I have been given the choice, chemo now or wait 3 months for a scan then decide!
How can anyone make that decision!!!!
Very brief outline 2020 stage 3c - 5 cisplatin, 25 radio, Brachy.
2023 - probable recurrance - illiac lymphnodes - 2024 no cause for concern - all areas of concern resolved.
2025 CT and MRI - probable recurrance on the soft tissue around the ureter left and right and L5.
No significant impact on daily life , slightly swollen leg, some pain when walking.
I just dont know what to do, I am in a constant cycle of , you are fine, you are not fine, you're fine ............. what if they are wrong again .....
Any advice gratefully received.
Hi xxHHxx
It’s an incredibly difficult situation to put you in-I’m so sorry to read there is still uncertainty over your scan results. I can’t begin to know what it must have felt like for you to have been told in 2023 you might have a recurrence and now to be hit with the same doubt again. Have you thought about a second opinion based on your scan results? If I were in your shoes, already having had to have had stents inserted, I’d want to try a second opinion at the very least I think.
I’ve had one recurrence and know how devastating that was for me personally. So, if I were to be told I had a further “probable” recurrence, I would definitely not wait 3 months for a further scan. I would do chemo. I wouldn’t want to take the risk, even if a second opinion were still not a definitive result.
You had advanced cancer at diagnosis, so the risk of recurrence is higher. I’m not sure I would feel I had faith in my team given what you’ve been through already.
However, it’s your decision alone, and I can only speak from my experience of a confirmed recurrence happening so quickly after a NED result. Even though I were only 2b at diagnosis, and even though my recurrence was less than 1cm, my cancer began to spread rapidly and aggressively and I was lucky there was time for my surgery before it had spread even further.
Could you cope with waiting another 3 months? I think that would be hard, but you would need to decide if you could handle it, and how you would feel 3 months down the line if cancer is confirmed and it has spread further.
I can’t tell you what you should do, but if I were in your shoes I would get a second opinion and do chemo. But what a horrible position to be in.
Sarah xx
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It can take time, and depends how much trust you have in your team. It’s not something I considered, because I had complete trust in mine, but you’ve been a situation which has created doubt before, so it’s a very personal decision.
I have to say that surgery for recurrent cervical cancer is absolutely not a walk in the park, but I’m still grateful I was able to have it. I hope you can come to a decision you’re ultimately happy with and seems the best thing for you.
Sarah xx
