From diagnosis to treatment

Hi Jet1, was the diagnosis after a hysteroscopy and MRI or CT? Have you been given a predicted grade and stage?

Hi Jet1

I can understand your concern and I remember that once I had my diagnosis, I just wanted the surgery done and the treatment out of the way.

Many low grade endometrial cancers are slow growing and although they can spread, it can take some time. If the cancer is still contained within your womb- so a stage 1 or 2 and also of a lower grade the wait- although not ideal is hopefully unlikely to make a big difference. I am sure they would of taken into account the grade of cancer when making the decision. A more aggressive grade would have more chance of causing issues if surgery was delayed. 

When you had your diagnosis were you given a provisional grade and stage of cancer? 

I would also ask whether there is any chance of the surgery being moved forward if there was a cancellation at short notice. Another thing you could ask about is whether there is a possibility of having the surgery at another hospital or with a different consultant if it could be done more quickly. 

Another thing to possibly ask about is whether it would be helpful to take a hormonal treatment while you are waiting for the surgery. I am not sure if this would be possible in your case, but for some ladies whose surgery is on hold for medical reasons- progesterone is given to treat/stabilise the cancer. 

I believe the aim is to start treatment within 62 days so it is worth talking to your hospital to see if there are any other options and to get some reassurance. 

Jane

I had a diagnosis in May last year, didn't get surgery util Christmas time. However they did give antioestogen and progesterone tabs from July last year u til surgery was done . ( I had a stroke, I had to wait at least 6 month post stroke for surgery, if I hadn't had the stroke I wouldn't have had a bleed for a while longer.)

Hi Jane,

Thank you to you and all ladies that replied. Your support is amazing.

So I was told it's not a fast spreading cancer and that it's good news that has not spread.

I did call as you suggested and spoke to an allocated SW at Queen Elizabeth Birmingham Patrick room, as I had been given them as a contact.

I discussed my concerns and today I got a call for pre op assessment for 7th May and told surgury should be soon after that.

So I would like to ask what is involved in a pre op asessment and what are people's experiences for length of time from pre op to surgury please?

Hi Jet1

Am glad you had a chance to talk through your concerns. 

My pre op assessment took place during the afternoon after I met my consultant for the first time. It was a Friday and my surgery took place on the Monday. 

The pre op was bloods, ECG, height, weight, blood pressure, MRSA swabs, talking about medication/conditions. I also had a covid test but this was done on the Sunday. 

Also talked through the anaesthetic/procedure. General anaesthetic plus epidural. Also had a chance to ask questions about the surgery, pain relief etc, 

Took a couple of hours as had to go to different departments.

Jane

Hi, think mine was about 2 weeks before. Mine was with a general nurse and it was pre op for alot of different operations so couldn’t really ask them anything specific. 
it was bloods, weight, height ECG and MRSA swabs plus checking allergies abd things. Was straightforward 

it’s another step closer to the op. 

Hi. 

Every hospital is different and sometimes even departments in the same hospital Trust but I had a form to fill in in the waiting room for pre-op appointment plus weighing and height measurement. Then in to see the nurse who went through the form with me, medical history, medications etc. Nurse then told me about the operation and admission. There was a chance to ask questions too. I don't remember the wait time between pre-op and surgery, all a bit of a blur, but that was the time when I did some preparation so I would have a few things organised for after the op. That helped keep me on track. 

Getting a pre-op appointment is a big step along and I hope you won't have too much longer to wait. My cancer nurse was always reminding me to totally focus on whatever the next step was as I'm sure she could see the wheels spinning in my head!

Sending best wishes

When I was given my form to complete there was a box at the top that said surgery date which was originally 10 days after my actual surgery.this date was already crossed over.  As I’ve said before they surprised me on the Friday morning when I got my results with pre op that afternoon as they had cancellation on Monday. So even if they has stuck with original plan it wouldn’t have been too long between pre op and surgery

The time will vary from hospital to hospital  - my pre op assessment was 15/12/21. I then saw the consultant on 31/12/21 and he offered me 22/01/22 for my op date, so just over 5 weeks.