Life with Cancer
An important part of what the Pink Hope community does is support families facing a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis. To help, we’ve developed a range of blogs and resources as well as the FAQs below to assist those navigating their cancer journey.
What are the treatment options available for breast and ovarian cancer?
If you’ve been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, your treatment will depend on your test results and type of cancer. Usually, you will have more than one type of treatment and the order will be personalised according to your diagnosis.
Are clinical trials available?
Clinical trials can be a great option for some people depending on their medical history, type of cancer and other factors unique to the particular trial. Before you enrol in a clinical trial, there are a few things you should think about and some questions you should ask your doctor.
View the blog articles below to find out more:
Can you help with cancer terminology?
At Pink Hope, we know that a cancer diagnosis is hard enough to deal with, let alone trying to understand all the acronyms, phrases and words that suddenly enter the conversation adding to what can often feel like total overwhelm and deep confusion. To assist you and your support team while you are guided to make decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment, we’ve decoded several of the most common terms and words to lessen the cognitive overload. See our glossary here.
What are some treatment and hospital stay tips?
Chemotherapy can cause different side effects in different people. Your chemotherapy treatment may change the way you feel about yourself. For some our of Pink Hope community’s best health and beauty tips to help you feel and look better during chemotherapy, read our informative blog here or download our cancer surgery and treatment tips resource here. Remember to check with your doctor what is best for you.
What is treatment-induced menopause?
The chemicals used to kill cancer cells in treatment can also damage the body, including cells in the ovaries. Damage can be done to hormone-producing and germ cells in the ovarian follicles. Killing follicular cells limits the number of eggs left and therefore the number of menstruation cycles, which can cause premature menopause. This may occur directly after treatment or can just reduce future menstrual cycles. This side effect of chemotherapy and other treatments doesn’t occur in all patients and is dependent on your age at the time of treatment and the type of drug you receive. For more on this, read our article here.
Coping Strategies to Manage Scanxiety
There are several cognitive and behavioural strategies we can learn to effectively manage the anxiety that may arise during scans and doctor’s appointments. To understand them further, read more here.
How do I preserve my fertility during treatment?
After a cancer diagnosis, the primary focus will be on your treatment plan. However, if you’re premenopausal and haven’t completed your family, it’s important to discuss the impact that this treatment will have on your future futility. This will help you include fertility preservation as part of the options for your treatment. To understand more about preserving your fertility, read more here.
Am I at risk of reoccurrence?
The road to good health following breast cancer is not always easy and is often difficult to navigate. Despite the all-clear, the reality is that the chance of reoccurrence for many women remains high, especially within the first five years, meaning you’re always on the lookout for the slightest twitch, twinge or lump in their breasts that could signal something isn’t right.
While remission can indicate that the end of a long road is over, the reality is the risk of reoccurrence for any woman who has had a breast cancer diagnosis is never going to be zero. Read more on reoccurrence here.
I think I have survivor or previvor guilt, what can I do?
A classic definition of Survivor Guilt is deep guilt experienced by those who’ve survived an event that took the lives of many others and due to the many lives lost in the case of breast cancer, this experience of guilt is common and complex, especially in breast cancer survivors. To read more about how to cope with these feelings, click here.
