It’s the elephant in the room that no-one talks about when you have cancer - the fact that your sex life can also take a nose dive. But there is support out there, and this episode I’m speaking to Instagram’s @cancersextherapist - aka Zoe Yessian - a registered Mental Health nurse and psychosexual and relationship therapist, who was diagnosed with breast cancer herself two years ago aged just 35. We discuss how cancer can affect our libido and desire and what we can do about it.

Show Notes

Zoe

• Zoe’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecancersextherapist/
• Zoe’s website - https://www.thesextherapyspace.co.uk/
• If you are in London or able to get there, Zoe does bimonthly workshops at Future Dreams House - her next two are:
  • October 14th - Dating beyond diagnosis - https://momence.com/s/141372815
  • October 28th - Navigating Sex and relationships after cancer - https://momence.com/s/141372820
• Her next Breast Cancer Now workshop on intimacy and sex is at the Younger Women together day on 17th October - https://signup.breastcancernow.org/event/1ca854b5-a878-40ed-8640-de0c70d28994/2a3f4f45-f248-437a-a2d6-faa29474a78d?count=3

More information about sex and cancer

• Future Dreams - https://futuredreams.org.uk/category/sex-intimacy-hub/
• Shine cancer support - https://shinecancersupport.org/resource/sex-blog-1/
• Macmillan - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/sex-and-cancer
• Breast Cancer Now - https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-and-sexual-intimac
• Cancer Research - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/physically/sex/effects
• Find a therapist - College of Sex and Relationship Therapists - https://www.cosrt.org.uk/

Sex toys & tools -

• O-Nut / dilators -https://www.stressnomore.co.uk/collections/the-pelvic-people
• Liz’s favourite lube - https://www.yesyesyes.org/collections/yes-lubricants

I hope this episode bring you as much joy as it did to me to record it - self-proclaimed cancer kicker, poetry prattler, sales director, photo-grapher, animal lover and nature bather (and possibly the world’s wonkiest qualified personal trainer) Dearbhaile O’Hale aka Derv turned to writing when she was diagnosed with breast cancer to help her process the experience. She was generous enough to share some of her poems with us in this special episode, and talk about her own story from diagnosis to now. I hope her words give you some comfort, or perhaps she will inspire you to write yourself.

Show Notes

Derv’s book of poems Things Went Tits Up is a joy to read - you can buy a copy here - https://www.thingswenttitsup.ie/

How do you know what to trust online and even - dare I say it - in podcasts, when it comes to breast cancer? There is so much information out there nowadays including people claiming to have “cures” and alternatives to traditional treatments. That’s why I needed to get Consultant Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer for Macmillan, Richard Simcock, onto this episode to help us sift through fact and fiction.

Show Notes

Website - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/worried-about-cancer/cancer-myths-and-misinformation

Cancer Research also has a guide to spotting cancer misinformation - https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2024/02/16/sorting-fact-from-fiction-a-guide-to-spotting-health-misinformation/

CEO and Founder of Menopause and Cancer, Dani Binnington, talks to me about her own experience of the menopause with breast cancer, what menopause can look like when you are a BC patient and ways to cope.

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Menopause and Cancer is a global support network to help every woman living with cancer manage their menopause symptoms.

For free, practical and accessible support you can visit

www.menopauseandcancer.org

@menopause_and_cancer

For a copy of Navigating Menopause After Cancer go here: https://amzn.eu/d/033PUCt6

The FB support group Dani mentioned is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/menopauseandcancerchathub/

You can also listen to Dani’s podcast here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-menopause-and-cancer-podcast/id1631842514

Health psychology expert Dr Lauren Heathcote talks to Liz about the impact of breast cancer in our mental health and how to manage the dreaded scanxiety.

Find out more about Lauren and her team’s research here - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/lauren-heathcote

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/entrust

Their paper on Scanxiety and ‘bracing for bad news' - is here: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-52747-001.

You can also watch this episode! Head to my Youtube channel @DrLizORiordan to see this season’s episodes as they are released and lots of other useful videos full of reliable information.

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to find out what I’ve been up to and what I’m recommending each month.

Here are links to buy my third book ‘The Cancer Roadmap’, or the updated edition of my first book ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control’. Plus, if you’re nosey and want to find out more about my life, my memoir ‘Under The Knife’ - is also available in all good bookshops.

Finally, if you loved the show and want to help other women like you find it, press the thumbs up on Youtube, leave a 5-star review or comment wherever you get your podcasts, or buy me a coffee to help keep the show going. Huge thanks to everyone who’s donated so far, it means a lot.

Oncologist and skin care expert Dr Fiona McCarthy talks to Liz about the importance of skincare during treatment, why it’s ok to look after yourself, and what actually works.

