Rebuilding Your Health After Treatments & Why It Matters

This is me - over a decade before I was diagnosed with cancer (12 years earlier to be exact).

I look at her and it makes me both sad and grateful for the life she'll experience.  

But I also think - I wouldn't want her to waste any time of the life she did have - this is where your recovery plan comes in. 

Your recovery plan is really about bridging a gap between when treatments end and where your "normal" life begins.  It's the time to rebuild and set up habits and strategies that can impact how you feel today but also in the future.

This is why your recovery matters:

1. Side effects from treatments that persist OR appear days/months/years later:  cancer therapies can result in many side effects including things like fatigue, digestive issues, decreased immunity, mood changes, sleep difficulties, neuropathy, hair/skin/nail issues and so much more!  You also may be on more medications after active treatments for a number of years (like Tamoxifen, Letrozole, etc) which could also lead to side effects.  But while some of these side effects occur during treatments - others can begin as late as years after treatments are done.  This is the positive part though that I hope inspires you!  Studies show that there's lots you can do (ie lifestyle, diet, etc) and putting in the work and strategies early on can help you feel better faster and also help prevent those side effects from popping up later.  Common or normal doesn't mean unchangeable - so sleep, energy, etc can all change with the right strategies in place.
2. Survivors have a potentially increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, thyroid issues, osteoporosis and other diseases: this may be related to cancer treatments or other things that happen as a result.  In fact one study showed cancer survivors may have a 55% higher risk for diabetes than those without a cancer history.  Women may also prematurely go into forced menopause due to cancer therapies - which leads to a drop of estrogen that can then lead to things like hot flashes, mood changes, insomnia, and weight gain but also increases the risk for osteoporosis and heart disease! 
3. Survivors have a greater risk for cancer than those without a history:  Boosting prevention strategies becomes even more important for that reason.  And I get it - no one can guarantee anything BUT these same strategies can be important for how you feel and the life that you're able to build today.  I know this was such an important part for me too - my experiences today not just in the future.   
4. It can help you feel more empowered and in control and set a more positive tone:  the cancer journey is full of areas we can't control along with high levels of stress, anxiety, overwhelm and uncertainty - so being able to take back control of areas that can help us rebuild our health can help set the tone for how we move forward.  It is a necessary switch that our bodies and minds need to turn off that "survival mode" and turn on our "thriver mode" -  "survival mode" no longer serves us in this phase and can actually hold us back. 

And here are a few thoughts I wanted to share with you that ultimately helped me fully jump into my life and health...⁣even with the couldn't/shouldn't/don't want to's.⁣

1. It's never going to feel easy.  It's never going to be perfect. You have to move away from thinking it should be. Life is one big ball of uncertainty (even without cancer) so don't waste it questioning when you could be 𝘋𝘖𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.⁣
2. You can't both be one foot in and out with anything that's meaningful to you.  Fear is the strongest predictor on the direction we take.  Fear of recurrence often leads to frozen or minimal action - because..𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟? But here I am 27 years later and I'm so grateful I chose to move forward anyways.⁣
3. Dare to Dream.  It's the scariest thing for a cancer survivor to dream up a future you don't know you'll have.  𝘉𝘶𝘵... 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦?  Chasing your passions and living with intention is the biggest 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.⁣
4. Build your team.  Who makes up your team (both your biggest cheerleaders and your healthcare practitioners) can be a really huge part of your healing! Your team should include a few people including friends/family who understand, help you feel heard and support you, oncologist and family doctor who can help with the conventional side of your treatments/medications/etc. and other practitioners like a naturopathic doctor, nutritionist, acupuncturist, etc who can help with the rest!  As a naturopathic doctor with a special focus in cancer, I work with my patients and clients on their health goals like helping to boost the impact of their current medications (what to avoid, include, diet, etc), decrease side effects, boost immunity, balance hormones and impact things like metabolism/stress/sleep/energy, boost prevention strategies - all with natural strategies to offset the need for more medications.  And what I love seeing is how our bodies respond with consistent, intentional steps we take.

I wish I knew this before, but finishing treatments can be both a very happy and stress inducing time - both feelings can coexist.  Having a clear strategic plan after can make it that much easier to transition and help you move towards a healthier you again.

𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐩 - 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.⁣
⁣
And to this little girl that could have never dreamt how her future would turn.  ⁣
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I'm proud of you.  You did hard things.⁣

And if you're reading this.  I'm proud of you too.  

P.S. if you're not sure where to start and want a comprehensive, step by step plan with focused evidence based information - the Femme Thrive Method recovery program might be for you. You can book your free Discovery Call HERE to find out more.

Sources:

1. Lega I.C., Pole J.D., Austin P.C., Lau C., Nathan P.C., Baxter N.N. Diabetes risk in childhood cancer survivors: a population-based study. Can J Diabetes. 2018;42:533–539.
2. Stein KD, Syrjala KL, Andrykowski MA. Physical and psychological long-term and late effects of cancer. Cancer. 2008 Jun 1;112(11 Suppl):2577-92. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23448. PMID: 18428205; PMCID: PMC7047657.