You’ve just won the great battle after the big cancer scare. How will you make sure that you remain healthy and cancer-free after the treatment?
Deal with Worries
Worrying about the big C coming back is normal, especially during the first months after treatment. This thought may even persist up to the first year of being cancer-free. However, you must learn to cope with it, and eventually let it go. Other survivors feel that the fear is strong enough that it actually impedes with their cancer-free life. Voice out your worries and just let them go.
Expand on What you Know
While undergoing treatment, you must have gone to great lengths to know more about cancer. However, once you are treated, it is good to be fully informed even for post-treatment practices. For example, nutrition and physical activities after treatment have specific guidelines that depend on the type of cancer you had. Meanwhile, some experts even say that cancer survivors who know more about their condition pre- and post-treatment are more likely to follow their treatment plans and recover more quickly.
Adapt to Changes
The first months after getting an all-clear, you may have noticed that you look far different from before, and this may stress you out. Kill two birds with one stone with a daily exercise routine. Aside from being a stress reliever, daily exercise will also help you gain back the body you lost. However, make sure that your exercise programs are appropriate, since strenuous activities particularly during the first months after treatment may prove taxing.
Set a Weight Goal
Aside from exercise, healthy diet is also one of the better lifestyle changes after battling cancer. It will greatly help if you set a weight goal for yourself. In addition, some nutrition experts believe that coping mechanisms during treatment tend to make cancer patients swing to extremes in terms of body weight. Try to get to and maintain a healthy weight as a goal in order to take control of your body once again.
Interact and Rebuild Social Relationships
Bear in mind that you are not the only victim, as cancer also takes its toll on those around you. After you’ve felt withdrawn during treatment, you may feel low self-esteem and trust issues even after the cancer has been removed. Work with family and friends in restoring and building social interactions again.
Be Physically Active
Do not limit yourself on exercises when trying to stay fit. Studies have shown that physical activities during and after cancer treatment greatly reduces the risk of the cancer coming back. According to the American Center Society, survivors may get at least 150 minutes of exercise or related physical activities per week, with at least two days’ worth of strength training.
Keep your Medical Records
Often, people tend to celebrate success in cancer treatment by quickly forgetting what they’ve been through. However, keep updated and complete medical records not as a souvenir of the past, but to remind yourself and learn from your experiences. Keeping your medical records is practical too – you may find yourself facing new healthcare providers in the future, and they need to construct your medical history as accurately as possible.
