How long did it take for you to get a date set?

I'm new here and just found out yesterday that I will need a hysterectomy to treat cervical cancer. This came on very suddenly and I was completely caught off guard by the news. OB thinks I should get a hysterectomy by the end of August. On one hand, it seems so quick and sudden, but on the other hand, I can't get the cancer out soon enough! Plus, it would be nice to get the surgery and recovery over with right away so I can get back to life again. Unfortunately the oncologist I was referred to can't meet with me until August 5, and it seems like FOREVER away. I won't know until then what kind of hysterectomy or when. The waiting is going to KILL ME!!!

So I was wondering, how long did it take you to set the date once it was determined you needed a hysterectomy? Do you and/or the doctors need a lot of lead time, or does it move quickly once it is decided? Is there a lot of preparation I should start doing in case I am able to get on the doctor's schedule very soon? Or does it usually take a while no matter what? What do you do to keep yourself busy while waiting? Do you obsess about the hysterectomy, or do you do things to take your mind OFF of it? I just feel so helpless while I am waiting not knowing what's going on yet. Hopefully hearing your experiences will help. ....sigh.....it helps just venting too.

Needless to say, I will be spending lots of time over here gathering insight and information from you wonderful gals in the meanwhile! I will be sure to post my surgery date when I get it. Right now, I am just counting down until my meeting with the oncologists in August (11 days!!) then I will feel better having a plan.

Hi Nessie,
I'm sure that once the oncologist checks you out, if he sees the need to act quickly, then he will get you in the schedule sooner rather than later. For patients like me, it was more of an elective type surgery and I could shoot for a date that was most convenient for me.
One important thing I did was to talk to my company's HR person as soon as I made up my mind to go for the hyst. You need to find out the company policies on sick leave, short term disability, etc. That way I had the paperwork ready for the dr. the day I came in for the operation - all he had to do was complete the form and fax it to our insurance company. Wish they were as prompt about sending my disability checks in a timely fashion
Once I made up my mind to have the hysterectomy, I couldn't get it done fast enough. I admit it was on my mind daily since this was my first major surgery, but the whole experience has not been not anywhere as bad as I thought it would be.
I wish I had known about this web site before my surgery - I think it would have been quite a comfort. I think if you stay on these discussion boards, you will find so much helpful information. There is also a discussion board for Cancer Concerns and I'm sure you will find lots of helpful and caring ladies over there.

Sorry to hear you are going through this, I just had my LAH this past Monday. I found out back in May that I needed to have it done for different reasons than yourself. Originally I had the surgery scheduled for the end of August however when my DR went in for another look at the beginning of the month it was determined he wanted it done sooner. I knew two weeks prior to.

Scheduling has a lot to do with your DR, the hospital and your insurance company (unfortunatley) I had to have a few extra tests done to appease them. My friend who had cervical cancer knew 6 days prior to her surgery when she was going in.

There is a lot to do prior to the surgery so time will go quick during most of it however the week right before the surgery felt like a year. This will give you lots of time to get all your questions answered, know what to and what not to expect - this forum has answered and helped me through lots of items.

MY thoughts are with you

First of all just take a deep breath. The best thing you can do is NOT obsess over this. It is going to happen sooner or later. Once it was desided that I was going to have a hyst I had a date set that day and was in surgery in 3 weeks. That was the day I picked. The Dr wanted to do it sooner but I needed to save a little more money.

I didn't have cancer I was bleeding from my right overy into my abdomin, and I have endometriosis. I was in a lot of pain.

Some Drs have certin days they do surgery and they maybe booked up until that point. So just be patieint. Do all the research you need to so you know what is going on with your body and what they will do. Find out what kind of hysts there are, I had a TAH, there is also a TVH and many others, you may or may not have a choice, I did not.
i hope this helped good luck to you.

Hi, Nessie! I'm sending you lots of hugs... you have a lot on your plate!!

