Julia Bradbury has said that women battling breast cancer need to remember to take care of their mental health as well as their physical health.
The Country Life presenter, 51, sent ‘love and support’ to those who have just been diagnosed with the disease in her latest update.
She also credited exercise with helping her recover from her mastectomy as she shared a poignantly offensive photo of her sister drying her hair on Thursday.
Grief: Julia Bradbury, 51, said women battling breast cancer need to take care of their ‘mental and physical health’ as she shared a snap of her sister drying her hair yesterday Thursday.
Julia, who was diagnosed with cancer last September, shared a moment of quick recovery as her older sister, Gina, dried her hair while she ‘couldn’t lift her hand.’
Alongside the photo, she wrote: ‘To all the women who have just been diagnosed with #breastcancer, I am sending love and positive wishes.
‘I know… It was a shock. I know… You didn’t think it would happen to you. I know… you’re scared. Treatments and outcomes are improving, but it’s still a brutal process. ‘
Inspirational: On Instagram, Julia sent her ‘love and support’ to those just diagnosed with the disease in her latest update
The presenter continued: ‘Get all the support you can from your family, friends and medical team. Charities like @maggiescentres @macmillancancer @pinkribbonfoundation @breastcancerirelan @futuredreamscharity @breastcancernow provide incredible information and support should you need it.
‘I recommend finding out what you may have about your cancer… We are all different and so are our cancers. I recommend staying as healthy as possible by using nature and food to support you.
‘I’m sure the exercise I did before my #mastectomy helped my recovery. Even if it’s the last thing you feel like doing… you’ll need your resilience, your mental and physical health. ‘
Sincere: Alongside the photo, she wrote: ‘To all the women who have just been diagnosed with #breastcancer, I’m sending love and positive wishes’
She continued: ‘The psychological and emotional impact is often overlooked.. I feel so grateful for the love I’ve received. Here is my sister @ginabradburyfox washing & drying my hair which she has been doing for weeks because I can’t lift my hand.
‘Find your tribe and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And a little tip if you’re a friend or family member… Also meaning, please don’t ask/send a message asking ‘how are you’? ‘ – it’s a lot of pressure to reply to everyone and you can imagine it’s actually a complicated message: I’m scared, confused and don’t know what the outcome will be.. (but send the message. text to say you’re thinking of that person and ask for your help)
Julia concludes: ‘Here’s the truth: once you hear the words ‘you have cancer’, life will never be the same again but there is always hope and positivity. ”
Health battle: It happened when Julia talked about having a ‘likelihood of recurrence’ of her breast cancer and said ‘It’s really something that will stay with you forever’
It comes as Julia talks about there being a ‘likely recurrence’ of her breast cancer, which she was first diagnosed with last September.
Speaking on Loose Women on Wednesday, she spoke about her health battle, telling the panel: ‘It’s really something that stays with you forever.
During the interview, Julia, who recently shared her journey in her new ITV documentary, also said how ‘guilty’ she feels about her diagnosis and for having carried cancer into the lives of her loved ones.
Adorable: Discussing her show, titled Cancer And Me
Discussing her show, titled Breast Cancer And Me, Julia explained that she was happy to show how ‘vulnerable’ she was to her battle with cancer, before admit that there’s a chance it could come back.
She said: ‘I think in general people are quite surprised at how vulnerable I seem to be. I’m happy to show that side.
‘Kelly Close’ [director] I wanted it to be personal, touching, and emotional. We don’t talk much about the emotional impact of having cancer. It’s a big psychological problem to deal with.
‘It really is something that will stay with you forever. There is a possibility of recurrence. ‘
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than 2 MILLION women each year.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Every year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 people a year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops from a cancer cell that grows in the lining of the ducts or lobules in one of the breasts.
When breast cancer has spread to surrounding breast tissue, it is called ‘invasive’ breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the ducts or lobules.
Most cases develop in women over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men although this is rare.
Stage means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer cells are graded from low, which means slow growing, to high, which means fast growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are first treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor starts from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. Something is thought to damage or change certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are certain risk factors that can increase your chances of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are benign, fluid-filled cysts.
The first place where breast cancer often metastasizes is to the axillary lymph nodes. If this happens, you will experience swelling or lumps in your armpits.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial evaluation: A doctor examines the breast and armpit. They may do tests such as mammograms and special X-rays of breast tissue to indicate the possibility of a tumor.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small tissue sample is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, you may need further tests to see if it has spread. For example, blood tests, liver ultrasound, or chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy. Often a combination of two or more treatments is used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast depends on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: Treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation to focus on cancerous tissue. This kills the cancer cells or stops the cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A cancer treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the levels of these hormones or stop them from working are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The outlook is best in people diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgery to remove the tumor in its early stages can then offer a good chance of a cure.
Routine mammograms offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70 means that more and more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit Breastcancercare.org.uk, Breastcancernow.org or www.cancerhelp.org.uk
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk
