Cervical cancer 2b

Hello Buff and welcome to the group!

I hope you’ll find us a helpful and encouraging group where you can ask as many questions as you like and say exactly how you feel and know you are among ladies who understand.

I was also stage 2b at diagnosis and yes, the treatment will be chemo and radiation as surgery won’t be possible. Lots of us have gone through exactly this treatment so know what it’s like. Personally, for me it took about 6 weeks from my actual diagnosis to starting treatment, but things will depend on your hospital and when all the results are available to be discussed at the multi disciplinary meeting to finalise your treatment plan. 

Hopefully some of the other ladies in the group will be along to say hello and tell you their experiences. Waiting for treatment to start is a difficult part of the process, and we all appreciate how hard that is! You’re very welcome to be with us, and hopefully we can help with advice and support. 

Sarah xx

Thankyou so very much its nice to feel I'm not alone and there are people out there going through the same thing who can help  

Hi Buff!  So sorry you find yourself here but welcome.  There are many many lovely ladies on here and we will all answer your questions as best we can.  We know exactly what you are going through as we have all been there.  I think this is probably the worst bit, all the scans and waiting for results but when you do get a treatment plan you will feel so much better and calmer.  I think maybe the next thing will be a consultation to discuss your pet scan results and arrange a planning scan and then very soon after that you will start treatment.  Sarah is exactly right re the timings, it was about six weeks for me too.  Please feel free to ask any questions, we are all with you xxx

Hi Buff and welcome to the group.

Im also 2b, got my diagnosis on 4th January and treatment (chemo-radiation) started on 10th February and finished on 31st March this year but all hospitals have their own time frame and we all agree that the worst part of this journey is all the waiting! Waiting for scans, procedures and results then the wait to get started! Once you have a treatment plan the time will fly by but post on here any questions or worries/ concerns you may have as someone will generally be able to help.

Angela xx

Hi Angela wow that was quick mine has been going on since end of march starting with biopsy then had to wait nearly 6 wks for the results so hoping now had pet scan won't be to long ,how are you now have you had the all clear  kind regard buff

Hi Buff.

I had my biopsy on 5th Dec last year and didn't get a diagnosis until 4th Jan so 4 very long weeks but then another 4 weeks and treatment had started. It seems quick to me too looking back but at the time all the waiting for scans etc was absolute hell. So in-between those few months it was a whirlwind of scans, appointments and consultations. But everything settles down once you have your plan and you can start ticking off those dates lol. I, like many others kept a diary and write in it daily. Its good to look back on it and see how far you've come and it helped me work out a pattern of when I felt most sick and the staff were able to give me extra pills for those days and it was absolutely fine. Don't be afraid to tell them all your fears etc they are fantastic and will help you through this. Don't forget to breathe and be kind to yourself..listen to your body and rest when you can. 

Best wishes.

Angela xx

Hi again Buff 

Re the all clear. The treatment continues to work in your body for few months after it's over so I will have a final scan at end June to see if it's gone but when I had a scan prior to brachytherapy they were able to tell me that it's definitely shrinking and my body had responded well to the treatment so I'm keeping everything crossed for an All Clear scan lol 

Angela xx

Hi Buff

The best result you can get post treatment is NED, which is no evidence of disease. “All clear” is not something I have personally had a consultant use in my own experience of going through this twice as there are no guarantees. I’ve had the NED result twice, but always with the caveat that it is still possible to have residual cells not picked up on post treatment scans etc. I accept this as a realistic approach and being told NED is indeed a huge relief. I’ve had different consultants and all use the same caution. 

Using “all clear” as a result can suggest something is 100% foolproof, but with cancer it’s not that clear cut. I have seen people use the phrase many times in various groups, and use wording like “cancer free”, “remission”after a post treatment scan etc. in my opinion no evidence of disease is more appropriate. I hope this doesn’t cause offence to anyone, but it is the reality. 

Sarah xx