For me, there was no urgency to schedule the surgery, other than my own discomfort. My Dr. and I decided a hyst would be the best treatment for my ever-growing fibroids, but as summer and summer travel were approaching, he said just to call when I was ready. Then things got worse so I called and said I was ready the minute the kids got on the bus for the first day of school... From the time I made the phone call 'til the surgery date was about six weeks, but the Dr. always gave me the impression he was ready whenever I was, even short notice.


As for how to spend your time from now until then, that kind of depends on your personality and what will bring you peace of mind. I'm a firm believer in having as much information/education as possible so I've been watching youtube videos of the procedure I'll be having (LSH) and of other types of hysterectomies, spending time reading and learning here at HysterSisters, and NESTING! Taking the time between now and my trip to the castle to do all those little things around the house that I won't feel like doing afterwards, making my home nice, clean and comfortable for my convalescence... all of that gives me a sense of control, planning and peace of mind.


You are in my thoughts... may God bring you peace in your heart!

Be blessed,
Beseda

I'm sorry you're facing surgery at this time, but you've found what I believe is the best online support system anywhere.

I can totally understand your apprehension surrounding this process. On the one hand, no one wants to have surgery... and on the other hand, the cancer diagnosis makes you want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

One of my favorite places here on the site is the Tell Your Hyst-Story subforum of this pre-op discussion board. If you follow the link to the forum, you'll find all sorts of stories from other who have gone before you. For me, it was very comforting to read the experiences, so I'd have a pretty good idea of how my hospital experience would be.

To answer your question, I could have scheduled my surgery for pretty much whenever I wanted. I did schedule my hyst for three months out because it wasn't an emergency, and I wanted to time it after some trips we had planned. On the other hand, when I had my hematoma surgery a year later, I was in obvious distress... and the surgeon said, "You can come in tomorrow for this if you'd like." (That was a little TOO fast -- I scheduled it for the next week.)

So it really depends on your individual situation. My guess would be that they would schedule you as soon as they can, given your diagnosis. My thoughts are with you in the coming weeks.

Dr and I talked about options (basically hyst, or more lupron) on a Monday..I went back the next monday with some questions and decided to do the hyst and from then to surgery day was 4 days! We had tickets for a transatlantic cruise that was about 6 weeks away so he wanted to do it as soon as possible so I would be ready for the cruise. Good Luck!

Hi Nessie
I am sorry to hear about the news you received. Hearing that you have cancer is devastating. When we hear that we have cancer, we want it taken care of now, don't we?

Maybe you can call they oncologist and ask to be put on a cancellation list. When you see this doctor, he will go over all your tests and determine from those what and when the next step will be. Many times, it will not be too long between that appointment and surgery, though it does depend on the doctor's schedule.

I invite you to check out the Cancer Concerns section of HysterSisters for questions and support about your cancer diagnosis. We have many members there who have been where you are today and know what you are going through right now.

s and ers.
Jane

I am so sorry you are experiencing this.

Once I was evaluated by the gynecological oncologist (2nd opinion) that ultimately performed my surgery I was scheduled to have my TAH 3 weeks later. Because of some odd test results both my regular gynecologist and the gynecological oncologist were concerned that one of my fibroids was really cancer, but thankfully that was not the case.

Wishing you all the best!

Hi Nessie!
First, let me say I am sorry you are going through this. But you certainly found the right place to go. Hystersisters is a wonderful retreat for all of us. We know we all have a common thread. Once you see the GYN/ONC I'm sure the pace will pick up. I don't know where you live and sometimes that in itself determines how quickly the process goes. Don't waste a good panic attack. When you have one, write down questions you have for your appointment. Once you see the doc, you'll be scheduled for pre-admission testing. You should have your date either at the end of your doctor's appt. or at your PAT's. Many of us suspect we have a problem and others are floored by the reports. I belong in the floored category. A long time ago my Mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She went 20+ years without a pap test. Back then insurance was totally different. They didn't own you. I had talked her into the pap test. It came back with not so good results. She had a biopsy done, which was positive for cervical cancer. She had a TAH. She never had chemo or radiation. She did very well. I should say she is still doing very well. She is 89 and going strong.
Keep in touch.
Margie
TAH/BSO-May 21, 2008