Newly Diagnosed

Hi There!!! I am glad your
Hi There!!! I am glad your cancer is in the early stages and detected quickly. Good for you!! Early detection gives you a much higher chance for a cure.

I am 60 and married to a man 10 yrs younger than myself. I can understand the concerns you have regarding your sex life. I can tell you that my husband and I have grown closer since my cancer diagnosis July/09. You can read in my bio the details of my diagnsis and treatment if you wish.

In my opinion sexual intimancy has a mental as well as a physical aspect. Hubby and I never did lose the mental part. And only because of treatments and the fact I had to live in Houston for 6 weeks was the physical side of our relationship put on hold. Our desire for each other never waned. So for my part I can say that communicating with each other your fears and learning to deal with the situation will make you closer. And don't forget the sense of humor, my dear. I know that laughter is one of the cementing things in our marriage.
Good luck and best to you and your husband. Please keep posting. There are some great ladies here who give hugs and support. Norma

PS my gyn/oncologist told me early on not the read things on the internet. I did anyway being the kind of person I am. What I found was there is no filtering process for data uniess I did it myself. If you find horror stories you might want to stop reading the internet. Or maybe understand that we each make our own story. You are unique. Your story doesn't have to be a horror story. It is all in how you approach the problem and deal with it. Maybe we don't have much control in having developed cancer. However, we do have control over our attitude. Not our feelings. But the approach we take toward the cancer. That is in our control.

I was 56 when diagnosed as
I was 56 when diagnosed as well...and just 2 years into my marriage and I feared the worst as to the demise of our sex life. Didn't happen. There were some ups and downs throughout treatment but I was Stage 4. An early diagnosis makes a great deal of difference. Don't stress yourself unnecessarily now. Take a deep breath and enjoy every day together.

Kaleena said:

Hello, Sorry about your
Hello, Sorry about your recent diagnosis. But stay positive. I was 45 when I was diagnosed after a total hysterectomy. The doctors were surprised and I had to have another surgery for staging. That was back in September of 2005!

All I can say to you is that this has brought me and my husband together more and we enjoy every moment together. He took me to all of my appointments. I knew he was nervous about my situation but we both kept it positive. We laughed and made jokes in the office when we could (even when I had a terrible allergic reaction).

Any way, I am not able to use any type of hormones. I was diagnosed with Grade 2 Stage ii/iiia endometrial adencarcinoma. I had gemzar and carboplatin (allergic to taxol) for six months and three bracy therapies. I could not have pelvic radiation due to my severe scarring from endometriosis.

Stay positive! This is a great site for information.


Kathy

Keep Your Chin Up
Your treatment will depend on the stage and grade of the cancer. I have had the complete hyst and chemo with brachytherapy. I don't have any problems with sexuality. I have a vaginal dilator to keep scar tissue from forming; it is easy to use. During treatment there are times I was not sexually active because of low white counts. We have a normal sex life. Most of the time with female cancers hormones are avoided; they even check for estrogen and progesterone receptors. Some women use a little estrogen cream with their dilator. I don't as I had breast cancer 11 years ago. You also have to "use it or lose it" after menopause. You can use lubricants for dryness. My husband says everything works great and so do I. I worried about that too. I have no problems urinating. I think the women who have problems are in the minority.

Diane