Hi everyone,
I’ve not been on here for ages. To be honest I became very good at doom scrolling and couldn’t cope with anything than “happy” stories.
I finished my chemoradiotherapy at the end of Jan 2026, has my first PET/CTMRI scans as all clear in June and a sigmoidoscopy on Sept also saying all clear. My next scans are in early Jan.
I’ve had long term effects of really itchy and inflamed areas front to back! I ended up getting a referral to an oncology gynae for her help. I have been put on steroid creams and then when it’s all under control I have a weaning off period so I don’t end them abruptly.
interestingly she also took bloods to check my hormone levels. I was n HRT patches. My bloods showed the patch was as good as an Elastoplast and was making no difference. So she has changed my HRT and I’m now waiting for further bloods in 6 weeks. I would really advise getting this done as the slam into menopause is much harsher than a normal woman’s experience.
Alomgside the steroid creams, she also prescribed me a vaginal oestrogen cream and this has made a massive difference in the general “health” of my vagina and surrounding areas. She said the stenosis we get is almost impossible to deal with if your tissues are too fragile to heal. This cream has “plumped” things up again and using dilators and then sex has been possible without feeling like I’m going to shred myself! So please ladies, look into this. It’s been a game changer. I just hope this helps others….