It’s important to be gentle to your skin during chemotherapy. Use non-perfumed products and avoid soap. You don’t have to spend a lot of money and you don’t need cancer-specific products. If you did want to spend a bit more, Fiona works with and recommends La Roche Posay who have tested their products on people living with cancer. Instead of being confused by serums and toners and drops, Fiona swears by CPM - Cleanse, Moisturise and Protect

1. Cleanse - Try to avoid soap and look for products with syndets (synthetic detergents - this sounds horrible but it’s just soap alternatives which are nice for the skin)
2. Moisturise- Humectants are key as they draw moisture into the skin - Urea, Hyaluronic acid, glycerin and shea butter are key ingredients which actually work for moisturising the skin (look for them in first 4 or 5 listed, and you don’t have to spend loads on it).
3. Protect - A good spf is really important for looking after your skin. It doesn’t need to be expensive but it shouldn’t be in your moisturiser - buy it separate. And it should be SPF 30 or over. Fiona loves Altruist https://altruistsun.com/ that you can get in Boots.

If you suffer from dry, flaky heels, or your hands and feet are sore during treatment, she recommends Udderly cream and Flexitol heel balm - for heels and hands

And don’t bother buying collagen.

There's some great advice on the Macmillan website - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/changes-to-your-appearance-and-body-image/skin-and-nail-changes-from-cancer-treatment

And you can find out more about Fiona's clinic here - www.thebronteclinic.com

You can also watch this episode! Head to my Youtube channel @DrLizORiordan to see this season’s episodes as they are released and lots of other useful videos full of reliable information.

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to find out what I’ve been up to and what I’m recommending each month.

Here are links to buy my third book ‘The Cancer Roadmap’, or the updated edition of my first book ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control’. Plus, if you’re nosey and want to find out more about my life, my memoir ‘Under The Knife’ - is also available in all good bookshops.

Finally, if you loved the show and want to help other women like you find it, press the thumbs up on Youtube, leave a 5-star review or comment wherever you get your podcasts, or buy me a coffee to help keep the show going. Huge thanks to everyone who’s donated so far, it means a lot.

To mark the return of So Now I’ve Got Breast Cancer, topless marathon runner Louise Butcher discusses her decision to go flat and how she’s come to terms with her new body.

Louise admits to being an anxious hypochondriac, but when she was diagnosed with lobular cancer in 2022, she had to confront the disease she’d always feared. She had both breasts removed, and running kept her sane as she dealt with all the treatments. She now runs topless and has created a storm on the news and social media. She's raising awareness about what it can mean to be flat and how your breasts don't need to define you.

Louise’s book https://pegasuspublishers.com/books/louise-butcher/going-topless

Her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/louisebutcher39/?hl=en

You can also watch this episode! Head to my Youtube channel @DrLizORiordan to see this season’s episodes as they are released and lots of other useful videos full of reliable information.

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to find out what I’ve been up to and what I’m recommending each month.

Here are links to buy my third book ‘The Cancer Roadmap’, or the updated edition of my first book ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control’. Plus, if you’re nosey and want to find out more about my life, my memoir ‘Under The Knife’ - is also available in all good bookshops.

Finally, if you loved the show and want to help other women like you find it, press the thumbs up on Youtube, leave a 5-star review or comment wherever you get your podcasts, or buy me a coffee to help keep the show going. Huge thanks to everyone who’s donated so far, it means a lot.

How do you cope with the fear of recurrence? What do you do when scanxiety hits? Can you make your family understand what you’re going through? This episode is all about how to cope with anxiety with Dr Suzanne Cruickshank, a breast cancer nurse who now leads research at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London about how to help people cope with the fear of recurrence.

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Susanne spoke about the Ruth Strauss Foundation -https://ruthstraussfoundation.com/

Maggies also offer counselling services - https://www.maggies.org/

And if you’ve got children then also check out Fruit Fly Collective - https://www.fruitflycollective.com/

My amazing podcast poet is Donna Ashworth and you heard a poem from her new book ‘Growing Brave’ - available now in all online bookstores. You can find out more about Donna on her website, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook

Season Three was kindly sponsored by Breast Friends CIC – an organisation that truly understands the power of peer support for anyone on the breast cancer journey. Head over to www.breastfriends.co.uk to find out more. If you would like to sponsor Season Four, please get in touch at hello@oriordan.co.uk.

If you’ve got a question for the show, then please get in touch online or send me a voice note. You can find me on social media - Instagram, X and Facebook. A special thanks goes to medical student Tamara Enthoven for helping me to collate all the questions.

You can also watch this episode! Head to my Youtube channel @DrLizORiordan to see this season’s episodes as they are released and lots of other useful videos full of reliable information.

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here to find out what I’ve been up to and what I’m recommending each month.

And you can now pre-order my third book ‘The Cancer Roadmap’ (out January 2025), or buy the updated edition of my first book ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control’. Plus, if you’re nosey and want to find out more about my life, my memoir ‘Under The Knife’ - is also available in all good bookshops.

Finally, if you loved the show and want to help other women like you find it, you can leave a 5-star review wherever you get your podcasts, or you can show your support to help keep the show going and buy me a coffee

This is the last episode of Season 3! Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you in 2025.