2. Ask lots of questions from your healthcare provider. Don’t just take their diagnosis and treatment recommendations as gospel. Ask questions and make them explain how they came to the conclusions they did – especially when choosing treatments. In addition, get a second opinion – and third or fourth if necessary. 3. Keep a positive attitude. No matter how hard you have to try, keeping positive goes a long way in beating cancer. Enlist your family to help keep you up and focus on positive activities in your life. 4. Join a support group. You are not alone. Many women (and men) get and beat breast cancer every year. You can help each other deal with the enormous amount of feelings and information you will have to sift through. They’ve been, or are, there! 5. Involve your family and friends early. They are your first line of support. By getting them involved early, they can help alleviate some of the pressures around you and also help you research your condition and treatment options. Make them part of the team. 6. Find some ME time. Although you want to involve those closest to you, you will need to find time to be alone with your thoughts. In addition, don’t neglect the things that make you happy. If you always enjoyed long walks at the beach – make time everyday to do just that. Also, add rest to the mix – your body will need rest in order to fight cancer. 7. Exercise regularly. If you don’t already have an exercise program, start one. A simple walk for 20 minutes, three days a week can help build healthy “T” cells in your body. 8. Get tested for food allergies. It sounds odd, but remember that cancer is an immune system problem and allergens are taxing on the immune system. Avoid foods that caused a reaction during your allergy testing – no matter how minor. 9. Eat healthy foods. Health starts with what you put in your body. You aren’t going to be able to eat perfectly all the time, but a positive plan to eat right goes a long way. Eat plenty of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and lots of fiber. 10.Finally, develop a safe and creative way to get deal with your feelings of rage, anger, sadness and depression. Exercise can be one way. Writing in a journal can be another. Find what works for you and make it part of your regular schedule. Additional Breast Cancer Resources Nutrition For Surviving Cancer from Health Care Practitioner's. *Reprinted with permission from AIM International |
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