Yup, I went there, and said it! How many books are out there on this subject? I found ONE! That doesn’t mean that at the time my search was thorough but it certainly was disappointing! The most common question I get from ladies seeking my assistance is that of intimacy. So much so that I am creating a workshop/seminar around it! It’s important stuff!
Mind you, this might end up being a two part entry because I have a lot of searching on the net to do to make sure i have exercised all of my options of finding any morsels that are out there! Surely people are writing about it on blogs right? Or are they? Oh, and no sooner than I search, BAM, the first to results are blogs! Yay! I love hearing from the REAL people who are going through it because I can give you techniques and tips, but do they work? I want to know that more than anything! I have self exploration exercises that I am confident work because it is between the survivor and their bodies and no one else is involved.
So, this wonderful lady at the blog Goodbyetoboobs has an entry about this very thing. If you would like to read more about that, here is the link: http://goodbyetoboobs.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/intimacy-after-mastectomy.html
I like her blog title because I immediately started humming Patti Smyth’s song, so I get it girl, I truly do! Now back to the subject, reading her ‘public service’ story as she calls it really is cool. She has really hit the subject head on and talks about how she felt before during and after. Sooooo very important! to understand where you are and where you were before surgery.
Some couples didn’t have a very close connection before the cancer came and so the journey of the hospital visits and treatment and surgery all become a bit intense and can either make or break the relationship if it was slightly marred to begin with. Sometimes a perfectly great relationship can get affected as well. So it really matters where you are inside and outside on the marriage/relationship.
One really big thing to keep in mind is, take care of YOU and make sure you have your inner fears and concerns addressed. This can happen with your partner or without, sometimes the journey is so deep it needs to be a self discovery thing. This is what I help women with. This is an intense time and when you have come out the other end it does not mean you aren’t suffering from some battle fatigue!
I am going to go read some of these other blogs and find some more information and come back to you on this subject because it is not over, by any means! Go out there and have a good week. I’ll be back with more details for you to go over on this whole intimacy and mastectomy thing.
The Breast Cancer Survivors Coach Blog 