THOUSANDS of people with cancer in Scotland are putting their health at risk by failing to seek help with life-changing side effects that are considered taboo.

Macmillan Cancer Support says patients are dealing alone with anxiety or depression, sex and relationship issues and bowel and bladder problems.

However, a poll for Macmillan by YouGov has revealed that these, and many other common side effects of cancer, are often seen by the general public in Scotland as taboo.

And one in five people living with cancer found it difficult to seek help with problems resulting from the illness because they felt embarrassed or ashamed.

Mandy Macfarlane, from Old Drumchapel, experienced a range of “taboo” issues after being diagnosed with incurable cancer, including relationship difficulties, body image issues and money problems.

The 45-year-old was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2009, just nine months after the birth of her second child.

Mandy, whose mum and husband have both been diagnosed with cancer since then, said: “I think people assume that someone facing an incurable diagnosis would be immune from embarrassment, but that’s not true.

“I looked in the mirror and I didn’t look like myself.

"I went from having large boobs to what felt like squashed pancakes. I have scars on my back and side. I had a nipple tattooed on.

"I look completely different to how I did before.

"It was hard to talk about how I was feeling. We were all trying to be strong for each other, no one wanting to talk about how they felt in case it upset someone else. It became a kind of taboo between us.

"I used to wait until he fell asleep and then I cried.

"The lack of communication between us put our marriage under tremendous strain and we separated for a month.

"Thankfully we came out stronger, but it’s so common that spouses struggle.

"It was so hard with my kids. It broke my heart that I couldn’t lift Sam up when he put his arms out to me for a lift and a cuddle. He was just a baby.

"Money was hard as well. It was very difficult to go from earning a decent wage to struggling.

"I would say to people I was skint, but I didn’t want to admit how bad it was.

"At one stage my work put on a fundraiser for me and another colleague who had cancer.

"It was so kind of them, it came from a good place and it was much needed, but I still felt like a charity case."

Sex and relationships are the number one taboo issues in Scotland with 60 per cent saying they’d find these issues difficult to talk about, and 47 per cent saying they would struggle to even talk to their partner, close friends or family about them.

Macmillan’s head in Scotland, Janice Preston, said: "It’s heart-breaking that despite dealing with a life-threatening illness, people are too embarrassed to ask for help with physical, mental and financial problems that brings.

"I understand it can be difficult to talk about issues like incontinence, sexual problems or mental health issues, but not addressing them can leave people struggling to cope until they hit crisis point."

Macmillan has produced a video with professionals talking frankly about the very serious impact of people being too embarrassed to seek help, in a bid to encourage more openness.

Senior Cancer Information Nurse Specialist Katie Goldie, based in Glasgow, said: “It’s so worrying some people with cancer try to cope alone.

"I work on Macmillan’s support line and think sometimes people find it easier to talk to us about taboo issues, than to talk to someone face to face, but even then we hear all the time that people delayed calling us because of embarrassment.

"When they do finally call, one of the main things we hear is ‘I wish I’d called sooner’."

To get help from Macmillan visit macmillan.org.uk or call the support line on 0800 808 0000.