Feeling Confident With Your Body After Mastectomy; Top Tips For Survivors
It is not easy being a cancer survivor. Our body goes through various changes that are not normal at any age such as hair loss and weakness. Moreover, breast cancer survivors also have to deal with a major shift in their bodies.
Mastectomy leaves us with physical and emotional scars to deal with. Our body image can become quite negative since our breasts are the mark of womanhood. The after-effects are not easy to deal with, but there are quite a few tips that can help you on your path to improving your quality of life.
Accept your situation
It is quite a big deal to be a breast cancer survivor. It is difficult to fight this and no one can get through it without having a positive outlook for the future. Do not try to avoid or bury down your emotions about this. You will have quite strong reactions after dealing with such a life-changing illness, it is okay to feel bad about it.
Do whatever you need to deal with it. Body image issues are quite common after such a huge illness and it can lead to more issues such as low self-esteem, and even low confidence. Your emotions are temporary but they are also valid, do not try to fight them but accept your situation as it is.
Consider breast reconstruction
After a mastectomy, the shape and size of your breasts are going to be quite different. This is the main thing that will affect your body image. If you are having a really hard time dealing with it, you can always consider breast reconstruction surgery.
Every patient that has gotten breast reconstruction by Dr. Dhivya Srinivasa has been quite happy with their results. It is important to choose the type of surgery that you would like since there are two major categories; flap reconstruction and implant-based. Flap reconstruction is always better since it uses the tissue from your own body to reconstruct the breasts and it has a lower chance of rejection by the body.
Confide in people
There are a ton of organizations out there solely dedicated to the cause of breast cancer. There are so many support groups available that can help you cope with life after fighting with this. It can be quite beneficial to confide in them. You should also take support from your family and friends since they want to be there for you and will always help you out when you feel down.
Try to keep yourself healthy
Surviving this can really take a major toll on your health. It is important to eat a well-balanced diet and to exercise as much as your body allows you to. It will also improve your mood and confidence quite a bit. You might have given up certain activities during your treatment but you can always bring them back into your life slowly and steadily.
It is quite important to try and improve your quality of life after you survive breast cancer. Do not feel bad about yourself since a lot of people deal with many issues after such a major illness.
