Over the last few weeks, we’ve discussed a number of side effects on this blog, from lymphedema to sexual changes, which can result from being diagnosed with cancer and its treatment. If you’re lucky, you may avoid all or most of them. However, we want you to be aware that it is not unusual for women to experience these side effects months - or even years - after treatment, earning them the name “late effects.”

It may not be a dirty little secret, but there are other physical effects you should be aware of when you’re dealing with cancer, including two major ones that menopause brings on. Yup. It can be a double whammy when you may least expect it. And, as we said in an earlier blog and on the website, don’t turn to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) because estrogen can help some breast cancers to grow.

When it comes to cancer treatment, here’s a subject a lot of people don’t like to talk about: the changes that take place in a woman’s body – especially “down there.” But that’s crazy. Silence means that women are suffering unnecessarily, and when there are ways to help stop or alleviate that suffering, it’s just wrong not to talk about these issues. So let’s do it!

We all have moments where we go “Uhhhh…what is that word? Why did I walk in this room? Where did I leave my keys?” And it’s a well-known fact that when people are stressed, they are more likely to be, or do, something spacey.

Being sick is tiring. Pain is tiring. Worrying is tiring. If you’re a cancer patient, is it any surprise that you feel tired? Look at the list of things that may be making you tired: medicines, anemia, insomnia, lack of energy, working, poor nutrition and more. But we have tips to help!

The American Cancer Society says “You should never accept pain as a normal part of having cancer.” So don’t. Because there are things you can do, whether the pain comes from the cancer itself (such as a tumor pressing on a nerve), surgery, treatment or even if you’re experiencing a “phantom” pain, which happens when you still feel pain, or other kinds of feelings, from a part of your body that’s been removed. Doctors may not know why this phantom pain happens, but it is real, so don’t let anyone tell you “you’re imagining things.”

Lymphedema, is a one-word way of saying swelling that results from lymph fluid in your body. It can happen anywhere in your body, though it’s usually in your arms or legs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lymph fluid is the part of the system that carries fluids and cells that help fight infection. When those fluids get built up (such as when you’re fighting cancer!), they cause swelling, which can happen in a flash or slowly, over a long period of time.

The side effects of cancer treatment suck. There’s no getting around it. Sure, not every woman will feel side effects – or at least all of them. But most women will feel at least some of these effects, some of the time. And when a lot of people have to deal with something, the silver lining to that cloud, is that both experts and sufferers can often come up with something that might help, like a remedy or some good advice or tips.