Sex and Chemotherapy

Our main nurse gave us a great pre-chemo "teaching session" on what to expect and when to get alarmed. We left with so many prescriptions that they filled half my cloth shopping bag and I taped up instructions inside the medicine cabinet for which to use when (I've been especially grateful already to Zofran, Compazine, Reglan, and Ativan).  And we got the message that of course I had to stop nursing the baby, and should flush twice after using the toilet, and should clean up any vomit with great care, and I got a biohazard bag for disposal of things containing bodily fluids.... 

... 

so I was surprised that we had to bring up sexual contact on our own. I mean, it's not like I expected it to be a huge issue during these months of chemo, but surely it occurs? And isn't that all about transmission of bodily fluids? Why didn't anyone either proactively tell us it was OK or warn us off?

I was also surprised we didn't get more absolute replies when we did ask. It sounded sort of like, "why don't you wait a few days after chemo to be safe," which sounds good (and realistic, given the side effects to date) and yet less definitive than I would like. No buzzkill like wondering if you're transmitting vile toxins. I brought it up with a different nurse the day chemo began, and she sort of laughed (in a nice way, but still) that we were considering the issue, and suggested only on the "off" chemo week. But again, the voice of certainty just wasn't there the way it was for milk or vomit.

I went so far as to google "Folfox" and "sex," but boy, are my targeted Internet ads thrown out of whack now!