Hi.
I have recently been diagnosed with stage 1B2 CC and have an appointment next week to discuss treatment options, surgery was suggested.
I had an appointment yesterday with the fertility clinic and was told they would have to go through the C to get to my eggs which can result in the C spreading so i have decided i dont want to do this. Does anyone know if my eggs can be removed and frozen after a trachelectomy or hysterectomy? Or can i only have the eggs removed before the surgery?
Thanks
Hi there, I'm so sorry you are in this situation.......but as they have found it in the earlier stages this is really, really, really positive.
Is a trachelectomy 'on the table' in terms of your options? Have they said this?? I only ask as they usually have a cut off point in terms of tumour size. I had a trachelectomy for a small 1B1 tumour which was quite superficial.
With a trachelectomy the aim is to preserve the womb so that you can carry your own pregnancy. As I say though, they are very strict about who can have this and many doctors will not offer this if the tumour is signigicantly over 2cm in size, or has other risk factors. It is also not a 100% guarantee of being able to conceive and carry a pregancy (we are struggling with this at the moment) but it does offer a very, very good chance.
If they are able to leave your ovaries in place during a hysterectomy (which is extremely common and the usual course of action) then you absolutely should be able to have your eggs harvested and frozen after treatment and have a child via surrogacy.
It's really important to keep in mind that when they do any operation (either trachelectomy or hysterectomy) there is a small chance they may need to remove more than planned depending on what they find. So a trachelectomy can be changed to a hysterectomy and in very rare cases, a plan to leave the ovaries results in them actuallybeing removed. I think this is important to weigh this up and prepare yourself for this very small possibility
Go into your appointment next week with a list of questions and explain how important egg harvesting is to your team. They will then be able to advise on the best course of action to get you cancer free, while preserviing your eggs.
I hope that helps a little, keep us posted on how you get on. xxx
Thanks for replying Nellie.
The nurse rang me and said it would require surgery-a hysterectomy or a trachelectomy as i havent had kids yet but i am due to see my consultant next week to discuss it properly.
I have a few questions wrote down already but keep panicking slightly. Im not in a position to have kids any time soon so was hoping to freeze my eggs but yesterday after seeing the fertility doctor i thought this wasnt going to be possible.
I keep telling myself a hysterectomy might be the best solution, i dont want to go through this ever again, but i cant seem to accept that at the minute, im clinging on to the little bit of hope i have for a trachelectomy. I guess i'll know more once ive spoken to my consultant next week.
Thank you.
Hi Bex :-)
Just sending you hugs
(((((HUGS)))))
Let us know how you get along :-) We're all here for you :-)
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
Thanks Tivoli :-)
Got my appointment this afternoon with my consultant so hopefully have a better idea then.
Will keep ya's posted.
I had my consultation today and looks like its going to be a hysterectomy leaving the ovaries. Tumour is too big for a trachelectomy so would require radiotherapy aswell so hysterectomy seems like the better option.
Not too sure how i feel about this, ive not got kids and really wanted them one day. Even looked forward to the whole pregnancy but thats not going to happen now. Im devastated but people just keep saying "at least your gonna be ok" which yeah i agree with but its more than that to me, i dreamed of being pregnant and being a mum one day! Sometimes i think i am more upset about the child side than the actual C. Dunno if thats right or wrong of me but thats how i feel. Has anyone else gone through the same?
thank you
Oh Bex, I feel for you. I think a lot of women are more upset about the infertility than the cancer so you're not abnormal. Just hoping everything works out OK for you in the next little while
(((((HUGS)))))
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
I'm so sorry Bex, just wanted to send you a hug. I'm in a similar situation and been told I will lose my fertility, 33 years old and have no children, I will never give up hope because miracles do happen. Xx
Hi Bex and Hazel:
I'm so sorry that both of you are facing hysterectomies when you're so young. As Nellie says, make sure you have stressed to your doctors how important your future fertility means to you so that any possible egg harvesting etc can be done. I did read somewhere that the preference is to take eggs before any chemo/rads, but I have no experience of this. Tivoli mentioned on another post that the NHS may cover the cost if the egg collection is due to cancer treatment.
I'm sure you've covered all this with your docs, but I thought I'd wade in just in case.
Take care
t xx
Hi Teresa, thanks for replying. Unfortunately I don't have time on my side to harvest eggs, as far as I know I won't be getting a hysterectomy either. Cancer now staged at 2b and not as initially thought 1b2 5 weeks ago, chemo radiotherapy and brachytherapy. So many thoughts and feelings going on just now but I'm meeting the cancer specialist nurse at 3 o'clock today to try and talk it out before my pet/ct scan on Monday.
How are you keeping Teresa? How did you cope/manage during your treatment?
Thankyou for your time.
Hazel x
HiHazel:
How did it go with your nurse today?
I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with all this - it is such a shock. I do think it is slightly easier when you have your plan in place and you get started. It's the waiting around that most of us hate.
I'm doing fine. 8 weeks post hysterectomy so I'm getting back to my usual stuff. Life definitely seems different, so I'm working through my thoughts with a therapist. The thing to hold on to is that CC is very treatable and very cureable. My doctor said that if you had to pick a cancer this is the one to choose. It's slow growing and they have so many successful ways of kicking its ass.
Keep us posted.
love t x
