Am I too old for treatment

LindyB,  Please don't be frightened. I am 75 going on 76 in September and last Thursday, I had a Vulvectomy.  At no point did my Surgeon consider me too old for surgery, even though I have a heart condition.  Please push to see someone asap and if surgery is offered, go ahead. Life is for living whatever your age or condition. Wishing you sucess, keep in touch. Anniee. 

I have tried ringing the hospital twice but I’m told there is a huge backlog. I suppose it depends on the area. I do not have private health insurance,

Please

Please don't be scared Lindy, I'm now 76 and had my treatment at almost 75.  I had partial vulvectomy but one of my lymph nodes was cancerous. 3 weeks later I had 18 lymph nodes removed, neither operations was too bad and I healed fairly quickly.  I was referred by my GP to a dermatologist (I had lichen planus) who then referred for biopsy which proved positive. So I didn't have my first operation until 6 weeks after my original referral.  My .cancar was a squamous cell carcinoma Whitman spread but is usually slow moving.  Now, 2 years later I am in remission.  I see my gynaecologist every 6 months in a specialist vulval clinic as I was told it can come back.  I will be monitored every 6 months for the rest of my life,but a small price to pay.  My advice would be to moisturise a lot before the operation, I use organic coconut oil from Amazon, get your skin in good condition and you'll well.  You'll have lots of worries, take one day at a time, you'll probably be given a Cancer Nurse, use her as often as you need, they're amazing.  In between appointments, do wing nice for yourself,  take someone with you to appointments as you'll forget what's been said, keep a diary of what's happening,, it helps to write things down.  I found all Consultants and nurses wonderful,  I'm sure you will..  If I can be of any further help, I'm happy to be contacted. Goodl luck Sandy xx

I'm 65 and just finished radiotherapy and chemo. Cancer doesn't have an age, I was seen 20 days after referral,  but waited 3 weeks to start treatment. Good luck x

Thank you to everyone for responding. It helps to know I’m  not the only older person going through this. The next few weeks will be hard though. So far, my partner is only person who knows anything and his response is that all will be fine. I know that’s because he’s frightened too.

I realise that this is a how long is a piece of string question but, having spent the afternoon reading through older posts, it seems to me thatI have 2 or 3 very difficult years ahead of me. Is this right? How long does treatment take ?

My actual treatment took 6 months as had 5weeks radiotherapy.  You do need some time to recover from each stage and, of course it depends on what your treatment is as it's different fir each woman.  The actual radiotherapy wasn't bad, but I had to change my diet considerably as it gave me diarrhoea.  If you keep well moisturised the skin damage is minimal.  It's definitely a life changing path you're taking, it's certainly made me appreciate my life much more.

Another tip from my dermatologist was to give up entirely putting anything on your body that contains chemicals including deodorants, shampoos etc.  I also changed to bamboo toilet paper.  Buy yourself a peri bottle and a sitz bath, you'll definitely need them after the operations.xxx

Hello LindyB

i was finally told I had vulva cancer 10/4 2022 after 4 months going back and forth to the GP and finally had my op on the 2/8 2022!  You really need to wait till you see your consultant and they advise you what they are going to do. I was originally told by my local hospital that I would need cameras up to my bladder & womb, biopsies, reconstruction surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. My case was taken over by a specialist hospital at the MD meeting and out of all the above I have only had biopsy done, my tumour was removed and then 2 lymph nodes and no further treatment just check ups for 5 years,  please don’t think the worse wait to speak to your consultant. Wishing you all the best. 

My hospital has a complementary medicine department and as I was so stressed they made up a nasal inhaler for me and it really calmed me done and helped me to sleep. They also offered Rekki which helped me. Your MacMillan nurse can refer you in they have a department.

Thank you to everyone for replying to my original post. Just reading them and hearing positive comments lifts my spirits as I feel pretty low a lot of the time. I have a week to go now before my appointment, which I’m dreading. What I’ve realised is that treatment is dependent on area and hospital. I hope my local one proves to be knowledgeable and efficient. Thank you all.