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© 2019 All rights reserved | Albie Aware
Breast cancer patients and survivors want their lives back! Whether you are newly diagnosed, in treatment, or years into your survivorship, rehabilitation services can help you get back some or all the functionality you may have lost.
Cancer rehabilitation services include health care experts, resources, and healing techniques to help you recover physically and emotionally. Your health care team can help you coordinate care.
Here are five things to consider regarding your rehabilitation:
Breast cancer and treatment can cause pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, and emotional trauma. Most cancer survivors need rehabilitation services to help improve strength and stamina.
These signs may indicate you need rehabilitation services:
Rehabilitation may improve your health and ability to function more quickly and to a greater degree. There are many resources and therapies available to you.
Rehabilitation services prescribed by your oncologist or any medical or osteopathic doctor may include:
When talking to your doctor, consider these specialized areas and how they may be able to help you:
Occupational Therapy – Helps you resume your daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and returning to work. It can help
improve functionality, strength, coordination, and range of motion. Therapists can also treat pain, and some are certified in lymphedema therapy.
Physical Therapy – Helps you recover strength, flexibility, endurance, and mobility. May treat pain, and possibly manage conditions such as lymphedema.
Speech Therapy – Focuses on problems with language comprehension or expression, as well as swallowing issues.
Vocational Rehabilitation – Evaluates whether and how you can return to work. They can prescribe special equipment and, if necessary, suggest a change of occupation. Vocational retraining may be offered.
Mental Health Counseling – Most rehab settings will offer mental health counseling. This might include a psychiatric consultation or evaluation by a psychologist or clinical social worker. These specialists can help people adjust to a “new normal.”
Dietary Counseling – A registered dietician helps you plan a suitable diet during treatment and/or rehabilitation. They can offer weight management guidance and nutritional advice for improving energy.
A rehabilitation plan may enhance the quality of life at any time during your breast cancer journey – during treatment or years later.
Physical, occupational and other types of therapy are covered by most insurers. Ask your case manager or social worker if your needs are covered.
Here is a chart of some conditions and types of therapists you should ask for:
Impaired ability to participate in normal daily activities
Cancer-related fatigue
Neuropathy – Feeling off balance. Falling.
Cognitive Decline – “chemo brain.” Difficulty with memory, attention, communication, speech.
Lack of strength in arms or shoulders
Muscle Weakness
Balance
Lymphedema – Excess fluid caused by surgery or radiation.
Joint pain/Muscle aches
If you don’t have health insurance, talk to your social worker or patient financial counselor at the hospital or cancer center. There are programs that may help you get coverage or pay for treatment. Albie Aware can help direct you to the rehabilitation you need.
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© 2019 All rights reserved | Albie Aware