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Managing Sexual Side Effects
An important part of managing side effects that impact your sexual health is to determine what factors may be causing or contributing to the changes you are experiencing, so that you can address them. Sexual side effects during cancer treatment can include:
Maggie
I often said that cancer showed up at the worst time for me. I was finishing my first year of medical school and was in the midst of a very busy season finishing all the planning for my upcoming wedding. But honestly, is there ever a good time for cancer to show up? Would it have been better five years later as a busy, working doc? Or even later on with kids to take care of? Likely not. The truth is cancer is never a welcome visitor. It disrupts everything and turns life upside down.
John
In January 2020, I had returned to my home outside of Charleston, South Carolina, from a 28-day assignment to Anchorage, Alaska. Even though I had returned on December 15, I had picked up what we thought was a cold. The cold would not go away. My wife insisted that I get a chest x-ray for what we thought was pneumonia. Cancer was the last thing on my mind. I was working as an aircraft mechanic at Joint Base Charleston.
Zoie
My mom thought it was the flu, maybe mono. After I spent five days lying in bed, she took me to an Urgent Care Clinic. I knew it was something far more serious after they called an ambulance. My mom wouldn’t believe the Urgent Care doctor when he told her he suspected it was cancer. Unfortunately, he was right. I was 11 when I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Charles
I was alone with my doctor in the hospital when she told me I had no bone marrow matches in the world. I cried a lot that day. I was admitted two weeks prior, after relapsing from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer. As a husband, father and criminal prosecutor, I’ve dedicated my life to caring for my loved ones and protecting my community. Now, leukemia was threatening my life and there was no one that could protect me from it.
Allyson
In November 2016 I was tired. TIRED. I had a 20-month-old and a 4-year-old, had just come off the busiest month of the year for work, and I figured I was tired for no other reason. But then tired became not having the energy to take care of my 20-month-old. Tired became going to be my best friend's wedding and needing to lay down in between steps. Shower, lay down. Makeup, lay down. Hair, lay down. Get dressed, sit for a minute. Walking a long hallway seemed daunting. And then carrying my son from my car at a gas station to the restroom inside on a road trip was too much.
Nicole
Just two weeks into my junior year of high school, I was pulled out of class at lunch and packed a small overnight bag, not realizing I wouldn’t return to school for the entire year.
My name is Nicole, and in 2022, I celebrated the 10-year anniversary of that life-altering day.
Chancez
Hey, my name is Chancez (ironically, I was blessed with many chances last year). I became a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) community last year and was provided financial support. I was also presented with love, care, and daily reminders of all the support that was available to me to get me through such a rough period in my life. A friend of mine suggested that I share my story to help others in our community, especially young adults who are in the same predicament I was once in.
Joseph
Feb 10, 2012 has forever changed our lives. Joseph was 6 years old and in his fifth month of kindergarten. Joe's journey actually began many months prior. Shortly after starting kindergarten there were ear infections, fevers, belly pain, joint swelling and bone pain. All this from a child who was always very healthy. Feb 10, 2012, the definitive diagnosis of pre-b cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was echoing through my head. Joe was admitted to the hospital immediately and taken to the pediatric hematology/oncology floor.
Virginia
I have been living with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) since August 6, 1997. The way I see it, I’m alive today because of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The pill I take each day that keeps my leukemia in remission exists today much because of research grants awarded to Brian Druker, M.D., PhD., of Oregon Health & Science University.
Berenise
On October 22, 2013, as a senior in college, I was spontaneously diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I was immediately admitted into the hospital and began chemotherapy. The doctors basically said, "good luck”, as I received the routine treatment that has a survival rate of 25%. My life was flipped upside down in a matter of days. I went from planning what I was going to do after college, to deciding if I would want people at my funeral to wear black or be colorful. I didn't know whether to cry, scream, or be angry.
Cindy
Our church choir had put on a big Easter program in 2002, lots of practices and multiple performances. After the fact, several, including me, came down with an upper respiratory infection. All my friends got better, but I didn’t. Then I started having low energy to the point that I couldn’t do my daily workouts. Next came the appearance of big, ugly bruises on my legs. At that point, I thought I was anemic. When I called to get a doctor’s appointment, the only opening was with his nurse practitioner.
Towanna
I am Towanna, and I am a lymphoma survivor! I have been in remission for 17 years and counting.
Avery
I am writing as a parent of a cancer survivor. My daughter, Avery Smith, who is now 8 years old, was diagnosed at age 3½ with leukemia. In 2016, our then 3-year-old daughter Avery was complaining of muscle aches, backaches, and for a solid week was running a pretty high fever. We took her to the doctor, and after a few visits, they weren’t really sure what was going on. After some bloodwork, our pediatrician called us and said Avery had some very concerning numbers.
Siri
Siri is the most resilient, loving, inspiring, authentic, and brilliant woman I have ever met. She lives each day to the fullest and is filled with gratitude for all life and for every breath she takes. Her joy, light, and exuberance illuminate all around her. She is a two-time World Champion Triathlete, a top 10 global speaker, a best-selling author, a Tony Robbins keynote speaker at his worldwide events, saves horses from abuse, and so much more. Her life's mission is to help others. Here's a very condensed version of her story.
Kenya
I was diagnosed with two blood cancers — multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).
Cancer entered my life at five years old when I lost my father to pancreatic cancer. Then again, when my oldest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, she is now nine years cancer-free. Then again, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, we lost my mother in May 2019 to breast cancer
Dorothy
In the fall of 2002, I had a missed call and a “call me when you’re out of class” text from my Dad. I was a sophomore at the University of Georgia when I heard, “Honey, I have cancer. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM).” So, I took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, so what’s next? Surgery? Radiation? Chemo?” “Nothing, we wait until it gets bad enough for treatment.”
Hadley
My granddaughter Hadley was three years old when she suddenly started limping in pain and was unable to bear weight on her right leg. Forty-eight hours and three medical appointments later, her bloodwork showed acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). It was a nightmare that came out of nowhere.
Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis of the type of leukemia is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor to
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
After your doctor or clinician takes your blood, he or she sends it to a lab for a complete blood count (CBC), which shows the number of red cells, white cells and platelets in your blood.
Imaging Tests
Imaging or radiology tests pass different forms of energy (x-rays, sound waves, radioactive particles or magnetic fields) through your body, creating pictures of the chest, abdomen, head, neck and other parts of the body.
Treatment
On average, individuals with essential thrombocythemia (ET) have a normal life expectancy if they are properly monitored and treated. It's important that your doctor is experienced in treating myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) or works in consultation with a hematologist oncologist who has experience treating MPN patients.
Choosing a Blood Cancer Specialist
Hematologists specialize in internal medicine with a subspecialty in hematology, the study of diseases of the blood. A “hematologist-oncologist” is a doctor who specializes in treating people with blood cancers. Pediatric hematologist-oncologists treat infants, children, and adolescents with blood cancers. Blood cancers are uncommon diseases, so it can be to your advantage to be treated by a doctor specially trained to focus on treating patients with blood cancers.
Children and End of Life
Children facing end-of-life have specific needs and concerns to consider. It's important to approach them in a spirit of honesty. However, honesty doesn't mean overwhelming them with information and details that can be frightening. Honesty means honesty of feeling. Information needs to be screened and made appropriate for their needs.
Jarvis
In the fall of 2019, life was very active for me and my 4-year-old son Jarvis. I was busy working 2-3 jobs, and Jarvis was busy just being a kid. Almost every day after school we would go to the park so he could run around and play. He was even starting to get interested in bikes and wanting to learn to ride when he started to mention his feet were hurting.