Question about post-surgery pathology

I have been reading posts and noticed that some of you had new diagnoses after the surgery. Do they automatically run pathology tests on everything that is taken out or just if something looks suspicious; or did you have to ask for tests to be run? Also, for those of you who found out that there was cancer, do you have to go through cancer treatment or are they confident that it is confined to that particular area. I ask because I have had abnormal paps off and on for the last 5-6 years and had mild dysplasia about 13 years ago and concerned about what might be found after the hyst. Thanks.

I believe that everything taken out of you is sent to the path lab. (A friend once took her soon to the ER because he stuck a raisin up his nose; you guessed it--once it came out, the ER sent it to the path lab). When they did the path on my uterus and found cancer, trust me--it was a BIG surprise to all concerned. In many cases the hysterectomy IS the cure; in mine it may or may not be, since I have presumed vascular/lymph involvement. Sometimes oncologists will suggest radiation "just in case." However, it largely depends on what they discover in the path lab. If you have had a cone biopsy that shows cancer, then the surgery is different--they may do a cell wash of the pelvis to check for cancer cells, and they may take out some lymph nodes at the time of the hyst. Again, you have to wait on the lab results to see what the next step is.

Thanks for your response Stella.

At your first post op visit ask your Doc for a copy of your pathology report. I did and he acted like it was a normal request. Now I just have to figure out what it all means .

Actually, it's helpful to have copies of all your test results, just in case. I have to consult a gyn/oncologist, and they ask for copies of path reports/paps/blood work/ctscans. It's easier for me to have copies of my own to bring with me than it is to rely on my doc's office to get them everywhere they need to go in a timely manner. Not that I don't trust my doc's office staff, but for peace of mind it's nice to have them all in hand. Just a thought, and hoping that you won't need to do this.