Just wanted to post about my experience with Brachytherapy. I had 5 chemo sessions and 5 weeks of external beam radiotherapy for stage 2 cervical cancer.
I was really nervous about the Brachy but the first session I had was fine. I had it on week 5 of treatment which meant that I’d had chemo and radio in the same week as the Brachy.
I stayed in hospital on the Wednesday night after a pre-op assessment and they took me down to theatre at 8am on the Thursday. I had a spinal which was absolutely fine and then the applicators were inserted. They then took me for CT and MRI scans. It was really strange not being able to move and letting the nurses transfer me from one bed to another. Your natural instinct is to help but I wasn’t allowed and just had to let them do their thing.
I was back on the ward at 11.15am and had to occupy myself whilst lying down for a couple of hours. They came for me again at 2.15pm to take me for the treatment. I was wheeled to the brachytherapy room and the applicator was attached to the machine. It only took around 15 minutes for it to do its thing and it was completely painless. I got back to the ward around 4pm and the nurses took the applicators out more or less straight away. I didn’t have any pain that first session until the following day where it felt like my lady bits had been stretched. This lasted a couple of days. I stayed in again on the Thursday night and woke up on Friday morning feeling absolutely fine. This didn’t last though as by the time they had discharged me, around lunchtime, I was feeling dreadful. I felt so tired and just generally ill. I spent most of that weekend in bed. I can only assume I felt so bad because of the other treatments I’d had that week.
The second session was pretty much the same as the first only they gave me two treatments in one day. They took me for treatment around 2.30pm and then again at around 8.30pm. This meant that the applicators were in for around 14 hours and I was in a lot of pain with them. It was like my body was trying to expel them and would go into spasm every 30 seconds or so. The nurses were really good though and gave me pain relief when I asked. Thankfully I didn’t need anymore sessions so didn’t need to go through it again.
On the whole it is an endurable treatment but I’m glad I don’t have to have anymore.
I think I have dealt with the treatment quite well and commented before that I think I have got off quite lightly. But since my treatment has ended I have felt dreadful. I’m 3 weeks post treatment now and I’m certainly feeling the effects. I know it won’t last forever though and I’m trying to stay positive in my recovery. Its just very frustrating not being able to do what I used to before treatment. My mind says I can do it but my body says no!
so for anyone about to have brachytherapy, it isn’t as dreadful as you think, it’s slightly uncomfortable but doable. Ask for pain relief if you need it and make sure you have something to read/watch whilst you’re lying flat for a few hours.
Hi Val
That seems a long time to be waiting for your final results-I had my post treatment scan in February and got the results at the beginning of April, but they didn’t need to go for further checking elsewhere so I haven’t had a delay like yours.
Have you tried phoning your CNS? I think I’d try that, ask why the scan requires further specialist input and see if you can get an idea of the timescale for an answer. Or ask for a callback from your consultant to ask exactly what is requiring these extra checks. It hasn’t been something I can recall coming up in the group before. Good luck with getting some information.
Sarah xx
You will need to ask when you call, but obviously a scan is something that’s booked in advance and wouldn’t just happen at an appointment with no warning.
If there is no scan being booked, then it might be to tell you what has been decided from the other specialists your scan results have been sent to.
It was planned as standard for me to have check ups at 3 monthly intervals in the first year after treatment ended, which was a chat about how I was doing, and an internal examination, although my recurrence was spotted at my 3rd check up-so 9 months after my treatment ended and another mri was booked for me at that point.
I think it’s best to ask some questions when you call on Friday about what exactly will be happening.
Sarah xx
