Hi there,
Firstly I just want to say you are all amazing !!.
I am new to posting in the forum, but my nerves are absolutely shattered. My reason for posting is my mum has her three month post treatment appointment tomorrow. She was diagnosed in March with the most common type of cervical cancer (worded by her oncologist) , she was stage 3c2 with paraotic lymph node involvement. She had 25 x external radiotherapy and managed 4 cisplatin out of 5 due to blood count, as well as 3 x Brachytherapy.
She finished her treatment in July and had her 3 month MRI 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow she has her appointment with her oncologist. We are so anxious and don’t really know what to expect.
Since finishing her treatment she has been diagnosed with arthritis in her right knee, which is causing her a lot of pain. both of her legs are swollen and she is struggling to walk at times, where as before she was so active and always on the go. So this is really getting her down.
Thank you so much to anyone who has taken the time to read this, it really means a lot
Hi Joacm and welcome to our group.
It’s always a stressful time waiting for appointments and results, so you’re not alone with that! I would imagine based on my own experience that the appointment will be to give your mum the results of her mri scan and have a chat about how she’s being doing since treatment ended-how she is feeling etc. I was asked about how I felt generally, and asked about any pain or bleeding.
For me, my consultant just confirmed that I had a complete response to treatment at that point, and I would continue to have 3 monthly checks going forward. But everyone is different, so it will depend on what the scan has shown. Sometimes, another scan might be suggested in a couple of months if there is still something there, or further treatment may be suggested, but it will be the scan results which will determine the way forward.
Regular check ups should continue, usually every 3 months, but if your mum has any concerns while waiting for further appointments she can call to have a chat with her CNS (cancer nurse specialist) who can advise if she needs to be seen sooner than the next scheduled appointment.
I’m sorry your mum has been diagnosed with arthritis now-I live with reduced mobility and understand how frustrating and painful that can be. Is she getting help or advice with this? I know how much it can get you down.
Are you going to the appointment with your mum? It’s always useful to be that extra pair of ears as appointments naturally make us all anxious, and we don’t always take in everything we are told. If there’s anything you or your mum would like to ask the consultant tomorrow, just make a note of this tonight so you don’t forget while you’re there.
I hope your mum’s appointment goes well and you’ll let us know how she gets on.
Sarah xx
Hi Joacm
It’s very difficult if you’re an over thinker, as I know from my own tendency to do that! I found when I was going through my chemoradiation, I wasn’t told much at all and I didn’t really ask many questions.
It was only the post treatment mri which actually showed where things were at for me, and my own consultant tended to have a very cautious approach to saying anything before I had the scan results appointment. He didn’t ever give me any indication of whether things were going well or not.
I can understand your mum struggling with the exercises she’s been given. I was referred a few months ago for physio, which is helpful when I do the exercises I was taught but I can find it difficult due to my pain levels, so I don’t do them nearly as often as I should. Hopefully your mum can try and persevere-my problem is my hip rather than my knee, but it is definitely hard to live with.
Try to go into the appointment with a positive mindset if you can. This treatment can be very successful and get good results, so try and focus on that. Good luck to you both.
Sarah xx
