Post treatment scan

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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 

  • Hello 

    welcome to the group, I too have had the exact same diagnosis and treatment and I have my first appointment on 7th November.  Please try not to worry as they will be seeing mum on a regular basis.  Also some side effects of treatment come after it has finished and can last a while but not always permanent.  I have some unpleasant side effects also but think to myself it’s better than the alternative if I didn’t have the treatment.

    It’s completely normal to be nervous and anxious as it’s a horrible disease and very frightening.  Keep using this forum as it will help and I wish you and your mum all the best.  Please let us know how it goes xxx

  • Hi  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


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  • Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It really does mean a lot. 

    I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this also. I really hope you get some positive news on the 7th. I honestly can’t fault her team or the treatment, they have honestly all been amazing. I just hope and pray she gets some positive news so she can tell herself it was all worth it. 

    I know i haven’t been an active poster on the forums but they really have helped massively throughout my mums journey. The bravery and positivity you all show is absolutely amazing 

  • Thank you so much Sarah for your response it really does mean a lot and so informative too. It definitely gives me some insight in what to expect. 

    it doesn’t help that I am a constant over thinker and always think the worst, but throughout all of this journey reading forums have really helped me through and I have been able to share so much information with my mum. The bravery and positivity you all show is absolutely amazing. 

    I am so sorry to hear you are now living with reduced mobility also, I can’t even begin to imagine. My mum has been referred to a physio therapist but is struggling to even do their exercises at the moment. 

    Myself and my oldest daughter are going to take her to her appointment, as you say there is just so much information to take in and throughout her treatment anytime she spoke to her oncologist she didn’t really take much in at all. So we were never really any further forward with how her treatment was going. She did say that her oncologist said he was very pleased with how everything was going to plan. So we have just got to hope and pray for some positive news. 

  • Hi  

    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


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  • Ahh yeah my mind goes into overdrive, I hate it at times. I don’t know how I manage to keep a positive attitude in front of her and save the anxious mess for when she isn’t there. 

    I can understand how they don’t give to much away until they have the actual results. It is such an anxious time for everyone. I honestly don’t know how you all do it. My mum didn’t really ask any questions either. At her last brachy she was asked if she had any questions, she said no, I just want to thank you all, I think she was just so relieved the treatment was over. 

    I hope you manage to get some relief from your hip too and that the exercise help the more that you do. It must been really difficult especially when you’re in so much pain and been through so much already. 

    Thank you so much Sarah, that really means a lot. I’m definitely not expecting a miracle but just to here she has had a good response to her treatment would be amazing. I have read so many positive things about the treatments so we can only hope xx