Hi, I was given the option too but for different cancer I had breast cancer.

I decided on the surgery first as then my chemotherapy and radiotherapy would be more targeted to what is left or margin of what would be left after surgery. 
I would advise to research and speak to your team about the pros and cons of having either before the other and wish you all the best x 

Hi Mamamia,

I'm absolutely furious on your behalf. 
Your consultant should be advising you on this - not a nurse (however specialised s/he is). That's why consultants train for nine years and are so bl**dy highly paid.

That said, normal practice is often chemo first then surgery. This is because the chemo attacks fast growing cells including those growing back after surgery. That said, a friend had an emergency whipple, then a break, then chemo and he made a full recovery.

In you position, I'd be ring the consultant's medical secretary, explain the situation and request an urgent consultation for advice on what they recommend to be the best way forward and say you feel it is unfair that the nurse has put the onus on you to choose.

Good luck!

Dave

Hi MammaMia and thanks for posting,

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the delays leading up to it. 

Deciding about treatment options can be challenging and it sounds as if you need more information.  You can ask your doctor if they could talk things through with you, which means you get the chance to discuss pros and cons, and ask any questions you have.  Sometimes these things do come down to what you would prefer, but it sounds like it would be really helpful for you to have a discussion with your care team, or perhaps your specialist nurse if you have one about this.

It might sound obvious, but it may be useful to write down the questions that you have so you don't forget any of them when you speak to someone. 

The stage and grade of the cancer will affect the treatment available (you can read more about them here), as will your general health and your own wishes. You should be advised on the benefits, risks, side effects and likely success rate of treatment options. 

There is a booklet here produced by the ovarian cancer charity, Ovacome that you might find useful. This gives some more information about treatments and suggestions for what to ask. 

I hope that this is helpful but please do get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You might like to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care

Rachel