Many doctors have been working tirelessly to further improve the outcome of breast cancer. However, despite this, the outcome of breast cancer has not yet reached a satisfactory level. Other concerns related to the cancer can haunt patients and their families for quite some time after the diagnosis, and the emotional and physical trauma of breast cancer can be far greater than the disease itself. The main purpose of this article is to give patients as much help and guidance as possible, so that they can regain their mental happiness and peace of mind. 1. Timely adjustment of the mind to continue the original life Usually patients have only a few days from the discovery of the lump, suspicion of breast cancer, to the removal of the breast, and there is little time to adjust their mind. Therefore, when waking up after anesthesia, it is like a dream, however, it is a fact after all. A few days later, you are informed that you still have to undergo follow-up radiation and chemotherapy, which may make you depressed and emotionally drained again. Obviously, you need days, weeks or even months to learn about life after the disease and understand the possible consequences. Even after several weeks, your mood is still unstable, sometimes with the question “Why do I have the disease?” It is normal to feel hopeless from time to time. Allow yourself to confess your grief and anger. When you are in such a bad mood, you can even cry without forcing yourself to suppress the tears, and make sure not to keep the unpleasant things inside. Generally, bathing is allowed once the wound has healed and scabbed over, which is good for recovery. The temperature of the water for bathing should not exceed 37℃ to 38℃. Soap or soap-like things can irritate the skin, especially the skin on the scar and under the armpit is more sensitive, so it is better to use it sparingly or not. If you go through a phase of radiotherapy, avoid contaminating the wound by bathing when the skin has a wet reaction such as oozing. After a total mastectomy, you will feel disfigured and mentally stimulated. This fact cannot be changed by surgery, but there are things you can do to restore your self-confidence. For example, you can beautify your appearance with care, and wearing jewelry is part of that. Choosing a good breast implant that you are happy with can go a long way in adding to your self-confidence, which can go a long way in the recovery process. After getting sick, you must adjust yourself emotionally and at the same time reconcile your relationship with your surrounding, especially with your family and friends. You can join some self-help organizations such as Anti-Cancer Land to get advice, information, etc. according to your needs and your personal situation. After breast cancer, can I continue to do my original job? It mainly depends on the intensity of the work, you have to do it according to your ability, and if possible, change to a less stressful job. Please remember that a good and happy life depends on you. Start and always adhere to post-operative rehabilitation exercises in a timely manner. As to which treatment modalities to adopt and the pros and cons of them, you should ask an experienced oncologist to help decide your treatment plan. Radiation therapy Modern medical knowledge suggests that for women who have had a breast lump removed, post-operative radiation therapy is needed to destroy cancer cells that may remain in the chest wall and lymph nodes. An experienced specialist will do the individual selection of the type of radiation, the dose of radiation and the area of radiation for each patient’s specific condition. In order not to add unnecessary burden to the skin, the radiation site should not be rinsed. If necessary, some powder can be carefully applied to the skin under the guidance of the competent radiotherapist. To protect the skin in the radiotherapy area, a soft cotton T-shirt or a short-sleeved sweatshirt should be worn close to the body. If the seams rub the skin, you can turn them over and wear them. Chemotherapy There are about a dozen chemotherapy drugs commonly used for breast cancer. After injected into the body, these drugs can attack tumor cells everywhere in the body, but there is no chemotherapy drug that only kills cancer cells but not normal cells, so while destroying cancer cells, they also destroy normal body tissues, especially those tissues that grow fast. For example: temporary damage to bone marrow hematopoiesis, resulting in a decrease in white blood cells and platelets, so there is a risk of infection and bleeding; some chemotherapy drugs can cause hair loss; mucous membranes of the mouth and urinary system, which can have different degrees of inflammation; and nausea and vomiting are the most common side effects of chemotherapy. It is well known that despite using the same drug, reactions vary greatly from person to person, some are severe and some are mild, and the ability of each person to resist the drug seems to depend in part on the patient’s attitude toward the treatment. Once chemotherapy is over, the number of blood cells will return to normal, most of the discomfort will disappear, and the hair will gradually grow back, some even better than before. Endocrine therapy In general, breast cancer is a hormone-dependent disease, especially for estrogen receptor (ER) positive patients, your doctor may recommend you to have endocrine therapy. Worldwide studies have proven that for some women, endocrine therapy has better or equal efficacy than chemotherapy, and the adverse effects are much better tolerated than chemotherapy, like the most commonly used anti-estrogen drug triamcinolone (tamoxifen), which many patients take with mild side effects. However, it is important to note that not all breast cancer patients have benefits from taking triamcinolone, and some patients may have bad effects from taking it. So here is a word of advice: always ask an experienced oncologist to determine the treatment plan. Adjunctive medication and dietary guidelines To date, we still have not found a drug that can guarantee a cure for cancer. The effectiveness of treatment depends mainly on the early detection and timely and scientific treatment. The most important thing is to ensure the completion of the regular treatment as scheduled, and at the same time to recover and maintain a good mental state as soon as possible and maintain a balanced diet. Nutrition is the first and foremost thing in daily life. A diet that is easy to digest, high in protein and balanced in calorie distribution guarantees good health. Patients should eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products and a variety of easily digestible meats. Try to eat less of foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat, and drink less coffee, black tea and alcoholic beverages. Although a poor diet has not been proven to accelerate the progression of breast cancer, a balanced diet can be beneficial to improve your health anyway. In our work, we have met many breast cancer patients and have been able to understand the various questions they want to know about their treatment and recovery process, and are well aware of their pain during breast cancer treatment. We hope to help breast cancer patients with our own efforts, and we sincerely hope that patients should never be discouraged by post-operative problems and adverse effects, but should actively cooperate with doctors to receive regular treatment, try to do activities that are beneficial to their health, and make themselves a person who is in control of their own destiny.