Navigating Intimacy Challenges in Lung Cancer

Sexual side effects of a lung cancer diagnosis can be physical, mental, and emotional. Sexuality is about emotional connection and the expression of intimacy. However, a lung cancer diagnosis can change the emotional needs of each partner. Further impacting the situation, sexual problems are not often discussed during oncology visits. And having a sex talk with your doctor may be intimidating. In this podcast, we undercover what lung cancer patients and their partners can expect and how to best discuss these issues with their health care professionals. Questions like: How does a lung cancer diagnosis impact intimacy in relationships? What are some of the physical side effects of lung cancer treatment that can affect intimacy? How does the emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis affect sexual desire and communication in relationships? Guests: Jenni Daniel, BSN, RN, Life Coach for lung cancer survivors and their partners, helping them to navigate their cancer journey. Jenni owns and operates the MyNurse At Home, a cancer and life coach center. Annabelle Gurwitch, Lung Cancer survivor, actress, activist, and best-selling author went for a Covid test and left with a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. Annabelle’s story of an accidental lung cancer diagnosis is a very common story among lung cancer patients. In Annabelle’s case, getting an accurate diagnosis indicates her biomarker, EGFR Exon21. Show Notes | Transcript | Watch Video