I've finally finished what will go down in my memoir as "the sh***iest bit" that time from being told "it's cancer" till "your odds are good and here's what we're gonna do about it"
I've had an MRI, CT and finally a pet scan, the decision has been made that a combination of radiation/chemo/brachy is the best way to go. (The tumour is pretty big but early stage2)
This was quite a blow to be fair as I had hoped a radical hysterectomy would be the way to go. (Between the two that was the better option)
I've been in robot mode about the whole thing till today when I was told that an operation wasn't the best way out of this and for the first time shed some tears infront of my dr.
I feel like I have no idea what's to come, I have meetings with the chemo/radiation team next week and then we'll get this show on the road the following week.
I haven't even applied for sick leave (furloughed rn) I'm assuming this is me for the rest of 2021? I feel like every video I watch is about hairloss and blahblah but I want to know what my life will be? I'll take it on being bald and cancer free but.. am I gonna work again? Be functioning? The same ever physically? I'm 33, my dr's are optimistic about getting rid of it. I guess I'm just feeling a bit lost with all the possible side affects and uncertainty so any experience anyone's had and is willing to share would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, i didn't have that treatment so can't give advice but just wanted to wish you well. I was 31 when diagnosed and was treated with surgery. From what I've read in here, alot of the ladies dont lose their hair. Maybe different types of chemo. There's a long thread on here by a lady called Phileepa, she wrote a detailed blog/diary of her treatment. I dont know how to link it but I'll try and find the name of it for you to have a look x
Hi I'm a 2b girl - was in your shoes nearly 6 years ago. I too had chemorads & brachytherapy. I was off work 15 MTHS. This was because I wasn't mentally ready to go back and wanted a clear result before I did. The treatment is ok. Yes the chemo days are tough. I wasn't ill at all - no real side effects from any treatment (despite being warned each week what was likely to come!!). I know some ladies here managed to work alongside treatment and commute back and forth for treatment each day without support.
Everyone is different & there are no right or wrongs. The one thing is listen to the medics - they are amazing! Also take support from family and friends ( difficult just at the moment granted). You'll get through - for me it was all fear of the unknown.
Best wishes - this is a great forum with lots of ladies ready to help.
I'm 1 week out of the treatment you will be having and it's very doable. The potential side effects can be daunting but each person handles it differently. I'm in my Thirties too and haven't had any major issues so far.
I'm planning to be back at work in 6 weeks if that gives you anything to go by as I feel it's good for me mentally and I'll just be sat at a laptop all day so not too taxing physically.
The hair loss thing was a worry for me but the chemo drug you will likely get (Cisplatin) isn't a common one for hair loss. My consultant said they only mention it as they had one woman who had some thinning but that was a rare case.
Hope that makes you feel a bit better and the most important thing is that the treatment works well and they will get rid of it. Best of luck and feel free to ask any questions as it's all fresh in my mind. Xx
Sorry you're having a shit time of it, I was there myself 18 months ago and it sucks. You will get through it though and treatment really is doable just be kind to yourself and do what your body tells you, sleep when you're tired and take each day as it comes. There will be plenty of help and support if you have any side effects and the ladies on here are experts at offering the best advice. I didn't go back to work straight away coz I went rampaging around Japan for the Rugby World Cup the day after my treatment ended so stay positive.
We all have slightly different new normals and treatment affects us all differently but you will do this and whatever the future holds you'll find a way to deal with it coz you're a frigging super woman! massive hugs,
I was chuffed to be told I good chance of a surgical cure back in 2017. However it went downhill from there. First a lot of nerve damage was caused during my radical hysterectomy and to this day my bladder is semi-paralysed and I have to self catheterise daily (x3-4) in order to empty my bladder. Post-op histology showed I had a significant risk for recurrence so I then went on to have chemo-radiotherapy as well!
Yeah I guess it's mostly the fear of the unknown at the moment, trying to stay away from all the side affect horror stories and stay positive can be a bit of hard work now and then.
the side affects are so different between individuals, glad to hear you got through it without any too awful ones ❤️
Hi! it's sound like I'll prob be having the same treatment as you, mine is adenocarcinoma too (there are no signs of lymphnode involvement but they're gonna blast them with radiation anyway) I've got two questions for you if that's ok: Was your treatment a month and a half? (Dr who gave me the news wasn't sure but said approx 2 months, I'll get details this week) and how was the bracha treatment? There are plenty of scary stories on it on the internet ?
Glad to hear you're doing well and congrats on no visibility, that's great news!
I'm so sorry to hear how everything went down for you. I guess my main thinking with the operation was that there'd be a better chance of doing it and then just be done with it. Less recovery time and then I could go back to normal sooner but as your story proofs, you never know.
I'm glad to hear that you at least got the NED eventually ❤️
we are in the same situation, 33 years old with 2B adenocarcinoma, however I just finished treatment a couple of months ago. I know it is s** situation but manageble. I guess you will go through the chemo/rads/brachy route as I did. Good news is that you will not loose your hair! Only a little bit tired for a couple of months and probably some digestion problems at the end of the treatment. I started haging side effects following the 3rd week of treatment before that I wasn't too bad. The treatment last only 1.5 months of your life, You will get through this. Regarding work, I wasn't able to work psychological and also physical. You will spend many hours in the hospital every day for the rads. Whisking you all the best for the treatment!
So my treatment took 6 weeks with two days / nights in hospital for brachytherapy during the final week. It's intense but you do get yourself in a routine with going to the hospital daily. The hardest bit of brachytherapy for me was lying down for such a long time in the same position. I had the applicators in from 11am ish when I came round from the general anaesthetic through to 6am the following day so needed some morphine to sleep as my back was aching. It wasn't horrible though, just really uncomfortable by about midnight so needed the drugs. I was really worried about the removal of the rods but that bit was ok and not as painful as I was expecting, more of a tugging discomfort, but I used gas and air and took all the offers of pain relief just in case. I had two sessions with only a day apart so that didn't help my back ache as didn't have long to recover but I was happy to just get it over and done with. I was nervous the first day but by the second I knew what to expect so was much more relaxed. You will get waited on hand and foot and I binge watched Married at First Sight so try and enjoy the down time.
