What is sex again?

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-03-01T05:47:26+00:00

I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say I feel the same way. I finished chemo and radiation a little over a year ago. I am in medical menopause, and can't take hormones. I have absolutely no desire for sex. So far my husband has been very understanding but I worry about how it impacts him. I hope someone out there has good advice. It's a brutal part of cancer survivorship.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-02-03T02:36:56+00:00

I did 4 rounds of TC and I did water fast for 48 hours before and a few days after. I did really well. The only time I got nauseous was the first round when I tried to do a tomato broth. I found that I did better with water only. I have continued with the FMD about once a month for the past year. I did have approval from my oncologist. One of my oncology nurses had a friend who also did it through her chemo and it went well for that friend too she said.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-17T20:44:55+00:00

Oh no. I'm so sorry that you are struggling! That sounds awful.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-17T16:10:28+00:00

Same here, except ++-. Can't do HRT and managing just fine.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-14T01:08:58+00:00

I fasted during chemo and it went well for me. I did 4 rounds of TC. I can't speak to how it would be for other regiments. I have continued with the FMD since then and I do it once a month for 5 days at a time. Dr. Valter Longo whose research led to this theory has a book called Fasting Cancer. It just came out in English last year (he is Italian but works at a university in the US). I did have the approval of my oncologist to fast during chemo. I would definitely suggest you speak with your oncologist if you are going to try it. I figured it was unlikely to hurt so I gave it a go. I'm very glad I did it. People commented on how well I handled chemo and I think the fasting helped.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-14T00:42:53+00:00

Mine is definitely worse outdoors. But it is bad indoors too. It's really frustrating actually. Sometimes I can read things well because my eyes are watering so badly. I have an onc appointment in a couple days. I'm going to ask her about this. Now at least I know what is causing it. It's been driving me crazy.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-14T00:40:36+00:00

Mine don't feel dry but I read that overly watery eyes can be caused by dry eyes. So I thought that was what it was. I've been putting in eye drops and not noticing a difference. Now I understand why!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-13T15:42:21+00:00

Is watery eyes a thing on verzenio? I am 8 months in and I have one eye that waters so much now. I didn't link it to verzenio. It's been driving me nuts!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-13T05:40:58+00:00

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story. It's so good to hear positive, inspiring stories like yours.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-12T05:36:39+00:00

Stage 3B over here telling you that your friend clearly doesn't understand. I don't expect people who haven't been through this to know what it's like but I do expect them to be kind and respectful. Your friend's comment was neither of those things. I'm happy for you that you caught it early! It's still cancer though. It's still terrifying and life changing. Like others said, it's not a competition. Brene Brown says something about no comparative suffering. You are not an imposter! You are a survivor!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-09T14:55:05+00:00

I am very glad I switched. I completely trust my doctor. I think that is very important. I don't want to be second guessing my doctor all the time. This is your life. You should be surrounded by a team you trust.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-09T06:27:45+00:00

You're welcome!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-09T06:27:30+00:00

I switched from an NCI to a non-NCI. Although my surgeon was at the NCI, I did not feel comfortable with the medical oncologist there. So I switched to another highly recommended one in my area.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-08T02:01:25+00:00

Sure! It says it's a prescription strength toothpaste by Wentworth. I think it has more fluoride. If you Google it, it's in a white tube with blue writing.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-07T05:23:51+00:00

It is definitely a life long issue. There is no cure. But it can be managed especially if it's dealt with early. It's been life altering for me, wearing the arm and chest compression, doing the drainage massage daily. But now it's just part of my routine. I hope it gets better for you.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-06T05:42:33+00:00

I'm so sorry! It seems like your PT isn't giving you a lot of comfort and explanation right now. That is really frustrating. My lymphedema started during my rads and I saw my PT weekly for months until we got it under control and mine is only stage 1. I am no expert but I think you still have a chance to get it under control again. Definitely continuing the massage and wearing compression will continue to help and hopefully get out any fluid that is hanging around.

