Hi Guys,
nearly at the end of chemo, last one next week, followed by 6 weeks rads starting end of september. also on Zoladex during chemo. befre this always enjoyed active sex life with partner, but due to the chemo and hair loss i am not intersted. i am only 26 and hope the lack of interst is just a side effect of the chemo. it has started to become an issue in my head which I do not want to make into a big deal with my partner as this could escalate problems. we are very close and affectionate with each other and he has been very patient and understanding. i am worried that this feeling will stay after the treatment has finished. would love too hear feedback from anyone else out there. i appreciate this is a sensitive subject and every person is different. but i hope to be around for a good few years and want to gain part of my ‘old life’ back again.
many thanks
Nx
Dear jasmin
Welcome to the forums, this is a concern frequently discussed on the forums and I am sure your fellow forum users will offer you valuable support, advice and information very soon.
You may also find Breast Cancer Care’s publication ‘Sexuality, intimacy and breast cancer’ helpful to read, you can read it via the following link:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/bcc_sexuality_0.pdf
Kind regards
Sam
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Hi jasmin, I was diagnosed last year. Had mastectomy, 6 cycles of chemo and 15 sessions of rads, which finished at the end of Feb '07. I started tamoxifen while I was having rads. I was horrified at the prospect of losing my libido as I felt I’d already lost so much to this disease. I was also convinced to start with that my partner could n’t possibly find a bald, one breasted woman attractive. I’m 48 and he’s 51, older than you I know but we’ve always had a very active sex life. During chemo and rads things were n’t at their usual level as I felt ill and tired during chemo, and exhausted during rads. I went back to work on 2nd April and was very tired for the first couple of months while I settled back into a work routine. However, since then, I’ve felt great, more like my old self and our sex life is great again. I found that once the tiredness had started to subside and the nasty taste in my mouth, (which seemed to go on forever), things like that, and the hair started to regrow, I felt much better about myself. We never stopped having sex altogether and things have picked up a lot as I’ve increasingly felt better. My partner was very patient and understanding. Initially, particularly after surgery, he was really worried about hurting me. He also recognised that there were times when I was feeling very ill. It does get better. It may seem like forever but one day you’ll get to a point where the treatment is behind you and you do get your old life back. It really does get better. Chemo has all sorts of nasty side effects but they do go away in the end. Best of luck. Keep your chin up ands I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Geraldine
Hi Geraldine,
thankyou for your reply. it’s nice to know i not alone and other people have paranoid thoughts. I think it’s the hair loss thing and feeling unattractive which does not help. I am glad things have returned back to normal for you. The road we go down whie being treated for ccancer is a bumpy one and this is one of the bumps. I do hope after the chemo i will get back top normal again. Thankyou again and i wish you all the best for a happy and fun future.
lots of love
Jx
Hi Jasmin
It does come back and then it’s great because you don’t know how much you’ve missed it!
I too was taking Zoladex during chemo, at first everything was fine and then it just dwindled into nothing. But thinking back I didn’t really care. I had surgery after chemo followed by a couple of weeks of complications. Then about 5 weeks after surgery, 2 months after chemo ended I just woke up one morning feeling as if a cloud had lifted and felt ‘normal’ again. In all aspects of my life, I had increased energy, felt suddenly more attractive (helped by evidence of eyelashes and brows appearing again and considerable hair growth on my head) Just hoping that this doesn’t change during rads!
Things feel exactly as they did pre BC now and that’s while taking Tamoxifen!
Hope things turn out OK for you - but it does take time!
Nicky