Intimacy during and after cancer

@brunette007 Hello brunette007, thank you for opening this discussion! This is an important topic, as  cancer can take a significant toll on not only our physical health, but on our mental health and intimate relationships.

We recently published an article on sexuality and chronic illness that may be helpful to you, let me link it here: Intimacy with a Chronic Illness

Let me tag some members who can maybe weigh in.

Hello everyone, I hope you're well! 

Has your cancer or your treatment affected your emotional and sexual life? Do you talk about it with your partner or significant other? What to you do to cope or to make things better?

@Lozley1‍ @Margaret1‍ @Anniejac‍ @JanetteR‍ @Skoobie‍ @Sassy123‍ @mikesalmons‍ @gersbilly1‍ @carbuilder‍ @ERLCA92‍ @Micheleo‍ @Davidpryce‍ @Gaynor‍ @Jjshrimper‍ @AnthonyRobson‍ @RussellT‍ @Jonpat‍ @Angiegirl63‍ 

Feel free to share your thoughts, doubts, fears and feelings here! We're all here to help each other!

Take care,
Courtney

Having a stoma means that I cannot even think about intimacy. Even wearing a waistband or similar. Just no. I can’t talk about it. I have no confidence or desire. I cannot imagine ever having sex again. I cannot see why anyone would want to have sex with me.

@brunette007 You're not silly at all. I completely understand what you're talking about. Cancer has an excellent way of making us feel our worst and undesirable. It's been really hard for me too to be in a place where I feel well enough to and even had the desire. I'm working through it with a lot of talking with my husband, who is honestly wonderful about it. Have you brought it up with yours?

I did n’t have to worry at all, my partner just decided that enough was enough and began a fifteen year long affair. He put me through hell and I will never forgive him for that, although, deep down I don’t blame him. During one of our many arguments, he told me, he had n’t signed up for this, my having cancer. I blame him for it even beginning because of the stress he put me through.

Now we’re in separate rooms and I’m highly delighted because I’ve come to hate his guts and am hoping that cancer befalls him, just so he knows what it feels like. As you may gather, I’m very bitter about the way life has turned out for me.