Adjusting your lifestyle During Breast Cancer Treatment – PART 1

Navigating the journey of breast cancer treatment can be overwhelming, but making certain lifestyle adjustments can help manage the challenges more effectively. Here are some practical tips to help maintain energy levels, balance various aspects of life, and adapt daily routines during treatment and recovery.  This topic is long, so I will split it into 2 posts.

Let's get into it.  First, we need to discuss what we need to do to adjust our expectations and lifestyle while going through treatment.

Maintaining Energy Levels

Breast cancer treatment often brings fatigue, a common and debilitating side effect. Here are a few strategies to help maintain your energy levels:

 

1. Prioritize Rest: Make sleep a priority. What you are told is to aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. If you need to, take short naps during the day to recharge.  Going to be honest here, not everybody is the same, so If you need to spend the day in bed, do that.  Your body will tell you when it needs to rest, listen to it.

2. Stay Active: Gentle exercise, such as walking, yoga, or stretching, can boost your energy levels. I know people who have gone through cancer treatment and have been able to go for brisk walks and do light weights during the whole of their treatment, others, can barely get out of bed.  So again, don’t push yourself.  There were days I could just get out of bed and do a flight of stairs, other days walk around our close (very slowly) and other days, maybe just stand by the window to get some sun on the face. 

Light workout for Recovery

Buy some light weights or resistance bands for home to keep those muscles working. Only do what you can, we aren't body building or trying to maintain our figure right now. We are fighting to stay alive. That is our priority. Please consult your doctor about the best activities for you. They may also be able to refer you to a occupational therapist to help set up a program.

3. Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods: My daughter brought home a school assignment about diet and the food groups.  You remember it?  The one with the pyramid and the pictures you had to colour…and by colouring that carrot a vibrant shade of orange it was meant to encourage you to eat a well balanced diet? A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Yes, all of these can provide the necessary nutrients to keep your energy up.

Healthy Foods for Cancer Recovery

You should avoid sugar and processed foods that can lead to energy crashes.  Now there is a balance here.  During Chemo, your tastes change.  Luckily, I craved a lot of fruit.  What I eat compared to what I normally ate is about ¼ to ½ of my normal diet.  What did I eat to keep the calories and nutrients in?  Smoothies.  Protein Shakes.  I tried to eat at least 1 egg a day.  The sugar one was hard, because I craved sour gummies HARD!!  But within moderations.  Sugar feeds cancer (I know I know, there are many different opinions on this one…. but I think we can all agree that added refined sugar is Bad for anyone!)

My point here is, get in what you can, when you can.  And try to make what you do get in and beneficial as possible.  Here is a tip.  Eat as much as you can just after you take your anti-nausea meds. It'll help keep it all …In.

4. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, so keep a water bottle with you as a reminder to drink regularly. My suggestion is to also add a sprinkle of this mineral salt into your water (Redmond Real Salt).  Sodium is an essential electrolyte to help with your hydration.  Also, start drinking AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, 2 days before your chemo treatment.  It will absolutely help! 

Motivational Water Bottle

I also requested a home nurse to come in and give me IV drip hydration at home on the 3rd and 4th day after treatment to help with the side effects.  If this is available to you, take it!

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This water bottle is a good one with motivational statements on the side. It's cute. I had one.

My daughter stole it. 🙄

5. Manage Stress: Now, easier said than done.  I know.  Your brain is walking a fine line between denial and paranoia.  You have to keep your brain in a place that reality is prevalent, and the paranoia is only there in small doses.  You know when you know.  Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or listening to music. Reducing stress can help conserve your energy. If you want to be notified when my Relaxation and Mediation programs are available, sign up here.

Balancing Work, Family, and Treatment Schedules

Juggling work, family responsibilities, and treatment can be challenging, but with some planning and support, it can be managed more effectively:

 

1. Communicate Openly: Keep an open line of communication with your employer and family. Let them know your treatment schedule and any anticipated side effects so they can provide the support you need.  I have been more than lucky with my employer.  They have been 100% supportive of my treatments and I can’t be anymore thankful.  If you are a fulltime employee with benefits, there are short term and long-term disability options that you may need to access.  Here's the thing.  The most important thing right now is you and your health.  Nothing else matters.  My boss said to me, “Work will be here when you are ready, but right now, you need to focus on fighting this” 

My doctors have told me I won’t be ready to go back for a while.  Does that make me worried?  Yes.  Is it something I can control? No.  But there are things that I can do, and my family can do to make sure it is less stressful.  I have been finding ways of keeping busy.  Finding ways to bring in some money online.  If this is something you are interested in, please send me a note, and I can share some things me and my husband are doing.

We are working at keeping costs low.  Be open with your spouse.  Keep work informed.  But do what you need to do to get better and healthy.

If you want to help support us at all, I have a shop in my website with some cool products, and a donation link that I will be sending the proceeds to different cancer businesses that are volunteer based and need the help. Those are found on my home page HERE

2. Set Realistic Goals: Understand your limits and set achievable goals for both work and home. It’s okay to scale back on responsibilities temporarily.  This flows into what I was saying above.  This is only temporary, so just adjust your mindset for now.  I think I mentioned this in my last post, Make a list.  Two columns.  One column has what you can control and the other is what you can’t control. 

Goal and life Planner

It will help you manage your expectations and set realistic goals for this time.

(This one is a struggle for me.  Keeping it completely real.  I do not like not being able to work, to do ALL the things.  I hate it.  Am I learning to accept it?  Maybe.  But it is hard. Giving myself grace.  Giving myself space.)

3. Delegate Tasks: Here is another one that I have difficulties with.  But, I wish I had done it more, and am trying to let myself be open to more of it.  DO NOT hesitate to ask for help. Delegate household chores and other tasks to family members or friends.  If someone wants to help or ask what they can do, give them a task.

If you are a friend or family member of someone going through treatment, what us stubborn people need, is for you to show up.  Fold some laundry.  Bring a meal.  Just because there is a spouse in the house who is not sick, they are equally as exhausted physically and emotionally. 

Keeping up with the day to day is not even the 10th thing on their list they are worried about.  They are trying to keep it together, trying to keep the kids together, and trying to help the patient keep it together.  Any help is appreciated, even if its not asked for.

4. Create a Schedule: Use this planner or digital calendar to organize your treatment appointments, work commitments, and family activities. Having a clear schedule can help you manage your time more effectively. These are great options to stick on the wall, or here is a planner for you to keep all your medical things in.  Staying organized with this helps you feel a little more in control.  Besides, there are A LOT of appointments.

Stay Tuned for Part 2....

Thank you for joining us in exploring the challenges of adjusting expectations when it comes to our lifestyle during treatment. In Part 2, we will delve deeper into balancing work, family and treatment schedules. Life changes in all areas, and the more we can be ready to handle that, the smoother things will go and the more your mental health will benefit.

Let me know if this post helped you at all.

With Love

Heather

PS: I am NOT a medical professional. Please check with your doctor about health-related information first. 😊