What's happened to the love?

Hope you can get to see Richard. He is very caring and takes time with you. My husband is 10 years younger than me and we have only been married three years so all a bit of a buggar really! I am using estrogen topical creme and sylk and i am soooo much better. Hugs Julie

Im trying to get a second opinion from Dr Richard DeBoer. Glad you mentioned him and are happy. I will continue to chase this up and also the ospemifene. Could just save my life, marriage......

Thank you Very Much Ladies :-) xx

 

I too had long hair that i miss badly, especially when i look at old photos. But it is growing. Just frustratingly slow and wavy! Oh the menopausal side effects! Lack of oestrogen is the main culprit for the vaginal skin atrophy and pain. As Paula says, sylk is the absolute recommendation for a vaginal, vulval lubricant for sex. I found others just irritating to the skin. As Paula says, use heaps. The replens has been great for lots of the women in this forum. You do need to use it daily for at least two weeks and dont worry if you get what looks like a lumpy discharge with it at first. It is just clearing away dead skin cells. I wore panty liners. If the atrophy has not got too bad this will be a game changer! Intimacy. Well thats a hard one. We all find it hard to feel sexy with dodgy bits on our body let alone it being painful! I bought pretty nighties to try and feel better about my breast area and it is simply a no go area until its all healed! We still do date night each week. Im 60. On that night we usually head out for dinner and cancer and cancer treatment is a banned subject. We focus on what we have done that was fun and plans for the future. Chemotherapy. Certainly gives the body a hard time. I think only rest, good food and some fun get us through it. Do you have good nausea meds? Stay on here and talk with us. Thinking of you Julie

Hi again I must say I'm over chemo but feel as though I don't have a choice so just have to soldier on. I can't imagine ever being the same person as I was before bc as so much has changed, some good, some not so good. My goal is to feel happy, healthy and safe again. Thanks Paula, I'm going to get some replens as well as some silk and give these a go. Anything is worth a try. Lee it's funny how you say you floated through diagnosis and treatment etc and feel that it is crashing down around you now as that is how I have been until last week. I had a shocking week and really struggled to cope. I'm going to ask for some counselling when I go in for chemo next week. I wonder because it all happens so fast that you don't have time to have a reality check until later on in the process. I suppose it stands to reason that it's going to take longer than the actual treatment to get the residue of chemo out of your system. A girlfriend who finished treatment a year ago is still struggling with the effects of the chemo on her body still. Throw in menopause and boy what a cocktail! I think the way forward is to talk about things, get advice on what others before us have tried and to be kind to ourselves. Fortunately I'm not scared to ask questions of my medical professionals. My brother comes with me to all my appointments and what I don't ask he does. I'm sure things will get better and easier. It will just take some time xox

Hi again I must say I'm over chemo but feel as though I don't have a choice so just have to soldier on. I can't imagine ever being the same person as I was before bc as so much has changed, some good, some not so good. My goal is to feel happy, healthy and safe again. Thanks Paula, I'm going to get some replens as well as some silk and give these a go. Anything is worth a try. Lee it's funny how you say you floated through diagnosis and treatment etc and feel that it is crashing down around you now as that is how I have been until last week. I had a shocking week and really struggled to cope. I'm going to ask for some counselling when I go in for chemo next week. I wonder because it all happens so fast that you don't have time to have a reality check until later on in the process. I suppose it stands to reason that it's going to take longer than the actual treatment to get the residue of chemo out of your system. A girlfriend who finished treatment a year ago is still struggling with the effects of the chemo on her body still. Throw in menopause and boy what a cocktail! I think the way forward is to talk about things, get advice on what others before us have tried and to be kind to ourselves. Fortunately I'm not scared to ask questions of my medical professionals. My brother comes with me to all my appointments and what I don't ask he does. I'm sure things will get better and easier. It will just take some time xox

Until connecting with the lovely ladies here I was like both of you. I am 3 1/2 years post second lot of chemo(I had a recurrence). I had actually got my drive back, but sex hurts. I have discovered Silk which is a great natural lubricant. I need heaps though. However the game changer for me has been replens. It is a vaginal moisturiser. You use it every 3 days, or more often as needed. It had certainly made me more comfortable. I have gone off it at the moment as I had a rotten UTI. Can't wait to start using again. It is a bit pricy but I bought some online from a amcal with a reusable applicator(yep it's used internally),which is heaps cheaper. Good luck to you both. Paula x

Oh lee really???!!!! I still have 2 more lots of chemo to go

I feel your pain :-(  I am 6 months out of chemo and nether regions are still shrivelled up and died. and so much has died with it. I wish i had been told all this alot earlier. chemo isnt just for 3 months, you are bald for 6 months and then it takes another 3 to get any decent legnth in your hair. I am desperately seeking remedy too.

Thank goodness my lucky stars my husband is patient, caring and kind. its not fair on him and so hard for him to understand too.

being here now i feel missinformed and cheated by the very professionals we have paid top money to care for us.

absolute sadness - when we are supposed to be in a place to put it all behind us.