Rancic 'hanging in there' after surgery

"I know it sounds so cliché, but I think it helped me recover quicker," Giuliana Rancic says of the fan feedback.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• "I'm hanging in there," Giuliana Rancic says


• "The word I kept seeing over and over again was 'strong,'" she says


• "Early detection means too much," Rancic says

(PEOPLE.com) -- A month after as part of her treatment, Giuliana Rancic is optimistic.

"I'm good. I'm hanging in there," she tells Parade.com. "I have good days and bad days."

Once a self-proclaimed "" about revealing her health news, the E! News host says she's grateful for the outpouring of support she has received -- support that spanned Tweets, emails and blog posts -- since she went public.

"I know it sounds so cliché, but I think it helped me recover quicker, and it got me in better spirits," Rancic, 36, says of the fan feedback. "The word I kept seeing over and over again was 'strong.' 'Be strong. You're strong.' "

She adds: "That word has never meant so much to me as it has this past month."

Rancic -- who discovered her tumor in the early stages during a doctor-recommended mammogram while undergoing a third round of in vitro fertilization -- underwent a two-hour surgery that removed cancerous growths in both breasts as well as lymph nodes doctors thought may have been affected.

And as her life with husband Bill Rancic plays out on the Style Network's Giuliana and Bill, she hopes those who hear her story will think about their own health.

"Early detection means too much," she says. "I want women to make sure they're taking care of their health and being proactive."

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