Namita Nayyar:
Share an insight into the shock, emotional turmoil, and uncertainty you went through during the treatment?
Chhavi Mittal:
There was no shock. It can happen to anybody and now it had happened to me. However, the emotions sometimes get the better of you. Considering the huge and manifold responsibilities I have in my life surrounding children and work, I didn’t get to rest much and continue to go about my daily life the way I used to before the surgery. But the difference is that now my right arm doesn’t work as well as it used to.
It is a struggle to push and pull doors, pick up my baby, do regular domestic chores like cooking and cleaning, and my back hurts because of only sleeping on one side for the last 2+ months. I also feel swelling and tightness in my breast which makes me extremely uncomfortable and I find myself holding my breast in the middle of meetings. Largely all this causes emotional turmoil since even though people around me can see the discomfort I am in, nobody can do much to ease it and this is a battle I fight alone.
Namita Nayyar:
You have gone out to proudly flaunt your breast cancer surgery scar & how you are coping with radiation and recovery? What’s the reason behind the same?
Chhavi Mittal:
I have fought a battle and emerged victorious not just physically but mentally too. Of course, it is a thing to be proud of! People ask me if I’ll get the scars removed with a laser and I say hell no! These are battle scars that tell a tale of bravery and would never want to hide them. Radiation was tough and the side effects can last up to 6 months or more in some cases. My oncologist was extremely careful with my radiotherapy so as to give me minimum side effects and I can’t thank him enough for it. I continued to work and gym a bit through it although the swelling and pain starts.