Post op follow up appointment

Hi SH53 very pleased to read that your cancer was early stage and had not breached the wall of the Uterus nor spread. If you read my bio (click on my ID) you will see I would be very much in favour of going for adjuvant treatment including chemotherapy purely as your cancer is the serous cancer grade, which however you look at is aggressive .

I was stage 1b/grade 3 serous, just had 3 x Brachytherapy cycles. I went along with the Oncologist's advice. About a year later it recurred in several areas, had 6 cycles of chemo and it came back after just 4 months. Had I known then what I know now I would have pressed for chemo. They did find some malignant cells in the peritoneal flush which I think they should have picked up more, in hindsight I would have made more of a fuss.

This is my own personal opinion; I'm not medically trained just picked up a wealth of knowledge here. I don't know if the guidelines have been changed but I do know other ladies, having the serous grade were offered chemo as a matter of course. 

There are other ladies here that had the serous grade so hopefully they'll be along to offer their advice and support.

I wish you well with your decision making.

Big hugs, Barb xx

Thanks Barb. I forgot to ask about the peritoneal wash at the post op appointment but it wasn't mentioned at all. Will double check with the CNS. I recall seeing one of your earlier posts which probably helped me to decide to talk to the specialists about further treatment. Best to have all the advice and information to hand when making decisions like this. 

Hi SH53, I’m glad that you’re making a good recovery from your hysterectomy op. I feel for you as you deal with this next bit. My situation was different - histology showed grade 1a, technical stage 2 (a few cells were found on top of the cervix too but the peritoneal wash was clear, and cancer was all contained within the uterus) - but because of the stage 2 bit, I was offered radio and brachy “just in case”. I decided to take it, even given the possibility that it might not be necessary, because I personally wanted to do all I could to reduce the risks of recurrence. Everyone is different thiugh and I hope you’re able to come to a decision soon that’s right for you. 

Thanks. I think I'll be better equipped to make a sensible decision once I've spoken to one of the treatment specialists. We have Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield which is a specialist cancer hospital so hopefully I'll get good advice. 

SH53

You will definitely get good advice at Weston Park. I can’t speak highly enough about the staff there and the quality of my treatment. We are so lucky to have this hospital within our reach.

Sarah xx

Hi SH53 

I was exactly the same as you Serous stage 1a, from the pre assessment to post op, the surgeon emphasized I would need  chemotherapy so I was ready and acceptance of this, so imagine my confusion when I saw the consultant to discuss further treatment and she recommended 3x brachytherapy but gave me choice of whether to have chemo or not as she advised with 'Serous' there is always question about LVSI She could not guarantee that there were no stray cells floating around, but at same time did not want to over treat me with something I didn't need plus I was told they only took 6 lymph nodes for sample and they were all clear, but to me I felt the number taken and tested was low! I also read up on recurring Serous and learned that even stage 1a can recur, there is no definite way of guessing who will recur and who will not. After much discussion with family and advice from ladies on this forum I decided to have everything thrown at it and hope for the best. I'm glad I did  have the chemo now that it's behind me, luckily I don't think I have any long term bad effects, but only time will tell. If it were to come back then it's meant to be because in my eyes I've fought the fight with all  the ammunition I was given. 

Hope you find a happy medium and make a decision that is best for you, whichever choice you make. 

Take care xx

Thanks Mad. I'm hoping my head will be clearer once I've seen the specialists at Weston Park. On reflection I should have asked the surgeon more questions and normally I would. But the day before my appointment I  received news that my 25 year old nephew had unexpectedly died so I don't think I was as focused as I should have been. 

Yes I think I will. My dad received excellent treatment there when he was diagnosed with eye cancer. It has a very good reputation. 

It does indeed, and the gynaecology oncology department, based at the Hallamshire, is excellent.

Sarah xx

Hello SH53 Iam so sorry to hear about you nephew,  please accept my condolences.

I was diagnosed with the same as you and Madesp Grade 3  stage1a but as with Barb I too had cells in the perinatal wash. I was original told that 4 cycles of Chemo and 3 x Brachy was recommended as the standard for my diagnosis. After reading many posts from the ladies on this site I challenged this as many appeared to be having 6 cycles.

My Oncologist was happy for me to have the additional 2 if it put my mind at rest after i challenged just having 4. However, if you read my bio you will notice that unfortunately I had a few issues with the treatment so I decided that 5 cycles was enough for me in the end.

I think its a really good idea to talk it through with the specialist team at Sheffield who know your individual medical history and who will do the very best for you. In my view it's certainly worth taking into account the experiences of the ladies on here as it seems to me that different health trusts thoughout the country do different things so its good to have your questions ready. Forewarned is forearmed is my view. All the very best for your appointment, please let us know how it goes. 

Big hugs Robin x