Jessie J insists she's 'feeling good' and 'getting better each day' after undergoing crucial breast cancer surgery.
The singer is currently in the early stages of recovery after having a mastectomy in June, and admits she's already seeing signs of improvement.
Reassuring fans with a health update on Sunday, Jessie, 37, detailed her progress while convalescing at home, little more than a month after having the operation.
She wrote: 'It will be 4 weeks since my breast cancer surgery on Saturday. I am feeling good. Some days are harder than others.
'My movement is good, still very sore but I am getting more like myself everyday. Mentally it's all catching up with me. So giving myself a little space to feel it all.'
The singer revealed she was being tended to by her immediate family while two-year old son Sky visited relatives in Denmark with his father, basketball player Chanan Colman.
Jessie J insists she's 'feeling good' and 'getting better each day' after undergoing crucial breast cancer surgery.
The singer is currently in the early stages of recovery after having a mastectomy in June, and admits she's already seeing signs of improvement.
She added: 'Sky has gone away for 2 weeks with his Dad to his Danish fam, but also so I can rest and do physio. (And re organise the whole house with my Mum and my sister as my body). My adhd and ocd still going strong.
'I’m not allowed to pick Sky up for a few months and that has been a difficult adjustment, I just want to hold him like this and spin around. But in the bigger picture it’s a small sacrifice to have my health and to still be here.
'The day will come I can lift him up for a cuddle. I can’t wait for that day. That day is what gets me through these days. These days are weird.
'I love being your Mum Sky. I miss my boys.'
Jessie accompanied the post with a series of affectionate black-and-white photos in which she cradles her young son while working in the studio.
The singer previously admitted she went into 'survival mode' upon learning of her diagnosis, but is now letting herself feel angry and sad in equal measure.
Sharing an Instagram post in June, she wrote: Jessie wrote: '2 weeks post surgery. Had my drain out 2 nights ago. She said breathe in and take a hard breathe out. She whipped that thang out so quick. Woii oii. Weirdest feeling. But so nice to have it out after 12 days.
'Now it’s just me and my wonky boobs trying to figure out how to dress until I match them up. The left one is looking at me like "you ok babe?"'
Reassuring fans with a health update on Sunday, Jessie detailed her progress while convalescing at home little more than a month after having the operation.
Jessie accompanied the post with a series of affectionate black-and-white photos in which she cradles her young son while working in the studio.
She continued: 'Also my experience was when I was diagnosed I went into survival mode.
'There was so much going on with appointments and in my mind esp with a toddler I had just moved and was about to start this campaign after 8 years away. Mad.
'I didn't really have a lot of time to process what was happening or what was going to happen. So I'm currently experiencing some delayed sadness and frustration by having time to process what IS happening.
'A little disappointed in myself I didn't say goodbye to my old boob enough. Sounds silly but that's where I'm at. Again that's my journey. I'm sure others feel different.
'But for me I didn't think beyond the surgery. I was just being strong. Well now I'm here and letting myself be angry and sad and all the things. Just for a few days.
'Then I will sew some padding in a bra to even them out order some t-shirts and crack tf on.'
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates 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 another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue 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, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.