What to do? Wife not sure about surgery or chemo and we don't know what questions to ask

My wife (69) has had a hysterectomy & stage three minuscule  traces found on the flap that was  also removed.

anyway my wife feels she didn’t ask the surgeon enough questions .   It’s a two week to go before seeing the chemo doctor ( one hospital does surgery, the other chemo) 

to be honest , I’m not sure we , meaning both me and my wife, know what questions to ask!!! 

if there was a World Cup for worrying, my wife would win every time, naturally this is a worrying time for anyone , but  it’s very tough for her  & constantly trying to put a brave face on …

  • I should add , the operation was four weeks ago.    

  • Hello, and thank you for your enquiry.

    I’m sorry to hear your wife has recently had a hysterectomy. I hope her recovery is going as well as possible.

    I can imagine this has been an overwhelming time for you both, and it’s completely understandable to feel unsure about what questions to ask. Many people in a similar situation feel the same way.

    It sounds like your wife will soon be meeting an oncologist (a cancer specialist) to discuss the next stage of treatment.

    I was unsure what type of cancer she has but here are some questions you might want to consider:

    What is the aim of the treatment?

    How will it be given and how often?

    What side effects should we expect, and how will they be managed?

    Are there any alternative or additional treatments we should know about?

    Who do we contact if we have concerns between appointments?

    Writing questions down before the appointment can really help. Often, more questions come to mind after speaking with the doctor, and that’s completely normal.

    In the meantime, you might find our general information about chemotherapy helpful.

    Macmillan Cancer Support also has a useful section on questions to ask your healthcare team

    If you or your wife would like to talk things through, you can call our nurses on 0808 800 4040. I hope this helps in some way. Please feel free to get back in touch if you need anything else.

    Jemma