Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy

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concept image of doctor explaining lumpectomy vs mastectomy

A positive breast cancer diagnosis comes with a number of important decisions. The amount of time you have to mull over your options will depend on your individual situation. Regardless, your breast cancer surgeon in Austin will be happy to discuss all of your surgical options with you to help you understand the potential benefits of each option. Let’s examine a lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy There are many surgical variations used to remove cancerous tissue from breasts, but two of the most recognizable categories are lumpectomies and mastectomies. Generally speaking, lumpectomies are a more targeted surgical removal, and mastectomies usually require the removal of most, if not all, breast tissue. In order to better understand what these two options offer, let’s discuss the primary differences between lumpectomies and mastectomies. Understanding Lumpectomies What Is a Lumpectomy? A lumpectomy is a procedure that is designed to remove the tumor …

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Help for Staying Positive in Cancer Treatment

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concept image of hope and staying in positive in cancer treatment

For most people, a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event. Reactions will vary based on the individual, but being told you have cancer will undoubtedly come with a touch of shock and even fear. Let’s look at some help for staying positive in cancer treatment. Help for Staying Positive in Cancer Treatment You may have heard some people argue that a positive outlook is key to long-term recovery, but the science doesn’t support that. What a positive outlook can do is help you to modulate your stress levels. It won’t always be possible to stay positive, but we do have some tips for the times when you want to be positive but just can’t. Join a Support Group Cancer treatment can be isolating. Everyone around you will be struggling to find ways to talk to you, and you may not have the patience to deal with your stress and …

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Guide to Breast Reconstruction with Implants

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concept image of doctor for breast reconstruction with implants

Recovering from breast cancer is never easy. However, it can be even more challenging for patients who need a lumpectomy or mastectomy as part of their treatment. Here we have our guide to breast reconstruction with implants. Guide to Breast Reconstruction with Implants The good news is that breast reconstruction in Austin with implants is far better today than it was a generation ago.Thanks to medical advancements and technical innovation, people who opt for reconstruction today have more options than those who came before them. In order to help you better understand what is available to you, we have put together a comprehensive guide covering the procedures and implant types that you may consider if you wish to have your breasts reconstructed. Reconstructive Options with Implants Reconstructive surgery with the use of implants is the most common approach. If you had a more radical procedure to remove cancerous tissue, …

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Help for When Your Spouse has Cancer

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Concept image for helping spouse with cancer

No one wants to hear that their spouse has cancer. While you recognize that you cannot fully comprehend their experience, there are parts of it that are shared. Their fear and their pain will inevitably cause you fear and pain over the course of their treatment. Let’s look at options for help when your spouse has cancer. Help for When Your Spouse has Cancer The two may not be equal in terms of the physical consequences, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that your emotional health remains important. In fact, taking care of yourself is what is going to allow you to be there for your loved one through the entirety of this ordeal. Very few, if any, people can manage to pull that off without help. If you ever feel like cancer is affecting your relationship in a lasting manner or draining you of your reserves, you …

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Talking About Breast Cancer with Your Partner

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breast cancer awareness photo

Receiving a positive breast cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event. You are forced to face your own mortality with dizzying speed all while trying to process what needs to happen next. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. So let’s look at talking about breast cancer with your partner. Talking About Breast Cancer with Your Partner When you eventually leave your doctor’s office and go home, you have to figure out how to tell those closest to you. If you’re in a committed relationship, starting with your partner is usually the best course of action. Assuming your relationship is a loving and supportive one, your partner will be able to provide support as you inform others who need to know. Here are some tips on how you can talk about breast cancer with your partner. Start with the Facts Discussing cancer is likely to have a strong emotional effect. Sometimes the …

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Helping a Loved One During Chemo

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Mother helping a loved one during chemo

There is no easy part of breast cancer. The initial surgery, chemotherapy, and reconstruction each have their own challenges. With that said, chemotherapy is often the most difficult and longest-lasting part of treatment. Let’s look at helping a loved one during chemo. Helping a Loved One During Chemo The extreme fatigue, constant nausea, and lack of reprieve makes chemotherapy physically and emotionally draining. The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can help. From one family that went through breast cancer to another, here are the things you can do to make the biggest difference. Help Care for Dependents If there are young children or pets then helping to care for them is the best thing you can possibly do to help someone going through chemotherapy. You don’t have to be there long-term. The first two to three days after treatment are the worst. …

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Preparing for Breast Cancer Surgery

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Concept image for preparing for breast cancer surgery

It is never easy to deal with breast cancer. Even if your cancer is in its earliest stages, there will be challenges that you are not prepared to handle right away. For many patients, breast cancer surgery is the first of these hurdles. Let’s look at preparing for breast cancer surgery. Preparing for Breast Cancer Surgery All surgeries are stressful. Recovery is always unpleasant. However, there is something radically different about waking up to a body that doesn’t quite feel or look like yours. The good news is that the transformation may not need to be quite so radical thanks to the skill of your breast cancer surgeon in Austin. Even so, you will still need to prepare physically and emotionally. Preparing Physically There’s a whole protocol designed to make sure that breast cancer surgery is as safe as possible for their patients. Unfortunately, it does mean jumping through …

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Managing Anxiety about Breast Cancer Risk

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group of people Managing Anxiety about Breast Cancer Risk

It isn’t easy to just turn anxiety off, especially when it’s related to something as life-changing as cancer often is. With that said, the truth is that your anxiety isn’t helping, and it could actually be harming your general health. For people suffering from anxiety related to their breast cancer risk it’s vital to take action by managing their preventative health care and talking to a licensed psychologist. The Generational Trauma of Breast Cancer Watching a loved one, such as your mother, struggle through the trauma of breast cancer isn’t an experience you are likely to forget. Knowing that breast cancer can be hereditary doesn’t make it any easier. Even if your family member has a promising outcome and can return to life as normal, you’re stuck wondering if and when it will happen to you. In some ways, the looming threat of higher breast cancer risk makes it …

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Ways to Maintain Breast Health

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Woman making breast health symbol with her hands

Healthy breast tissue is a vital component to general human health for people regardless of their biological sex. However, biological women do need to be even more aware of their breast health. Due to their cyclical exposure to higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, biological women are far more likely to develop breast cancer during their lifetime. In fact, only 1% of all breast cancer cases occur in biological men. Let’s look at ways to maintain breast health. Ways to Maintain Breast Health Breast health isn’t that different from any other aspect of your health. You will thrive when you manage your stress, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat nutritionally-balanced meals, and exercise a few days a week. With that said, there are specific things you can do within those categories to be even kinder to your breasts. These are our top suggestions for breast cancer prevention in Austin. …

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Choosing Lumpectomy or Mastectomy

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Woman speaking with doctor to try choosing lumpectomy or mastectomy

Breast cancer never comes at a convenient time. One day you’re living life as usual. And the next you’re faced with a dozen decisions you have never even considered. One of the most important decisions you will face after receiving a cancer diagnosis is deciding how aggressively you want your cancer treated. Let’s look at choosing lumpectomy or mastectomy. Choosing Lumpectomy or Mastectomy Just twenty years ago, the options available to patients now would have been practically unheard of, but the sheer volume of choices can feel absolutely crushing. That is why we have designed this brief guide to highlight some of the broader categorical options available to you. This is not designed to replace professional medical advice. The intent is to merely give you a secondary source of information to help you process your breast tumor treatment options when it all feels like too much. Let’s start simple: …

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