Why Does Your Body Feel Different?
Whether you are undergoing breast cancer treatment or it is part of your past, expect to worry whenever you have cold symptoms, a headache, or a new pain. The good news is that you will be hyper-vigilant in your care needs once you have breast cancer and this will help in early detection of any future recurrences. However, this hyper-vigilance can also drive you crazy. If you recognize it, accept it and move on. Acceptance of these emotions and fears will help you manage them. The longer you are cancer-free, the easier this will seem, but the reality of the mind-body connection can cause havoc in our bodies.
Fact
The term chemobrain has recently been coined to describe the effect chemotherapy has on an individual's ability to process information. Loss of memory has also been found in men and women who have had high-dose chemotherapy. This has been recognized as a real side effect and not based on one's emotions or tiredness during breast cancer treatment.
Whether you have had chemotherapy, radiation, lumpectomy, or mastectomy, your body does look and feel different. If you have been thrust into menopause, your body will continue to feel different. Perhaps your energy level is not the same as when you were premenopausal and before cancer treatment. The way you process information may feel different and you may find yourself multitasking with less energy than you had in the past.
Fear of recurrence is usually the predominant factor in jumping to the cancer verdict once you have had cancer. After all, it is natural to feel that your body has failed you once, so why not again? Which disregards your many years of health. This is the “is the glass half-full or half-empty?” philosophy. It is all in how you perceive it. Why not perceive the outcome in your favor?
