Great news: you’ve been given the all-clear following your prostate cancer treatment, but now what? The key to moving forward after prostate cancer is to be as proactive with your health as possible. We’ve put together a list of tips for living a healthy life after prostate cancer with help from the American Cancer Society.
Make a survivorship care plan with your doctor.
A survivorship care plan should include follow-up tests, regular screening for prostate cancer if you still have your prostate (usually every six months), screening for other types of cancer, and details on how to manage any long-term or late symptoms of your cancer treatment—may not occur for months or even years after treatment finishes.
Keep copies of your medical records.
In case you change your doctor, or your health situation changes it makes sense to keep copies of your medical records so your new doctor can quickly get up to speed with your history.
Exercise.
Looking after yourself physically is important for everyone, and particularly if you are a cancer survivor. Try to incorporate regular exercise into your life, this will help to kit you fit and healthy as well as reduce stress.
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Eat well.
Eating a healthy balanced diet will help lower your risk of developing cancer again, and safeguard you against other chronic diseases. Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, reduce the amount of sugar, salt and saturated fat in your diet and eat less processed foods.
Maintain a healthy body weight.
Use diet and exercise to maintain a healthy body weight. You may need to increase the amount of calories you eat if you are underweight—but be sure to choose calories from nutritious foods.
Quit smoking.
Stopping smoking will reduce the risk of a plethora of chronic illnesses and improve your overall health status. If you struggle to give up, speak to your doctor for advice.
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Take supplements
Speak to your doctor about any vitamins and supplements that will improve your health and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
Enjoy Life
Getting a cancer all-clear means you’re free to go out and live your life again so make sure you live it to the fullest, try new hobbies and pastimes, spend lots of time with the people you love and travel to new places.
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Prostate Cancer News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.