101426 ~ A Healthier Michigan - Dr. Crystal Lee

There is a feeling of mixed emotions for those women that experience those changes.

There could be, um, grief and identity, identity loss, uh, for some women if they choose to undergo a mastectomy, so now they are identifying with, uh, body image concerns and how they may continue to socialize with others, how they dress on a daily basis, how they interact with their partners.

There can also be mental health challenges that are associated with that, constantly thinking about, is this going to reoccur, and when is it gonna happen? And if it does, am I going to be as successful the second time if it happens as I was the first time?

So even though you've, you've achieved this, you, you, you now are cancer-free.

You're moving forward.

There's this sense that things are different, and so you have to navigate those feelings.

And, and do people get anxiety from that too?

Of course.

Of course, they can be overwhelmed with anxiety.

There can be certain triggers that may trigger their anxiety.

It's important for them to identify those things and understand why those things trigger them and to address them sooner than later.

Uh, they can join support groups.

They can talk with family and friends.

They can express their concerns to their provider.

I imagine it helps too to talk with people that have gone through this, who have gone before you.

Um, what aspect or what role does that play in one's recovery?

Yeah.

With any, uh, underlying illness, no one truly knows how it affects you unless you've been through it, have, have gone through it, or is currently going through the process.

Then you're able to truly support someone who's experiencing this.

So support groups can be very helpful for women, uh, who ha- who are breast cancer survivors.

Also, making a routine, finding something different to do throughout their day, just to get their mind off of things.

What are some of the triggers that would, um, alert you that you're not managing this as well as you possibly could be?

Overwhelming stress, uh, sleep dis- uh, disruption, mood changes, constantly checking for new symptoms, the frequent need of being reassured that what you may be feeling or experiencing is just, it's not physically there.

It's mentally there.

And I i- imagine there's always that constant worry, is it gonna come back? I mean, you have to, you know, get checked on a regular basis, et cetera.

There is a feeling of mixed emotions for those women that experience those changes.

There could be, um, grief and identity, identity loss, uh, for some women if they choose to undergo a mastectomy, so now they are identifying with, uh, body image concerns and how they may continue to socialize with others, how they dress on a daily basis, how they interact with their partners.

There can also be mental health challenges that are associated with that, constantly thinking about, is this going to reoccur, and when is it gonna happen? And if it does, am I going to be as successful the second time if it happens as I was the first time?

So even though you've, you've achieved this, you, you, you now are cancer-free.

You're moving forward.

There's this sense that things are different, and so you have to navigate those feelings.

And, and do people get anxiety from that too?

Of course.

Of course, they can be overwhelmed with anxiety.

There can be certain triggers that may trigger their anxiety.

It's important for them to identify those things and understand why those things trigger them and to address them sooner than later.

Uh, they can join support groups.

They can talk with family and friends.

They can express their concerns to their provider.

I imagine it helps too to talk with people that have gone through this, who have gone before you.

Um, what aspect or what role does that play in one's recovery?

Yeah.

With any, uh, underlying illness, no one truly knows how it affects you unless you've been through it, have, have gone through it, or is currently going through the process.

Then you're able to truly support someone who's experiencing this.

So support groups can be very helpful for women, uh, who ha- who are breast cancer survivors.

Also, making a routine, finding something different to do throughout their day, just to get their mind off of things.

What are some of the triggers that would, um, alert you that you're not managing this as well as you possibly could be?

Overwhelming stress, uh, sleep dis- uh, disruption, mood changes, constantly checking for new symptoms, the frequent need of being reassured that what you may be feeling or experiencing is just, it's not physically there.

It's mentally there.

And I i- imagine there's always that constant worry, is it gonna come back? I mean, you have to, you know, get checked on a regular basis, et cetera.