Nowadays, even if we are not seriously ill, we often use many foods and medicines that are considered good for health, for example nutrition and herbs. Let’s see what we should do when we are about to have breast cancer surgery:
Can I continue taking herbal medicine before breast cancer surgery?
Since the effectiveness varies depending on the patient’s condition or condition, it is difficult to say whether it is good or bad, but let’s take a look at representative drugs. The most typical herb is red ginseng.
Red ginseng is effective in replenishing antioxidants, increasing immunity and reducing fatigue. In addition, it has ingredients that purify the blood and prevent blood clotting, helping blood circulation. However, these ingredients can cause more bruising and swelling. Therefore, red ginseng should not be used 2 ~ 3 weeks before surgery. Another commonly used herbal medicine is Chaga mushroom drink. Chaga mushroom helps activate the immune system and increase antioxidant effects, but Chaga also contains protein components that prevent blood clotting, so it should be stopped 1~2 weeks before surgery.
Should vitamins, hormonal drugs, aspirin… be stopped before surgery?
If you are taking hormone medications such as estrogen or steroids for pre-existing conditions or female diseases, you should stop before surgery because tumors that have hormone receptors, such as breast cancer as well as uterine cancer bow, may develop or spread due to hormonal medications.
When it comes to vitamins, you should be especially careful with vitamins E and K. Because these two vitamins contain blood clotting inhibitors, there is a risk of excessive bleeding during surgery and can cause bruising and swelling after surgery. Therefore, use should be discontinued at least 1 week before surgery.
Aspirin, often taken over a long period of time, can make it difficult to control bleeding during surgery because it reduces the function of platelets, which act as hemostatic agents in the blood. In addition, immunity may decrease before and after surgery, and continuous use of aspirin may cause gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and digestive problems, and the risk of other complications. Chemotherapy drug interactions, so be careful when using.
