I finished my last radio today having had five weeks of chemo and radio. I was wondering if anyone felt mixed emotions? I'm happy the first bit is done but equally feeling I'm close to being back to limbo and waiting and worrying about answers results etc. feeling a little bit lost and down today but can't sum up why. Did anyone else feel this way and any tips on coping?
also I have my first brachy seasons a week wed and am feeling quite nervous, firstly at prospect of the treatment itself ie risks side effects etc but also the prospect of finding out that what has been done so far might not have done anything.
does anyone have any advice or tups for brachy.
sorry for the negative slightly rambling post just feeling bit scared and out of sorts today.
I finished my radio 3 weeks ago and when I did, I felt like there was a huge anti climax. After all those weeks of treatment the daily trek just stopped. Like you I still had the brachy to come and the uncertainty that came with that but the rest was over. I think I got so used to seeing the same faces in the waiting rooms and with the staff, it was almost like going to work or being back in the class room, it all became normal very quickly.
The wobble about treatments having not worked comes with the territory I believe. The good old what ifs!! Always there when you least need them. I tried to keep my brain busy to stop me from over thinking and also reasoned with myself that surely the weekly scans were compared so someone would have noticed if nothing was happening. All I can say is please try not to worry, easier said than done I know.
As for the brachy, again try not to worry too much. I had never had an anesthetic until this so was terrified! ! The whole thING was nowhere as bad as I had convinced myself it would be. Once the jabs are done it for.me was painless. It's strange with the sensations and maybe a little uncomfortable but painful. Not being able to move the bits my brain said needed moving drove me mad but that was the worst. The staff ( both sexes in this case) were fab and so reassuring.
I hope yours brachy goes as well and you get good news too.
I hope you are feeling a bit better today, but it is perfectly normal how you are feeling as I was in exactly the same situation as you in June With 2B CC. I am still anxious now waiting for the results of my first MRI scan on the 29th Sept following treatment, but I keep reminding myself of all the positive stories on this fantastic forum. As for the Brachy treatment, I was petrified, but I promise you that it was no where near as bad as I feared, and it already seems a distant memory. Please try not to worry and good luck.
There's no denying the fact that the routine of the daily trek to hospital, the familiar faces of the staff and the other patients is enormously comforting and when you have reached the end and all that comforting routine suddenly stops it's like someone has just pulled the rug from under you and you are all adrift. All completely normal. Your brachy sessions will be a good way to ease your way out of the old routine and into a new one.
The chances of your treatment not having worked are very, very remote. HUGS Be lucky :-) Tivoli
hi ,firstly well done on completing your first part of this battle .
I was diagnosed with cervical cancer September 2012 ,a 4 cm tumour .
I will say it is most probably as someone reffered to above ,part of the territory.
You are kept so occupied during your treatment that ,I did feel very emotional..lost..scared..and alone once my radio n chemo stopped and like yourself I had the wait to go for 2brachs all I can say is try and make the most of the treatment days your missing you will need to rest and relax and you have done the hardest bit.as for the brach's ,you will be fine I was prettified after the first one I was fine and knew what to expect the 2nd time ,I will say the worst bit of that is being alone and having to lie still.But will all be worth it x I am now still cancer free but still have 4mth check ups . anymore questions or worries I can help with I will ..hope this as put your mind at ease . all the best in your days to come .stay strong .x
Not everyone's experience of Brachytherapy are the same, as the treatment is given differently to different people. Because I had already had a hysterectomy and my cervix removed, I was given 3 x 20-25 minute sessions of Brachy as an outpatient. Others are admitted overnight and given the treatment in a different way.
I was also quite apprehensive about this treatment as the Practitioner had gone over all the possible side effects with me, including possible stenosis of the Vagina, which made me think our sex life was over. Why does your mind always imagine the worst case scenario ?
The treatments although not pleasant in my case, were uncomfortable, not painful. I had no bleeding or discharge because of it, only an upset stomach, but I had suffered from that during conventional Radiotherapy too. I couldn't eat anything too much or it went straight through me.
3 weeks after my treatments finished, I am using my dilators as instructed 3 x a week for 10-15 minutes, and have experienced no difficulty, discomfort or bleeding, thankfully which is a huge relief, not the black picture my mind had painted ! My appetitie has also returned and I no longer suffer from an upset stomach, infact I am feeling stronger with every passing week,
I hope that your experience will be similarly straightforward and you too can look back and think what was all that worry for.
My next hurdle is getting to my 1st check up since my treatment with my Consultant Oncologist to learn if the treatment has been successful, which isn't until 19th October !
Hi, the feeling your having are normal for a cancer patient as I have been told today you will go through diffrent emotions apparently - I've yet to go through this. I've finished my 7 sessions of chemo and 28 sessions of radiotherapy and I've had a session of bracatherpy. I have found the bracatherpy not to be painful in any way shape or form - yes you have rods inside of you and packing and you have to lie down the entire time until they're taken out but that's not too bad - I found it to be painful when they took the packing out and the rods as I became really sore down below from the radiotherapy and had blisters inside my vigina which have now gone but I'm still sore internally. The bracatherpy does cause some discomfort but pain killers help - I was walking 10 minutes after having everyhing taken out! I just had extreme tiredness for a few days but I just slept and then felt ok....I'm still getting some discomfort down below but I don't know if this is due to the radiotherapy as I had it then as well.
I would rather have the radiotherapy and bracatherpy over chemo any day!
