Life after cervical cancer

Life after cervical cancer can also be full. Although this disease is considered very serious, many women were able to recover from it. In order to quickly return to a normal healthy and full life, patients are offered to use the following recommendations. The following conditions should be combined first:

• eat right;
• exercise;
• maintain an adequate weight.

It is also important to put an end to bad habits once and for all and learn to remain patient and calm.

The condition a woman will be in after treatment depends on the stage at which the diagnosis was made and the therapy itself. In some cases, a simple operation is enough, but if the patient is diagnosed with severe malignant disorders, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be necessary.

Try to eat a balanced and healthy diet - only high-quality and healthy food. To improve your health, you should constantly eat fruit and vegetable products, poultry and fish - all of this should be steamed. Eating whole grain cereals, nuts and beans will also be good for your health. But you should not eat fried food and food rich in animal fats.

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Life After Cervical Cancer Radiation Therapy

Complications after radiation therapy can be both local and general. They can appear both at an early stage, during treatment, and months or even a year after its completion.

The early stage of the reaction to therapy is manifested by such symptoms as nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, a decrease in the number of thrombocytes, leukocytes and lymphocytes in the blood. These complications can be dealt with by means of a gentle diet, high-calorie food, blood transfusions, and taking vitamins. But if these measures do not give results, the course of radiation therapy has to be stopped.

Some patients may experience problems in life after radiation therapy of the cervix due to the suppression of hematopoietic organs. To prevent this problem, it is necessary to take a blood test every 3 months during the first few years, and then do the same procedure at least 2 times a year. If leukopenia or anemia occurs, the test can be done more often according to indications.

Suppression of hematopoietic activity in the bone marrow after therapy will require special treatment, which must be systematically correct and comprehensive. Life after cervical cancer then passes in such general strengthening measures as improving working and resting conditions, enhanced nutrition, taking vitamins. The following procedures are also performed:

• additional transfusion of blood or red blood cells or white blood cells;
• taking medications that stimulate the production of leukocytes;
• taking medications that improve the reproduction of red blood cells.

Nutrition

In case of oncology, it is recommended to eat more vegetables, berries, fruits, and cereals. They contain antioxidants that help cleanse the body of free radicals. The products should also be fresh and high-quality.

Medical research shows that for preventive purposes or when the disease is already active, it is necessary to eat up to 5 servings of plant products every day. Food should be consumed fresh, without being heat treated (the maximum that can be allowed is steaming).

In case of cervical cancer, fatty acids should be consumed. Include sunflower oil and fish in your diet.

Protein should come from dairy products, meat can also be consumed, but you can do without it, replacing it with fish. If you decide to keep meat in your diet, you should eat it no more than 1-2 times a week, trying to consume its low-fat varieties.

Herbal infusions and decoctions will also be very useful. You can drink green tea, as it also contains antioxidants.

The diet should not contain the following products:

• Semi-finished products;
• Fried and fatty foods;
• Spicy, very salty, smoked dishes;
• Cocoa and chocolate;
• Strong tea;
• Sweets with cream;
• Alcohol;
• Control your sugar and salt intake.

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Sport

Regular exercise can not only improve your physical fitness, but also speed up the process of treatment and recovery from cancer. Research shows that regular exercise helps improve mood, sleep well, strengthen the immune system, and relieve depression.

Those who have just completed an intensive course of treatment are not recommended to immediately begin serious exercise. It is best to begin rehabilitation with fast walking and walks outside. In bad weather, you can exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill. You can increase the load only after consulting a doctor. The optimal regimen is fast walking for 30-40 minutes 4-5 times a week.

Life after cervical cancer should be active, physical exercise should be enjoyable, not stressful, so do not exercise if you feel unwell or tired. Adjust the load according to your capabilities.

Most scientific studies show that regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of relapse and makes most body systems stronger and more resilient.

Intimate Life After Cervical Cancer

Most patients, after a successful course of treatment, undergo rehabilitation fairly quickly and continue to live a full intimate life after cervical cancer. Although there are also many patients who experience serious problems because of this and do not know how to cope with them.

Intimate life after cervical cancer is quite possible. There are different options in which doctors allow patients to continue having sex:

• If the uterus is preserved. In this case, after restorative therapy, the ability to become pregnant and give birth to a child sometimes returns;
• If the patient's uterus is removed. Under these conditions, libido will depend on whether the ovaries are removed - if not, the ability to have sex can be restored;
• If all organs are removed. Hormonal balance and female sexual health can be restored with the help of hormonal procedures and intimate plastic surgery.

In any case, women who are forced to undergo surgery due to cervical cancer should not lose faith in themselves and optimism. Returning to a full rhythm of life will depend only on you, you just need to find the desire and strength in yourself to recover.

Rehabilitation period

What life will be like after cervical cancer and a woman's well-being depend on several factors. These are the treatment method, the stage at which the disease was diagnosed, and the patient's age. After completing the treatment, it is important to undergo the correct rehabilitation period, consisting of several recovery procedures that can improve performance and strengthen health. The following methods are distinguished:

• Eating light and natural foods, changing your diet;
• Walking every day;
• Daily exercise;
• Maintaining optimal weight and maintaining good health;
• Regular medical examinations;
• If necessary, see a psychologist.

Since you will need to lead a healthy lifestyle, you will have to forget about bad habits - smoking and alcohol will be unacceptable for you. Even being around smokers can cause a relapse, which can worsen the patient's condition.

It is also very important to undergo regular check-ups with an oncologist for several years - this way any problems or relapses will be detected in time. Timely detection of the disease will allow for surgical treatment, preventing complications.

Sick leave

During the treatment of cervical cancer, a biopsy may be necessary. In this case, a small piece is taken for examination under a high-power microscope. Based on the results of the biopsy, the correct diagnosis is established and the optimal treatment method is selected. The diagnosis made after the biopsy becomes final, the accuracy is no longer disputed.

When a biopsy is performed on an outpatient basis, a woman receives a sick leave certificate for 2 days, and if the procedure is performed in a hospital, the certificate can be extended to 10 days.

If an abdominal operation is performed, the patient must stay in hospital for about 2 weeks. The staples are removed from the suture 7 days after the operation, and the speed of wound healing depends only on the woman's body.

When all lymph nodes and ligaments are removed globally, serious changes occur in the pelvis, which is why the recovery period becomes longer.

Postoperative therapy helps restore water and electrolyte balance and prevent inflammation.

In general, the period of sick leave after uterine removal surgery can be 25-45 days.