Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with cancer on 13th Feb and since then my emotional have been up and down, lots of appointments and scans etc.
At my last appointment I got my CT and MRI results back. They were good in terms of speed of growth and not spreading to other areas. Cancer is in my cervix and glands. I was given three treatment options:
Option 1: another Letz, wait roughly 3 weeks for my results and then only surgery to have my lymph nodes removed if the letz was successful this time round. Risk is they leave some behind and I'll need surgery to remove the rest anyway and the waiting has been really bad for my mental health.
Option 2: radical tracahelectomy and lymph node removal.
Options 3: radical hysterectomy and lymph node removal.
I opted for option 2 and signed consent form. I felt this gave me the best changes to ensure it was all gone and still keep my facility as I'm only 32. Consultant and Maccillian nurse seemed to think i made the best call.
Consultant rings friday and says he's been back to MDT and they want me to have another Letz. This would mean if successful any future pregnancy would not have to be c section but the anxious wait is back, the delay in my surgery and the possibility of leaving some behind remains. I have also come on my period today so I don't think they will do the letz this week anyway so a further wait again.
Do I have the right to refuse to have the letz and go with the treatment option I gave consent for in the first place or not??
Hi Musicmum and welcome to the group
I’m sorry to read what’s been happening-your mind must be in a whirl with this, and being given these options.
None of us in the group are medical professionals-just cancer patients-so it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to try to answer the question you’ve asked here as we don’t have the right knowledge.
The purpose of the MDT is to involve all of the specialists treating you to come together to decide on the best course of action, and it seems they believe another LLETZ could be sufficient, but this doesn’t help with the choices you have been asked to make.
You could pose your question to one of the cancer nurses on the community by posting in the “ask an expert” section which you will find at the top of the page, or you could call the Macmillan helpline(number is in my signature) to talk everything through.
I’m sorry not be able to be of more help to you at the moment, but I hope you’ll be able to come to a decision that you’re comfortable with and let us know how you get on. The group is always here for support, and we can help on the basis of our own experiences, so please feel free to keep posting.
Sarah xx
