Has cancer had an impact on your relationships?

Hello everyone,

How are you today? Have you seen this older discussion? 

Has cancer had an impact on your relationships? In what ways? Have your friends and family been supportive? 
@SusanMelles‍ @Shaz1956‍ @Berniemary‍ @mandyloo‍ @BeverleyCoyne‍ @Emmapoppy1‍ @Jandillon‍ @colinlivi‍ @CaptainMike‍ @viking47‍ @Blobby‍ @Lindacork‍ @Suebeck‍ @Angiegirl63‍ @Jonpat‍ @RussellT‍ @JoanneSm‍ 

Feel free to share and exchange comments below!

Take care,
Courtney

i sadly cannot give an opinion, as i live alone, I was widowed in 1994, my wife died from Cancer(primary cause unknown)  i have had relationships, but not been in a relationship for over 10 years.                                                           so when i do have a relationship, she would need to be very caring ,as i am able to me love but not now able to ejaculate. this is affecting me emotionally and if i should be lucky enough to meet a genuine caring lady, who wants a full relationship. then we will have to face the issues caused by my cancer and side effects!!!!! My son and daughter live away from me and basically aren't supporting me. so like my other long term health issues , I am coping on my own. however i  do have loyal friends

Hi I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in Jan 2020. Before diagnosis i was the rock of the family, I went out and worked and my husband stayed at home and looked after the kids, we were foster carers for many years.  I would be the organiser and the planner. When i was diagnosed that all changed. although we were no longer fostering my hub and my own 3 sons still saw me as the rock the strong one and thy saw that crumble. I have never been an anxious person until being diagnosed with cancer and I am totally reliant mentally on my family. I do not like being away from them am always wanting to know where they are etc. 

2 yrs ago I had a really bad chest infection my chest specialist sent me for a xray 2 days later I had a letter to say they found abnormalities on my breasts and that they needed to see me to have a mammogram, the next day I had a phone call to say I was having to go before the end of the week, so the following day I went to the breast clinic had my mammogram but was told to sit in the waiting room to be called in I was petrified so I went sat down and about half an hour later I was called in to see a nurse she said that there were 2 lumps on my left breast and one on my right ,so I had to have a biopsy on my left but my right showed that could be drained as that was just a cyst it was not malignant it was then drained then I had my biopsy and was sent home I cried was scared didnt know what to expect as I still had this chest infection they put me on antibiotics and told me they would ring me when biopsy results were done ,all week I was worried sick ,then the beginning of the following week I go told that I had to go see a breast surgeon, ì was devastated, didnt know what to expect, when I went back the breast surgeon told me that I had 2 lumps that was malignant in my left breast ,I just crumpled and sobbed ,as I new what this meant I was really scared I was told that I could have a lumpectomy but that meant they would take the lumps out but there was a chance it could come back so I decided to have a mastectomy, I had to have a scan to see if my heart could take the OP there they told me I had a low blood flow to my heart but I could have the op ,then I had to go and have tattoos to show where to do the OP, the following week I was told that in 2 weeks time I was to go in by 7 30 and wait till there was a bed for me I eventually got in by 3,30 ,then they did other tests on me ,then when it was time for my OP I told them that I would walk to the operating room when I got there they asked me if I had a injection in my nipple and a tracer put in I said no so they took me back to the ward for to wait abou an hour they came and fetched me to have this done I was Petrified of the thought of this they then put this in my nipple and sent me back at 6.30 in the evening I was then taken down to have my OP they were so lovely when that had all been done I woke up with all strapped up with this big plastic thing with a huge tube hanging down I hated this thing it was so scary incase I pulled it but they gave me a bag to put this in this was then left in for a fortnight but when I went back to get it emptied I had to wait another week because it was still filling up so the following week I went back and they removed it for me ,but they told me I would have to have 6 weeks of radiotherapy, at Lincoln hospital every day I had to be at Lincoln to have my radiotherapy, I had a booster first time and a booster at the end I had a skin to put on before they did the radiotherapy as the lumps were under breast bone and the other lump was close to my heart after all this had finished I rang the bell to end of my treatment, it was the most traumatic experience of my life with all my illnesses the radiotherapy has left me with emphysema and lymphoedema, and I have angina to but the worst part was telling my family I have been in remission for 2 yrs  but I still have a long way to go before I get the all clear ,and I'm on anastrazole, and I have to wear a stocking for my arm and a glove for my hand and I have to use a special cream to also I still have burn marks, and I am suffering from PTSD low moods depression and anxiety because of all my illnesses and coeliac disease, now I have hypertension, angina liver disease, and type 2 diabetes but cancer was the icing on the cake, and I also have osteoporosis with all my other illnesses its been really difficult to cope with it all and with this covid I have been in isolation since last xmas I have been I'll with infections in my ear and my water so now I had to register with the NHS and my council as also registered me on the critical and vulnerable list as with NHS, next week I have my gastroenterologist specialist is giving me a phone consultation so everything has really been hard I just hope my cancer doesn't come back as if it did I dont think I could go through that again so every time I go to see my breast surgeon my heart skips a beat ,I still have to see him and my oncologists and my specialist for my chest,heart,ears,and lymphoedema clinics and gastroenterologist, Tigger