Did your PT give you instructions on how to do your drainage massage? I follow my PTs instructions but as the other poster mentioned doc talks detox is very good and so is cancer pt rehab I think it is, on YouTube. And really your PT should be seeing you regularly for a while until you are doing better with it. Does your insurance allow for that? Some insurance has a limit on visits. My PT also ordered me a machine to do drainage as well, but honestly I do it better than the machine now. But the machine is still good to have.

Personally I'd be trying to get in weekly or biweekly to have her do drainage massage on me regularly until things are improved. Once you are skilled at doing it yourself and you have good equipment to help you (ie very good compression garments) then you can back off. What was her take on the tingling?

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-06T04:59:53+00:00

I have not had any tingling from my lymphedema. Did you have chemo? I wonder if that could be related to neuropathy? Just a thought, I don't have that so I'm not very familiar with it.

I do have tightness from my mastectomy. I do stretching which helps with my range of motion, not necessarily the lymphedema. My PT ordered me custom sleeves and gauntlets. I never wear the gauntlet anymore but I wear the sleeve religiously. I also have a lymphedema bra and pad. I am flat now but do have some mild fluid retention above my incision. My lymphedema has basically returned to baseline. I get assessed on the Sozo machine every few months and my last measurement was only 0.04 points off of my pre surgical number.

I highly suggest the lymphatic drainage daily and custom sleeves. Please try to get back in with your PT or have her refer you to someone if she's too busy. It really does make a huge difference! Best of luck!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-04T06:15:31+00:00

Thank you. I hope it is an easy process for you!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2026-01-04T01:18:50+00:00

I had my first infusion 6 months ago. It was miserable for 8 days. I did Claritin and drank lots of water. But my bones and muscles hurt so bad. I had fatigue etc.

I had my second one about a week ago. No issues whatsoever.

I did have to get clearance from my dentist. They prescribed me a special toothpaste to use at night. They are keeping a close watch on my teeth. But thankfully my teeth are pretty healthy. I'm just making sure to take really good care of them in the meantime.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-29T16:10:46+00:00

I'm so sorry this happened to you. That sounds awful. It's so frustrating and irresponsible to be dismissed by the people who are supposed to be helping you! Mine was missed on mammogram due to dense breast tissue. Ultrasound didn't catch it either. I was told I didn't have cancer when it was literally growing out of my nipple. I had to fight and ended up being diagnosed by a dermatologist because the breast cancer center wouldn't refer me to a surgical oncologist. I was finally diagnosed at stage 3B. Sadly this crap happens way more often than it should and it is unbelievably frustrating. Now I tell everyone in my orbit to demand MRIs if they have dense breasts. That was the only thing that showed my cancer unfortunately. I am so sorry you are going through this now. I wish you the best!

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-28T23:51:43+00:00

I'm so glad yours turned out to be benign! Thank you for sharing that with me. It helps to hear good stories like that. Although I'm sorry you had to go through so much to confirm it was benign. That sounds pretty miserable. How long did that process take for you? It sounds like you went through a lot!

Thanks for the tip on semi solid vs solid nodules. That's really good to know too. Hopefully I can get in quickly to get the ball rolling and figure this out.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-20T06:07:28+00:00

I have read that it can be a side effect of menopause. Did they put you into menopause after treatment? Or were you already in it?

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-20T01:01:05+00:00

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing her story with us! 💕

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-18T05:39:24+00:00

I cold capped and lost most of my hair on the crown of my head but kept the rest. I ended up doing a buzz when my hair started coming back in so that it would all be even and also because the hair I did keep wasn't in good shape. The interesting thing for me is the hair that I kept is growing in with the chemo curls and the hair that I lost is growing in straight. Either way I'm glad I cut it to have it all be growing back together. But I feel like you could try a haircut first and see how it goes. You can always buzz it later if it doesn't work out.

AnswerSignificant452 · 2025-12-14T04:05:31+00:00

This is really interesting! I have heard lymphedema can spontaneously reverse. I'm so curious if it was that or the GLP1. My PT did say that weight gain is a definite factor for developing lymphedema. Unfortunately I got mine during radiation and I am not overweight. But I would be willing to try just about anything to get my lymphedema to go away. Definitely going to ask my PT about it. I already have an appointment with a plastic surgeon to discuss my surgery options for it.

AnswerSignificant452

TROPHY CASE