Breast Cancer Patients: You Can Get Through Chemotherapy Comfortably and Happily!

Breast cancer patients can also have a peaceful chemotherapy period. Alongside additional treatments eliminating drug side effects, eating sweets and meat in moderation, keeping pets, doing sports that do not overtire the body, and noting all questions to discuss with the doctor can bring happiness during treatment... Let us examine together what to consider:

Continue Your Sexual Life

During breast cancer treatment, medication side effects and reduced blood counts may cause loss of sexual desire. However, if the patient feels well and there is no obstacle, withdrawing from sexual intercourse is inappropriate. Maintaining self-confidence and closeness with one's partner positively influences treatment. Continuing family life is very important so that the patient does not become detached from life.

• 5 things cancer patients and their partners should know about sexuality

Do Not Stress Yourself About Healthy Eating

Nutrition in cancer or during cancer treatment is among the subjects most commented on by friends and family and most wearing for our patients because of hearsay. Strict rules and restrictions that could cause breast cancer patients stress about eating are unnecessary. We recommend avoiding high-calorie foods as much as possible during chemotherapy to prevent weight gain. The Mediterranean diet is ideal for this: a diet emphasizing olive oil, vegetables and fruit without completely eliminating protein.

Do Not Give Up Sugar Because You Have Cancer

If a patient receiving cancer treatment is not diabetic and wants sweets, they may eat them without excess. There is no evidence showing that sugar triggers cancer. If the patient eats sweets that day, they should adjust the calories of subsequent meals accordingly. By organizing their eating and following calorie calculations, they need not abandon favorite foods. Weekly weighing is recommended, allowing them to observe their weight and adjust their diet accordingly.

Even for Cancer Patients, Barbecue Is Not Poison

Meat is also treated as though it should be restricted for cancer patients. Yet severe food prohibitions during treatment reduce quality of life. Alongside introducing a Mediterranean diet, reducing red meat without eliminating it entirely is recommended. Making a patient perceive barbecue cooking as poison is unhealthy. Nevertheless, barbecue should be eaten less often, since frequent consumption of this type of meat harms general health, not only breast cancer patients.

• How can meat be cooked healthily on the barbecue?

Walk, Swim, Cycle…

Patients are advised to walk at least half an hour daily. Short walks in the morning and evening add vitality. Exercise at a sufficient level increases certain beneficial bodily secretions, gives strength and builds resilience. It increases the release of “Endorphin,” known as the happiness hormone, helping patients get through chemotherapy side effects more easily. Breathing exercises, meditation, physical exercise and yoga also prevent social isolation due to illness. Strenuous sports are not recommended during chemotherapy. Cycling and swimming, after consulting their physicians and always with someone accompanying them, help build physical resilience.

• Exercise for PHYSICAL and MENTAL FATIGUE in people with cancer

Keep a Pet

Patients keeping pets may continue, except for groups with hematological cancers such as leukemia and those receiving intensive chemotherapy. However, close contact and sharing a bed with animals are inappropriate. Washing hands after spending time with animals is important for preventing infection. Pets should have all vaccinations completed and receive careful care. The stress-relieving qualities of a pet that is a family member and the meditative effect of affection for animals should also be remembered. Studies increasing communication between people and animals are being conducted in the West.

• Our dear companions, pets, are beside us in cancer treatment

Know That Chemotherapy Side Effects Can Be Eliminated with Medication

Until 5 years ago, breast cancer treatment was the treatment type causing the most nausea. Patients no longer complain of nausea. Powerful medicines can resolve side-effect problems without alternative treatments. Sometimes side effects, particularly nausea, may arise from psychological factors rather than medication. The person must then contact their doctor. Patients should inform their doctor about even the slightest side effect, particularly nausea, and know that this is a problem that can be resolved with simple drug treatments.

• Chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting can be prevented! Causes and treatment

See Your Doctor by Appointment, Not in a Passing Conversation

Although difficulties sometimes arise in cancer treatment, new treatments, techniques and drugs mean oncology can now be said to be one step ahead. As cancer becomes better understood, managing it is easier than before. Patients should plan consultations well to obtain maximum information and get through treatment as well as possible. Approaching a doctor at an unsuitable time will not solve their problem. They should note difficulties and share them in detail. Like doctors, patients should follow certain rules, be organized, take notes on the doctor's instructions and follow them precisely. Communication in this way positively supports treatment.