Radiation and Changes to Your Body

Once diagnosed with cervical cancer your doctor may recommend one of the following to aggressively beat the cancer. Here is some information, along with one of the mujeres personal experience to the subsequent changes in her body.


Radiation Therapy
A frequent treatment option for many cancers. Radiation uses high energy ray to destroy the cancer cell and may be given internally and/or externally. Depending on the kind of cancer and where you received the radiation you will have different side effects. Some side effects take longer than others to show or to go away if they do.

The radiation given to me for the cervix was externally and internally. Doctors tattoo the part of your body where the radiation rays will be given to be precise to hit the tumor and/or cancer cells inside your body. Even though it's precise, there are other organs nearby that can be affected by the radiation. 

Changes in the Body
Cervical cancer patients who receive external or internal radiation therapy may have diarrhea and frequent, uncomfortable urination. It may also affect the gastrointestinal tract. For me I had intestinal bleeding for a long time and depending on what I used to eat it  aggravated the situation. Due to this, the doctor recommended a  colonoscopy to make sure everything was OK and I continue to have them. I loved and still  love Mexican food, but I know that when I eat it, there are consequences to pay. So adios, Senor Burrito! :(

With external radiation it is common to lose hair in the treated area and the skin may be permanent darken or bronze.  Lucky me, no more shaving (that part I loved).

I also had to deal with vaginal atrophy or shrinkage of the vagina and had to use vaginal dilators. Not fun at all while trying to reconnect with your partner. Then if that was not enough I had to deal with the big "M".  Yes, early Menopause. OK you might be saying lucky me no more periods, but putting up with the hot flashes, the mood swings.. I didn't particularly feel that lucky.

New You
These are some of the effects I experienced from the treatments, but everyone is different and other patients may experience these and/or many others.  The scars will always be there either physically or emotionally and it takes awhile to come back and reinvent yourself. It takes time to find the new you and let go of the old one.