors, even the best ones, only know what they know. There are simply too many clinical trials, studies, developments, and alternative therapies to keep up with everything. A good doctor will welcome a knowledgeable pro-active patient, and seriously consider viable options you have researched. After surgery and radiation therapy my oncologist (head of the department) recommended chemotherapy. I agreed, but was apprehensive. After researching her treatment plan I found a study that showed better outcomes-- for my specific cancer and condition-with a different treatment plan. I printed out the study, showed it to my oncologist, and after reviewing it and doing some research herself to verify the results, she agreed it was a better course of treatment for me. I love that woman. Because she was open-minded and willing to listen and learn, I dodged a bullet and avoided unnecessary and damaging chemo. Pick a doctor you trust and have faith in, but always research and retain control of your treatment. If necessary, get a second opinion. After all, it's your life on the line.
    5. You can still feel womanly and attractive after a mastectomy. No woman welcomes a radical surgery like losing one or both breasts. I struggled with it and just really dreaded the whole thing. I cried as they wheeled me into surgery. But the truth is, while not ideal, it hasn't been as bad as I thought. With advancements in reconstructive surgery some women come out looking better than when they went in! If you do not have to have radiation, they can do your reconstruction at the same time as your mastectomy. You will get the best result if your oncology surgeon and plastic surgeon consult and work together on your surgery. If you must have radiation, they can insert an expander in the breast pocket to prepare for implants after radiation. The most important thing is to take exceptionally good care of your skin during and after radiation to achieve the best possible cosmetic outcome. I used aloe vera from a real plant, a fantastic cream called Biafine, and a sunblock with a 50+ SPF. If you choose not to have reconstruction, know that there are many pretty mastectomy bras (often covered by insurance), and fashionable mastectomy swimsuits available that you can wear with comfort and confidence. Borrow a secret from top Hollywood stars and use natural looking silicone enhancers, nicknamed "chicken cutlets" to restore symmetry, or enhance the size and shape of your bosom.
    6. There are things you can do to help yourself heal and stay healthy. Fighting a serious illness like cancer, you almost can't help becoming a professional patient and feeling vulnerable and dependent on your doctors. But at home, your main focus, at any stage of treatment, should be repairing and fortifying your immune system. Some things you could and should do to help yourself are...get plenty of rest(mind and body)...eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables... take vitamins and targeted supplements to repair and build your immune system...and exercise as soon as you feel up to it. Sometimes chemo patients have no appetite. And even though I bypassed chemo, I still found it hard to consume the optimum amount of healthy food servings each day. Here are some tricks that helped me. Juicing is the best way to get concentrated doses of your fresh fruit and veggies. But honestly, it requires a lot of fruit, prep work, and clean up for a few glasses of fresh juice. I did juice. But when I felt too lazy (which was often) I made smoothies in the blender with frozen fruit, OJ and bananas. Buy cut up fruit or vegetable salads to make it easy to reach for a healthy snack. And make a big pot of fresh vegetable soup at the start of the week. That way, you'll have a ready supply of healthy meals for when you don't feel like eating heavy or cooking for that matter. Even my family asks for my homemade vegetable soup!
    7. I'm stronger than I thought and I'm betting so are you. I had to make peace with the fact that certain things I could control, and the rest was out of my hands. But one thing I could control was my attitude. A positive attitude is your first line of defense, and is essential to survival and your quality of life. I focused on the fact that, today, the vast majority of people, with early enough intervention, survive breast cancer. Even people with a later stage diagnosis do survive. If they could, I could. None of us has an expiration date stamped on our forehead. One of the things I searched for most were stories from survivors for inspiration, information, comfort and proof, that I could make it. I took a hard look at my priorities, and realized that If my time was limited, I wanted it to be meaningful, productive and crammed with joyful, silly moments, and good times surrounded by family and friends. And if I was lucky enough to be around for a long time, well then I wanted the same thing! So at the end of the day I came to the conclusion that you gotta live like you're gonna live. And when I look back over the last 4 years, I have to say that despite the inconvenience of cancer, life has been good. And it ain't over yet!

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    By Demulen Thursday, December 2, 2010