I finally have my appointment with the oncologist on Monday after waiting a month. I am trying to get as much information as possible from her but seems my brain goes to mush as soon as I walk in to the hospital.
What questions should I be asking or what questions do you wish you had asked sooner?
I am going to note them down and take a notepad with me.
Thanks in advance. Really appreciate all the support so far xxx
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-Previous Smear 6 years prior-no abnormal cells
-June/July 2020 Bleeding between periods and after/during sex- given pills to stop bleeding by GP no examination offered due to pandemic
-October 2020 pelvic exam due to above/smear and urgent referral to colposcopy
-29th October diagnosed with squamous cell CC with vascular invasion
You might not feel able or ready to ask any questions at your appointment. Or you may feel that you want to get as much information as possible.
If you do want to know more about your diagnosis, here are some questions you could ask:
What do I need to know about the type of cancer I have?
How soon will I start treatment?
Do you know what treatment options I have?
Is there anything I need to start thinking about now, such as fertility?
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
What are the next steps?
It might help if they will tell you what stage and what grade you're looking at. - see here https://www.jostrust.org.uk/information/cervical-cancer/types.
I was told "early stage" but it was two LLETZ biopsies before they told me. I have more idea now what I'm dealing with.
CIN 3 means abnormal cells high risk of becoming cancerous not cancer itself. You need to know.
