Once you are considered a survivor, you still have a significant amount of care ahead of you—taking care of yourself, and recuperating. After cancer, you may find that a lot of elements of your life have changed, particularly your quality of life.
Post-Treatment Health Concerns
Pregnancy after breast cancer
Chemotherapy can change your body, and can possibly affect your ovaries and your chance of becoming pregnant.
The best approach is to discuss your desire to have a child in the future so that your doctor can take steps to ensure that you will be able to do so. In addition, the timing of your possible pregnancy post-treatment is important as well.
Cancer concerns after treatment
After treatment, your primary worry may be that the cancer can come back, or you can have a secondary cancer.
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Being proactive, keeping a schedule of checkups and appointments, and communicating with your doctor will help you be proactive in your survivorship care.
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Follow-up care after treatment
After your treatment, you should speak to your doctor regarding the next steps in your care, as well as what to expect.
Your doctor will be able to provide you with a survivorship plan, which will let you know how often you should have checkups, what scans or tests you need, and when to schedule those tests.
Having this plan will make you feel more confident and proactive during a time that can be full of uncertainty.
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Menopausal therapy after treatment
In order to reduce the adverse effects of menopause, such as hot flashes, doctors often prescribe PHT, which consists of female hormones. However, studies have found that taking PHT can increase the likelihood of cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors, so it is not recommended. You should discuss alternative treatments with your doctor to ease the symptoms of menopause, which can include eating soy products, other medications, or acupuncture.
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How to reduce stress as a cancer survivor
Experiencing and surviving cancer can cause significant stress. Even after your treatment is over, you may experience residual stress or stress in relation to your new life as a survivor.
Either way, there are many proactive ways in which you can deal with this stress. These ways include seeking out a support group, mindfulness meditation, exercise, and psychotherapy.
There are many support groups that exist, both in-person and online, or via telephone.
By interacting with those who may have had the same experiences as you, you may be able to reduce your stress or anxiety or learn ways in which to cope with your stress.
Mindfulness meditation can help you learn to relax and control your thought process, which may help with anxiety.
Also, exercise is a great outlet in which to focus your energy, and it may make you feel better and in more control of your body. Counseling, or psychotherapy, provides you with the opportunity to speak with someone, as well as the ability to gain a few helpful techniques to manage your stress.
After your cancer treatment is over, you still need to schedule your follow-up care. As mentioned before, the best approach is to speak with your doctor to develop what is called a “survivorship plan.” This can be a schedule of doctor’s visits or scheduled tests. Your doctor may suggest a specific exercise regimen or a diet. This will help put you on the right track to proactively manage your own care and to know what to expect as a survivor.
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