Taking Care of Yourself During Treatment

Taking care of yourself during your treatment is an important part of the healing process. This includes your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Nourishing your Body

• Limit liquids with your meals. It allows your digestive juices to work at full strength which will reduce indigestion.
• Drink plenty of liquids between meals to stay hydrated.
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals, it will reduce the stress on your digestive system.
• Eat plenty of fruit, fresh is best. Eat lots of fresh vegetables, either steamed or boiled.
• Include fruit and vegetable juices in your diet.
• Avoid fatty foods and sugary foods.
• Take vitamin & fiber supplements to help build back the immune system.
• Keep your muscles limber by doing some basic stretches.
• Get plenty of exercise, fresh air, relaxation and fun.
• Ginger & peppermint tea can settle your stomach.
• Eat a whole foods diet with grains and low fat protein sources.
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, dairy products, red meats, fried, processed and fast foods.

A week of sample menus.

Take a friend or loved one with you to hear the results of your biopsy. Whether the results are positive or negative, it is better to have company. This is not something you want to hear when you are alone. Take a notepad and have your friend or loved one take notes for you if the news is not what you hoped. If you must go through chemotherapy, bring a friend and some food.  Talking and sharing a few snacks will distract you through treatment. Don’t forget to drink a lot of water.

Knowledge is Power so take advantage of all the resources at hand. Use the internet, do your research but make sure you go to reputable sites.  Not all the information on the web is accurate. Send a friend to the library for books or tapes and read about breast cancer. Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, with Karen Lindsey is a great book by a physician.

Ask for a copy of your pathology report and ask your doctor to explain it.

Friends and family members will want to help but won’t necessarily know what to do, so help them help you. Create a list of chores, errands and tasks that you can have on hand when people ask what they can do for you and your family. Ask yourself, what kind of help do I really need now and in the near future.

Take photos to remember your journey through the breast cancer maze. Have friends capture those moments where you shaved your head, or sat in the chemo room, or joked around with others you love. If you have a hat shower, modeled the hats and scarves for the camera. Put all these shots in a special book so you can remember and celebrate often. If you like to scrapbook select some fun photos of family and friends that will make you smile and remember good times.

Write down your feelings, your thoughts, your fears, your desires for the future. Write it down, whether it’s in a diary, a note pad or in a journal. (Link to Journaling) Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. Feel free to draw pictures, write a poem or talk to yourself. Plan for the future, make short & long term goals and make a list of all the fun things you want to do as you start to feel better. (Link to emotions)

Concentrate on the positive things in your life. Think about or even write about the things you couldn’t be doing if you weren’t going through breast cancer treatment. Perhaps you love to read but haven’t had time untill now.  If you are a working mom, perhaps this is your opportunity to spend more time with your kids.

Celebrate your life when you finish your treatment. Plan a get away for the weekend, or plan a fabulous trip you’ve been putting off. This can be a driving trip, or a cruise, or anything that excites and thrills you. Plan a party or some kind of a reward for yourself for successfully completing your treatment. You are a survivor.  Don’t forget it!

Be careful not to do too much in the beginning.  You will have drain tubes in your chest right after surgery.  It can be a week or two before they are removed.  You will want to avoid all physical activity until they are removed.  Check with your doctor.

Start to exercise as soon as possible, but take it easy.  Go for a walk and look at the flowers. Just get moving and it will help your attitude as well as your health. If you like to garden, stroll around the neighborhood and see how others are using color in their yards. Be careful of the sun, chemo can sometimes make your skin even more sensitive. Wear a hat and sunscreen out in the sun. Try to take walks or swim in the early morning or after sunset. Check with your doctors first though to make sure that it is okay to exercise.