Hi all,
I hoped some of you may be able to share your experience.
My results came back from laparoscopy on Monday. Cancer nurse told me I have grade 3 uterine cancer and that it’s approaching the cervix.
Now have a PET scan tomorrow.
The next MDT is Monday so they should decide a surgery date then.
My fiancé and I are getting married on 26th October.
Not sure whether to cancel the reception or not. We will get married even if I have to crawl there.
I’m in Lincolnshire and I’ve been told I’ll probably have my surgery in Nottingham .
How long do you think it will take after PET scan to have surgery?
Is the PET scan because they think it has spread?
Has anyone else had experience of Nottingham hospital?
Anyone else had stage 3 and a pet scan? What was your outcome?
Trying to get an idea of how long things will take. I can’t get any real answers yet.
I’ll need to decide about wedding by next Thursday.
Obviously, we are so stressed out by all this that the wedding no longer seems special.
Thanks. I hope everyone is doing ok in the alternate universe we find ourselves in x
Hello LoulouFrancaise
I am sorry to hear that your Cancer nurse has told you that you have uterine cancer.
With uterine cancer there are different stages and grades and sometimes it can be a bit confusing when you are new to it. I know I was.
Grades are describing the type of cancer. So a grade 3 cancer is where the cells are looking very different to normal cells- mine was a grade 3. Sometimes they are called higher grade cancers because of how they behave.
Stages are about where the cancer is. So a cancer that is contained within the womb would be an early stage- ie stage 1. If the cancer cells have managed to get into the cervix then it would become a stage 2 cancer which is still considered early stage.
Stage 3 is where the cancer has spread a little outside of the womb but is still within the pelvis. Stage 4 is where it has managed to spread out of the pelvis.
So looking at what your nurse has said they seem to think that it is likely a lower stage cancer - so probably stage 1, grade 3 or if any of the cells have managed to get into the cervix stage 2, grade 3.
After diagnosis, it is very normal to be given a scan. I had a CT scan, some ladies are offered an MRI. A PET CT is also sometimes used- it is more to rule out and check for spread rather than because they necessarily think it has.
What they are doing is trying to get a provisional stage and grade to decide on the best treatment for you. Most ladies are offered a hysterectomy and in some cases this can be followed by other treatment. If you did need further treatment afterwards I was not able to start this until 6 weeks post surgery.
My hysterectomy was 4 weeks after my first hospital visit but I think that I was lucky. Most ladies on here seem to wait a bit longer. I do not have experience of Nottingham hospital though so do not know how the situation is there.
I would think that by Monday you should have some firm answers from the MDT about the next steps. I would think by the experiences of most of the ladies on here that you would have time to celebrate your wedding day and have your reception before surgery. No one can say for sure but you could perhaps email your CNS today and just say that if surgery is planned how long are ladies currently waiting and if it is likely to be after the wedding date.
I hope this helps a bit. I know it is a worrying time.
If you do have surgery before your wedding, I actually found the surgery was straightforward. It was keyhole. I had very little pain and was up and walking around the hospital room within a couple of hours. I came home the next day. It was a case of taking things easy, not lifting anything heavy etc. The day after I came home I was going on regular walks and could do most things. Within a week I was able to go shopping etc- just no lifting. So if your experience turns out to be similar- I would have coped ok with a reception- just have some scheduled breaks and a comfy chair if needed.
I hope you have a firm date given to you on Monday and wish you well with your wedding. In the meantime we are here if you need us.
Jane
