Cancerous Tumour??

[Bella198567]

Hello, wondering has anyone experienced a red congested cervix highly suspicious of malignancy?
Waiting for the biopsy results
Normal Pap smear in feb last year and normal ultrasounds until now!
This has come on suddenly bleeding everyday, my oncologist is certain is 99 percent a cancerous tumour which was never picked up even though I had an internal ultrasound done last month
Has anyone experienced this?

@Bella198567

I think the best thing is to just tackle one thing at a time. Deal with the treatment first, take each day as it comes. Once that's done, tackle the menopause side of things. Mine wasn't actually too horrific (I was 40), but there is help available if it becomes a struggle. Hopefully the menopause symptoms won't properly kick in until your treatment has ended.

Thanks again I feel more at peace now
I have learnt google is not my friend!
I will keep you both posted once I start my treatments
Wishing for the very best x

Sorry to hear this op and best wishes for your treatment and recovery
I’m a Sonographer a just to let you know the ultrasound is poor at picking up cervical cancer, but excellent at picking up cancers higher up in the uterus, endometrium and ovaries. So it doesn’t surprise me that it was not shown during ultrasound scans

Hi @EnrouteNOTonroute Thank you for the kind words
Yes my oncologist also said the same thing
I had a clear Pap test last year too
I'm just one unlucky lady I guess!

@Bella198567

How did you get on with your first session? Hopefully not as bad as you might have been expecting. For me, the worry about it was going to be like was much worse than the treatment itself. X

Hello @HP79
I thought yesterday I would be starting my treatment however it was only a consult with my doctors which made me feel a lot better
By the looks of things I start in two weeks or earlier
I am just waiting for the call. Work distracted me today felt great to feel normal however my mind keeps going back to the cancer and makes me feel in the dumps !

Does anyone ever panic that he cancer may come back after treatment ? I've read that adenocarsionma is known for that?

@Bella198567

To be honest, you'll probably always have in the back of your mind that the cancer might come back, especially around scan time (they don't call it scanxiety for nothing!). BUT I found that the worry diminishes over time.

I haven't heard that adenocarcinoma is more likely to return, but I think they probably just know less about it because it's not as common as squamous cell.

If it gives you any confidence/hope at all, my chemoradio appears to have been completely successful and that was with only 2 chemo sessions in the end (instead of the intended 5). I have been able to return to my old life and rarely think about the cancer now and that is only 15 months after treatment ended. Though of course, that's just me and everyone is different. X

So glad I found this forum always feel better after reading your positive comments

I think i need to focus on the now not the later.

My husband keeps reminding me that it's stage 2 and has not spread so I'm lucky in the way I guess!

I'd love to only have two chemo sessions and be done with it!
Here's to a better day tomorrow 😫

Definitely take it day by day. How about planning/booking a trip somewhere for 3-4 weeks after you complete your treatment? You will hopefully be feeling up to it by then and it will give you something nice to look forward to.

Yes, of course you're not lucky that you developed cancer but you are lucky that it was caught quite early and that it is very treatable.

I actually mentioned that to my husband and it's something to look forward to.. great idea

I have my CT planning scan booked for Tuesday then I'm assuming treatment starts right after that...

Did you have someone accompany you to your first chemo session? I'm the sort of person who needs to tackle things on my own

Not sure if I should have my husband come with me ?

Sorry for the delayed reply.

The UK was quite deep in the grip of Covid when I started chemo, so no-one was allowed to come with me. My DH dropped me off at the hospital and picked me up later, but wasn't allowed to come in with me.

With hindsight, I could have driven myself, but I didn't know how I was going to feel afterwards, so I thought it best if I was picked up that first day. He did the same on my second chemo day (one week later), but all of the radiotherapy days I just drove myself and that was fine.

Ok good to know
Scanning plan tomorrow so hopefully starting pretty soon

I'm at the point now any little niggle I get worried

Did you experience any back pain after your diagnosis?

I don't specifically recall any back pain. As you've had your staging scans, if the cancer was directly affecting anything on your back, I'd hope that they would have picked up on that.

Not sure if it's the same in Aus as the UK, but I received four tiny tattoos at my planning scan. Just little dots, so they can align the machine in the same place each time. I've been told that some people only receive three. Not sure why I received four... maybe because I'm very overweight. Anyway, just something else for you to be aware of ahead of time. I've been thinking of covering my little dots up with nice tattoos, to try to turn it into something positive.

Do the dots stay on forever ?
How long after your planning scan did you start treatment?
Sorry about all of the questions!

Yep, permanent tattoos. To the layman, they would just look like moles. I have one on each thigh, one just below my chest and one under my bikini line.

Can't remember exactly how long it was between planning scan and treatment start, but probably only about a week.

PS Don't worry about the questions... ask away!

I had my planning scan still waiting for my treatment to start they are waiting for a brachy machine
The wait is killing me !

It seems like it’s forever when you are in the midst of everything.

“This too shall pass” is a good mantra to remember. Keep strong. Focus on the fact you are lucky they caught it early.

Xx

Thank you, nice words!
Yes I know I need to stop my mind from wandering and looking for negatives
Has anyone gone through the process of freezing their eggs before treatment?

No but I’d already had my children. I do remember thinking how awful it would be if I hadn’t.

I think it’s a great idea if you can, but obviously time is of the essence. Your health is more important. Get researching quickly.

Which stage did you have of the cancer and what were your treatments if you don't mind me asking ?

1b I was lucky it was caught via a smear test. I needed a complete hysterectomy and removal of Fallopian tubes, and lymph nodes in the top of my legs. I was under 50 so they left my ovaries. I didn’t need radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

The wait between knowing you had cancer but not how bad it was, was horrendous. I still remember that period with horror. Your mind goes to very dark places. I was mentally writing my goodbye letters to my kids who were 11 and 13 at the time.

After I knew my staging, it was a relief but you still tend to think the worst case scenario don’t you. I know I did.

Yes you are very lucky
Glad you're ok! My mind also was wandering off to dark places before staging, its been about 5 weeks now and I'm ready to kick this thing in the guts! I've tried my best to keep busy.

I could not look at my son without crying my eyes out
It's a horrible thing to go through.