Hello, my name is Lindsey Rosman and I am a doctoral student at East Carolina University in psychology. I am currently conducting research on body image concerns and long-term sexual adjustment in women diagnosed and treated for early-stage breast cancer. Through this research, I hope to learn about women’s sexual experiences in the context of cancer survivorship and identify factors that potentially affect women’s post-treatment sexual functioning. If you are a woman 18 years of age or older, currently in a relationship, who has been diagnosed with Stage I, II, or IIIa breast cancer (diagnosis had never exceeded Stage IIIa) and has completed treatment, and who currently resides in the United States, you are eligible to participate in our confidential survey that is available on-line. Completing this survey should take half an hour or less. To thank you for your participation, you will be provided with an area where you can enter your contact information if you would like to be included in a drawing for 1 of 15 $25 Walmart gift cards. Following the completion of the study, the fifteen winners of the draw will be notified, and a $25 gift card will be mailed to them at their stated residence.

If you would like to know more information about this study or would like to participate in the survey, please click on the link provided here: https://ecu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ahjtQF0TKoKLLA8.


Add us to facebook! http://www.facebook.com/bodyimageandsexfunctioninBCS?sk=info

 Thank you for your interest and help! If you have any questions, please contact me at stresscopelab@ecu.edu or the faculty supervisor for this research, Dr. Heather Littleton, at LittletonH@ecu.edu. Sincerely, Lindsey Rosman, B.A. Doctoral student Department of Psychology East Carolina University

I think there is a need for more research and attention to this issue. I am 1 year post-treatmnet and sex used to be such an important part of our relationship. Now its like we just go through the motions.

I agree and can't participate in the survey myself as dont live in the U.S and was 2b but glad someone is looking into it finally!

Tricia Keegan...From Ireland Dx July '05 IDC 3/9 nodes pos..triple positive..a/c x 4..Taxol/herceptin x 12
Herceptin 1yr ..rads x35 oophorectomy Aug '06
Currently taking Arimidex /Zometa 1 x yearly
Carepage- survivortricia

I tried to open the survey, but clicking on the link,  comes up as containing a "URL" error.  I will check back to see if it's been remedied and will do the survey 

dx ILC/dcis excisional biopsy 5/30/08
r segmental mast (partial) snb 6/4
node neg stage1 gr ll
er+/pr- Her2 - Oncotype Dx 11
R mast 9/22/08 w DIEP
tamox,now AI 
BRCA 1 & 2 NEG
davinci hyst/bso,  

I struggle with this.  I find it difficult to be totally honest about what it is like for me.  Almost like it is too painful to go down that road.  We survive and we put on our happy faces  because we are supposed to be SO happy to be alive and any discussion about what is difficult seems to be saying that we aren't so happy to be alive.  Oh contrare.  I am very happy to be alive but there is a very quiet and personal ramification of having gone thru what we go thru.  It is the unspoken difficulty, the silent foe that we don't discuss.  My husband and I love each other dearly, we have never known anyone but each other, yet this quiet thing rests between us.  I am sure that there are many others out there that cope with this same side effect of the disease.

Jean S

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops...at all.
Emily Dickinson

IDC Stage IIB Grade 3 BC DX on 2-10-09
HER2+++
ER/PR+ 90% 
2 of 6 Node Positive
Double Mastectomy 2-23-09
Completed Chemo TC 7-10
Herceptin until 3-20-10
Arimidex for 5 years Started 8-09 

Jean as always you said it very well and I'm sure if anyone did a survey on how many of us suffer this after bc it would read for some shocking statistics although to the best of my knowledge I dont think much research has been done in this area, as you say it seems to be a case of lets get em cured physically (or as close to that as we can) and sent em on their way!!:(

Tricia Keegan...From Ireland Dx July '05 IDC 3/9 nodes pos..triple positive..a/c x 4..Taxol/herceptin x 12
Herceptin 1yr ..rads x35 oophorectomy Aug '06
Currently taking Arimidex /Zometa 1 x yearly
Carepage- survivortricia

i sent lindsey a pm to see if she might fix the link

dx ILC/dcis excisional biopsy 5/30/08
r segmental mast (partial) snb 6/4
node neg stage1 gr ll
er+/pr- Her2 - Oncotype Dx 11
R mast 9/22/08 w DIEP
tamox,now AI 
BRCA 1 & 2 NEG
davinci hyst/bso,  

Let me just start of by saying thank you so much for all of the interest and support. I checked into the problem and it had something to do with the server at my university (East Carolina University). I apologize for the inconvenience! 

Also, if you are a member of another breast cancer website, online support group or have friends or family members who are also breast cancer survivors, please feel free to tell them about the study or forward this link to them.

If you would like to know more information about this study or would like to participate in the survey, please click on the link provided here: https://ecu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ahjtQF0TKoKLLA8.
Add us to facebook! http://www.facebook.com/bodyimageandsexfunctioninBCS?sk=info

Thank you for your interest and help!

Lindsey Rosman, B.A.
Doctoral student
Department of Psychology
East Carolina University

I also wanted to say thank you to Sharon for taking time out of her busy day to let me know there was a problem with the link.  I really appreciate your support for my research. 

And as a breast cancer survivor myself, I agree with many of the comments posted about this topic.  While there has been a lot of progress towards increasing survival rates, there hasn't been nearly enough research or treatment interventions developed to address quality of life issues for women and their loved ones post-treatment.  This is especially true of body image concerns and sexual problems after diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. 

At least from my perspective, its about much more than sex. Its about looking and feeling like a woman and sexual partner.  And the standard advice given about using lube to address sexual problems fails to address these incredibly important concerns women and their loved ones may have.

I have received several private messages about the survey link and I have hopefully fixed the problem.  Again, I cannot thank everyone enough for their interest and support! Please let me know if anyone is still having trouble with the link.  :)

Lindsey