Should I do radiation and chemo?

I am so sorry you have to deal with all of this :-(

I was diagnosed with 1b2 cervical cancer with a 6 cm tumor in August. My course of treatment was to first shrink the tumor with chemo/radiation before having surgery to completely remove the cancer.

Medical research has shown that chemo ALONG WITH radiation is far more successful! The chemo makes the cancer more sensitive to the radiation allowing it to be destroyed easier :-)

I've completed 5 rounds of chemo - only side effect was weakness. No hair loss, no nausea. I've also completed 20 rounds of external radiation and 1 internal (not done yet) - I am having minor bowel and bladder issues - but so far I can manage.

Above all ... don't let fear be your guide. I found myself doing that ... than I realized that what if 2-3 years from now I am facing re-occurrence because I was afraid of something that in the end I could face?

Sending you lots of hugs and prayers to help you make the right decision for you!

Julie

Thank you, Julie for your response. Do you have to do 25 rounds of radiation?

They told me how large my tumor was but I forgot. It was just under an inch, that I know and it was deep into the tissue but not completely from side to side. Right now I am nervously sure I am agreeable to radiation and chemo, but now the problem is them deciding what they want to do. I just put a call in to the radiologist oncologist to see if she will let me know over the phone what her thoughts are so I can start planning. I have so many here say that the "Not knowing" is the worst, and I agree!

Yes .. I will have a total of 25 external and 3 internal. Keep in mind that the actual dose of radiation will vary depend on the type / location of the tumor.

My 25 external treatments may not have as much radiation as someone who has a more advanced cancer. They too could have 25 treatments - but they are stronger.

Waiting sucks ... just today my oncologist delayed a follow up appointment to talk about surgery. While he only delayed a couple of days ... for me right now that feels like FOREVER!

Hang in there ...

Julie

Waiting does bite the big one!! I don't think providers understand that for us it does feel like forever when we have to wait to hear back.

I've worked myself up to the point I think I'm also going to call my surgeon. I really like her and I want her to know that I am getting a bit of a different story from the radiologist than I did from her. I realize that when I talked with her I was on morphine and a bit hazed, but I remember her basically saying she'd recommend I do radiation. She said and I quote, "If you were my sister I would tell you to do it." Now the radiologist is all over the place saying she doesn't know where I fit...high risk? low to moderate? or no treatment? I'm so confused. I am wondering if I get my surgeon a bit riled up if she'll advocate for me on this. Thank goodness I have a friend coming for my Nov 3 appointment and she can take notes for me and advocate. She's quite knowledgeable with medical and can ask the questions when I get overwhelmed. Plus, if I misunderstand something or hear things wrong she can put me on the right track.

I was told I have stage1,1B adenocarcinoma of the uterus. No lymph nodes removed at the time of lap.assisted vag. hyst.Over 50% of uterus was affected with tumour.I was advised that if I did radiation that should be ok. In order for me to do chemo they would have to do surgery again to remove lymph nodes. I chose not to. After I made the decision the dr. said for me not to beat myself up over that decision. I felt that that is what he was thinking but wanted me to make the decision.I now only have 5 more rad. treatments to go. It has been much better than I thought it would be, Only a little bit of diahorea and some tiredness. I would do it again if I had to.25 external and 3 brachytherapy treatments.I hope this cancer does not ever show up again

Thanks, Vampire for your response. I've been getting a lot of feedback that radiation is doable. Not all peaches, but doable.

Man, I think if I was you and given the decision to have a surgery to remove lymph nodes I'd be reluctant too. Would that have been the pelvic ones or ones near the uterous? I didn't realize that having my pelvic lymph nodes removed might cause lymphedema, which is not all that fun. I hope that my body learns to regulate itself better and that this is not a lifetime issue. Cancer was found in one of my lymph nodes, so if I were given the choice to have them removed I'd still do it even with the risk of lymphedema. I'm glad your lymph nodes are not affected and that having them removed is not an issue. That's a relief.

Were you given information regarding adenocarcinoma? I've tried to get information, but what I have found has been brief and rather vague. Typically, stating it's "glandular." I'd like to know more.

It can be so confusing when 2 doctors aren't quite seeing eye-to-eye.

