In my previous post, Breast Reconstruction, I discussed the planning and surgery of my oncological breast reconstruction. I had to wait a little over a year before I could have reconstruction surgery due to needing patience chemo and complications due to radiation. In this post, I will sharing tips that I found to be very helpful prior to starting cancer treatment.
Getting a new diagnosis of breast cancer comes with a wide range of emotions. I became numb the moment I heard the words, “You have cancer.”
Often the emotions are fear, shock, disbelief and anger. How could my body do this to me? Feeling like your body betrayed or failed you. These feelings are all “normal” and appropriate. Try to allow your body to accept these feelings. Give yourself grace during this time.
5 Simple Tips for a New Diagnosis
Here are some tips that helped me deal with a new diagnosis of breast cancer:
- Bring a family member or friend to take notes during appointments. Often appointments involve a lot of detail and information that can be hard to digest while in the moment. The medical language alone is challenging. Having to understand the difficult medical decisions and make the right treatment choices can be is overwhelming.
- If family member or friend cannot attend appointments with you, ask for a medical advocate who can help take notes or ask questions. If this is not an option for you, I recomend asking if the call can be recorded. You may also be able to have a friend or family member take notes over the phone>
- Ask questions to clarify! Please do not feel that ANY question is out-of-bounds. This is your body and you can ask as many questions as you need to.
- Create a list of questions either in a journal or on your phone. Typically in my appointments so much was going on I would often forget my questions or didn’t think of any until I processed what I heard. I kept a list of questions in the “note” application on my phone.
- You have the right to seek a second opinion or consult with another team or doctor if you want to be more certain of a particular diagnosis or a recommended treatment. Exercise that right whenever you think it’s appropriate.
- Advocate for yourself and share your preference and opinions. This is YOUR treatment journey. You may not feel in control, but no one knows your body like you do.
Links and Resources to Help with a New Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.
- Breast Cancer NOW – What to expect when you’re diagnosed with breast cancer
- 5 Things Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients Should Know from MD Anderson Cancer Center
4 Steps to Take Before Starting Cancer Treatment
- Make a dental appointment – get teeth cleaned and check for any issues. If you have issues that need to be fixed, you may need to get it done prior to starting chemo. This is important for a variety of reasons. Overall, during chemo you will want to maintain healthy oral health as this can help to decrease complications from chemo such as cavities, mouth sores and infections. Chemo will make you immunocompromised and can cause bleeding which can make healing from a dental procedure more challenging.
- Clean house or Apartment – especially during chemotherapy you will not feel up to cleaning or picking up around the house. Since your body will be immunocompromised, you will need to make sure that your home is clean at all times.
- Accept Help – in whatever way you may need help – meal delivery, carpool help, watching the kids or helping to walk the dogs.
- As someone who has a hard time asking for help and wanting to do it on my own, I learned I was not capable of doing it all. The fatigue is real and learning to pace yourself in order to allow your body to heal is what you need.
- Create a Schedule – On Chemo days, create a schedule that accommodates your needs. I found that the initial 3-4 days post chemo were the hardest. Asking my Mom to help me around the house and with my dogs was a huge help.
- Set up carpool for the kids, a dog walker and/or meal delivery. These days, anything and everything can be delivered with a simple click. This was a huge relief for me because I was not up to grocery shopping or interested in going out in public.
I have learned a lot throughout my cancer treatment journey and hope that sharing this with others will also help other warriors along the journey. Thank you for continuing to follow along on my cancer journey.
Enduring cancer treatment often takes a village. Create your own village and utilize what resources those around you may have to offer. Please continue to follow along. Thanks again!
