There are many treatment impacts that will vary by person and kind of cancer. 

The Cancer Council share impacts here.

Through looking at other resources and talking to people with a lived experience of cancer we noticed a lack of emphasis on the after effects of hospital treatment. Many people are left dealing with life changing impacts and can sometimes find themselves surviving, but not thriving or feeling vitality. Some people will find it difficult to find support for the impacts they are experiencing (see: community support). We heard: 

• Some people might feel ungrateful for struggling with the impacts of their hospital treatment. Or to avoid seeking medical care for these impacts due to medical fatigue. 

• Regardless of how medical systems may define your current status you might find it helpful to refer to yourself as still being in treatment. 

• You might view the ongoing impacts from your treatments as chronic illness or injury.

As well as the tips shared in intimacy and sexual function and in during treatment here are some things that helped the people involved in creating this resource, to help you find your way:

• Seeking therapy, body work or counselling. You might look for a specific kind of support, e.g. somatic therapy, talk therapy, EMDR, or someone who specialises in sex and relationship therapy or couples counselling. It can be challenging to find the right practitioner (see Transhub Doctor list or AusPATH practitioners). 

• Blocking out time for rest around treatment (including ongoing preventative treatment), depending on the side effects of your medications. Not everyone will be able to take time off. So, you might try to schedule your treatments close to the weekend or days when you have less going on. 

• Talking to your doctor (if you feel safe to) about further treatment e.g. reconstructive surgery, prosthetic devices and/or cosmetic solutions

• Tending to grief (read more below)

Even with life-saving and potentially gender-affirming care (for example, having a mastectomy), you might still feel grief about the loss of part of your body and having handed yourself or your body over to the medical system. 

Some people described their body feeling like an experiment. Other people talked about how challenging it is to not have full control over what happens to your body. Or, to be unsure how a treatment will feel until it is happening. 

There can be constant changes or new ideas to get used to. You might need to make decisions, sometimes without fully understanding the long term effects, particularly right after diagnosis. 

Once the dust settles, your emotions can catch up with you. It might help to focus on what feels right for you. Listen to your body and ask yourself if you're okay. Talk to your loved ones and people you trust. You might talk to a professional who specialises in dealing with grief.

Some treatment options can support your identity better than others. And, cancer treatment might have an impact on gender-affirming hormone treatments. Receiving cancer care as a trans person can mean coming up against and resisting cisnormative expectations of how bodies should look. Read more in: for trans and gender diverse people.