My gyne/onco (surgeon) and radiation doc did the same thing. Fortunately my gyn/onco spoke up rather quickly and made sure there was NO question as to going through with treatment. My issue was that a "loop of bowel" had dropped lower in my pelvis. The radiation doc was concerned about it developing into an abstruction further down the road. She didn't want to pursue treatments because of it. When I spoke to my gyn/onco she said that HELLO!, she removed things and yes, gravity will take over and intestine may drop. Regardless, I was having treatments and she would deal with whatever arose down the road. I really had no faith in my radiation doc. I adored the techs, but the doctors there seemed to really look down on their patients.

I'm sure if you're willing to go through treatments your gyn/onco will back you up on it.

I have no idea where my radiation doc is on this, but my appointment date is next Wednesday. I attempted to talk with my surgeon, but one of her staff called and helped me feel a little better about things. I wanted to get my surgeon a bit riled up about things but I don't think that happened Monday when I called.

Vega, the radiologist told me about all of the risks including bowel and bladder damage. She also said that this will kill my ovaries and will make my pelvic bone brittle. All sounds really bad, but....seriously, I do not want cancer in my liver, lungs, breast, etc, which is a tactic of adenocarcinomas.....

My sister is here until tomorrow, so that helps A LOT in keeping my thoughts and worries in check. She's a good distraction. She also helped me set up my second bedroom into an artroom. I've wanted to do that for years and now I have it, my artroom. I'm not a fabulous artist by any means, but doing creative things is a great coping plan for my nerves.

Happy Thursday to all!!!

Doing arts will help you through treatments as well. Although you may have to change the type of paint you use to water-based products.

Nobody warned me that my sense of smell would be off the wall from the chemo. I found out when I stopped into work one day. A customer came in with some strong cologne. I became dizzy, nauseated, and broke out into a cold sweat in a matter of moments. I thought I was going to pass out. My boss took me into another office because neither of us knew what the heck was going on. He said I went totally pale. Once I got into some fresh air I was ok. To this day cologne bothers me. Just be aware ahead of time that you may have to adjust some of those things. (I'm a planner and would rather have what I want on hand than have to wait to get it)

Yes, radiation can have side effects, but again, not everyone deals with them long term. My ovaries did shut down though. :-( We tried to spare them...just didn't work. *sigh* I didn't have any problems with my bladder until we removed the bowel obstruction. The urologist said the second surgery was kinda the "final straw" and my bladder had had it. I was incontinent during the night. Talk about a blow to the ego! But meds helped fix it and I'm slowly cutting back on those the further out I get.

Pelvic bone becomes brittle? I can see how that can happen, but mine has held up rather well...even having my 100 pound puppy pouncing RIGHT ON IT! lol But they are required to give ALL possible side effects. I'm with you on how I see it, either way there are risks involved...its which one you're willing to accept.

Vega, ya I've thought about the fumes involved in oil paints or the thinners rather. I actually love the smell of terpentine, but even my environmentally safe one probably isn't 100% healthy. I also love pastels, and they can be toxic if the dust is inhaled. I have worn masks, but that's not so fun. I do have watercolors and oil based pastels...maybe for fun right now I'll have to use those. I do have two Heppa filtered air purefiers I can hook up to filter the air in my room. My second bedroom is cozy, at 10x11 and if you watch Home and Garden TV you know that my bedroom is smaller than some peoples walk in closets! That's amazing to me, but now I'm off on another topic. hehe. But anyhow, a room that small will mean I'll have to be more careful about fumes.

Oh my. My mom is incontinent on chemo and most notably about 5 days after her treatment. She also had bladder irritation where she had some blood in her urine. It freaked us all out as she did that here while she was staying with me after my hyster. I'll deal with that when I get to it in my treatment. Ohhh, right after surgery I did have a lot of urine leakage either from the catheter site or maybe bladder spasms made it so I didn't realize I was going even while hooked up to a bag. Who knows. That was a great time. >> not << Yes, it is an ego issue. I had to joke about it and said that is no way to encourage friends to visit....my friends said they love me no matter what.

Now with the ovaries the radiologist onc said I'd be on HRT until I was 50, which is not all that far off. Again, I'll deal with all of that when I get to it.

Ummm, Vega??? What kind of puppy do you have??? 100 pounds??? What is she a great dane? My guys are under 20 pounds both put together!