For specific cancers, therapy also requires the medical treatment of chest, ovaries, cervix, cervix, or other anatomical changes.
Colorectal lesions may often require a colonoscopy, added Dr Lim. The procedure creates an entry in the colon or large intestine through the stomach where system waste is rerouted to a set bag. This affects people ’ daily life and self-image.
June, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, had a breast at the age of 28, nine weeks after her marriage.
“ I was in rejection. For days leading to the operation, I frequently woke up in the middle of the night hoping the announcement was nothing but a dream. When real hit, I broke down crying. The thought of waking up from the doctor sleep with a flat stomach and a gash across it was too much for me, ” she said.
She opted for breast reconstruction and doctors were able to keep her nose although there was then a permanent loss of feeling.
“That, along with my injuries, had me worried about its impact on my connection with my father. But he never despised me because of that. He did n’t force me for physical intimacy and often placed my health and recovery as a goal, ” said June.
Weight gain is also a common side effect, especially for women who undergo hormonal treatment that causes alterations in their physiological function, and premature menopause, said Dr Lim.
Long-term steroid use as part of cancer therapy may also lead to weight gain and waters retention, she added.
Lisa was diagnosed with Stage 3 thyroid cancer in 2016 and suffered surgery to remove her hormone, which controls the respiration, as well as her lymph nodes, essential for immune army.
Formerly an ultra-marathoner who ran 160km regular, the 52-year-old immediately gained 8kg. “ I feel frumpy and lethargic, ” she said.
Yet though her aged clothes don’t meet her again, she also has them. “ I refuse to buy a bigger length. I really believe that some time, I did find it. Then, you will be stuck in T-shirt and clothes and pyjamas. ”
DEALING WITH SEXUALITY, INTIMACY AND SEX
Some loved ones and friends do not understand the long-term effect of the illness and treatment on cancer soldiers.
“ I hear from clients that they generally receive the strongest support from loved ones during therapy and that it can diminish over time as they finish care and return to their pre-cancer life, ” said NCCS’ Asst Prof Teo.
“This is normal as people look and feel stronger. But I also hear people say that just because they then look ‘normal’, does n’t mean they are. Their hair may have grown up, but signs like fatigue and diabetes can have enduring results … and are not visible to others, ” she added.
Often, this inadvertently breaks down associations.
One fallout of her cancer care and the medical treatment of her lymph nodes is Lisa suffers from frequent eczema despite taking medications regularly. “My eyes are generally plump, wet and sore. I have a regular hearing ache and an ache on my upper mouth [in the mouth]. ”
This affected her gender, she said. “ When you always have allergies, the next thing on your mind is to get close. And because of my sensitivities, I was often angry. I even had feeling jumps.
“For the first six months, I got some pity from my companion. But after that, he was like, ‘Deal with it. It has been six weeks. ’ ”