Surviving Breast Cancer As A Woman: The Aftermath

Written by Rafiat Shittu

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The month aims to spread more information and awareness about the deadly cancer that affects mostly women. Although rare, men can also get breast cancer. Everybody rebukes having breast cancer but many women are still being diagnosed with this deadly disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer. So far, there is no confirmed way to prevent having breast cancer, but there are measures that can be taken that may lower the risk of having it.

Since prevention is still uncertain, survival has become of utmost importance. Improvements in survival began in the 1980s in countries with early detection programmes combined with different modes of treatment to eradicate the invasive disease. Survival depends on many factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long a patient will live. It depends on the type and stage of cancer, level of fitness and previous treatment. Breast cancer treatment can be highly effective, achieving 90% or higher survival probabilities, particularly when the disease is identified early. So to fall into the category of those with a higher chance of surviving breast cancer, the tips and tricks promoted by various platforms to achieve early detection should be practised every other day.

Surgery and radiation therapy for control of the disease in the breast, lymph nodes and surrounding areas (loco-regional control) and systemic therapy (anti-cancer medicines given by mouth or intravenously) to treat and/or reduce the risk of cancer spreading (metastasis), are the kinds of treatments used to eliminate breast cancer in patients.

After breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, which may last six months to a year, the last day of radiation treatment or chemotherapy infusion is not usually the end of a patient’s journey with breast cancer. Instead, the survivor now has to begin another journey of adjusting to life as a breast cancer survivor because, after that journey with breast cancer, something else will be a ‘New Normal’. The aftermath of breast cancer can equally be as difficult as during breast cancer, and dealing with this requires as much attention as preventing and dealing with breast cancer gets. That’s why I will be focusing more on how women who survive breast cancer actually survive.

The New Normal for survivors includes having to navigate relationships with their family, new eating habits, body changes, taking into consideration things they need to do to prevent breast cancer recurrence, constantly questioning themselves if they can do what they used to do before cancer, beating fatigue resulting from chemotherapy and other treatments and generally just getting their lives back. Therefore, family and people around survivors should not expect them to do what they used to; there will be understandable underperformance of certain duties and activities. Support and being there for survivors should not end when treatment is over, it will take a long while, and that support may make the while shorter.

Tips and Tricks in Navigating A New Normal as a Survivor of Breast Cancer

1. Do not be in a haste to return to life as it were

Studies have shown that breast cancer patients, after completion of treatment, seek to move on and return to the way life used to be before the cancer. Therefore, Doctors have advised that the new normal philosophy should be preached and adopted, and they take life one day at a time without haste of doing what they used to do. Suppose a survivor before diagnosis used to work in a supermarket and was in charge of coordinating all the heavy lifting. In that case, such a person will be required to potentially return to desk duties to ease the stress they will experience that may harm their health. It would be a terrible thing to survive cancer and then die from stress.

2. Practice Affirmations

This is very important, especially for patients who lost one or both breasts to fight off cancer or those who lost their hair due to chemotherapy. Affirmations will boost their moods, make them feel better about their looks, and promote gratitude that they survived a deadly illness.

3. Acceptance

People are different, and the new normal will be different too. Every patient needs to accept early on that the disease is a part of their life. Acceptance makes coping easier. Studies have suggested that women who focus on the mental strength of acceptance make it easier to move on with life.

4. Finding Hobbies

If survivors had activities or hobbies they used to enjoy before diagnosis, they should continue enjoying those activities, or find new hobbies such as volunteering, expressing gratitude, travelling and relaxing etc. Doing these things will allow survivors to better appreciate the gift of life.

5. Support Groups

Being a member of support groups or people going through the same thing as you are has been said to aid navigation and make your journey in your new normal easier. Having a platform where you can air your concerns and just share your feelings without judgment helps heal and survive. Therefore, survivors are encouraged to join support groups with similar goals. Thankfully, with the use of the internet, one can even find virtual support groups.

6. Dealing with body image

Body image after breast cancer surgery can affect the quality of life and psychological functioning of survivors. Aside from the surgery that survivors may have to go through, they also deal with hair loss, weight gain, and menopausal symptoms, which can be distressing to any woman, especially those younger. To deal with things, patience is very key. The factors causing these changes have been ultimately stopped, so the body system will be going back to a new normal, which won’t be far off from the old normal. Eating right, patience and acceptance are very important when dealing with body image.

7. Don’t avoid the hospital

I know the last place you may want to even see or step foot in is a hospital, but every required follow-up care after the treatment should be taken seriously to avoid complications.

With these few tips, surviving the aftermath of breast cancer won’t still be easy, but it will become easy with time. Well done, warrior, you fought well.

Rafiat is a law graduate from the University of Lagos and a culinary entrepreneur — Raffiscuisine. She’s passionate about changing the world, one stomach at a time and is looking forward to making more discoveries about the endless possibilities in the world. Connect with Rafiat on Instagram and Twitter.

Edited by Zulu Nneka Anyaogu

Zulu is a Lawyer, Programs manager and Youth Human Rights Advocate who is passionate about women’s rights and the inclusion of young people in decision-making spaces. In her spare time, you’d catch her binging on movies, reading crime and mystery novels and eating. Connect with Zulu on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.