Hi there Workingmum, so sorry to hear of what you are going g through. I too had a radical hysterectomy and had never been in hospital before apart from giving birth. Oh I was scared let me tell you, but literally the night before I just wanted the op, to have everything taken away would be a start for me. I needn't have worried as the hospital staff were brilliant and explained e everything in detail. I totally get where you are coming from but the op is scary cos you have no idea what to expect and how you will feel afterwards but it's really not worth all the worry. So long as you take everything slowly your body will repair .  And you will start to feel better. Much better every day. What they remove goes to the pathologists who are very good at what they do and usually you get results 2-3weeks after your op. That might be all you need, but in my case I needed some treatments.  But I have lived to tell the tale. Try to keep distracted and busy so you get a good sleep, oh and they recommend big bowl of pasta for tea before the op .  Hope this is not too much information. If you want to ask any more, I am here. Best wishes for tomorrow x

Thank you I am just so scared and feel like i am going to wake up a different person. Will I ever get back to being the person i used to be x I just feel so devastated x

Hey, you are sounding more positive so that's a good thing! We all worry if we will wake up. It is a long op. I had my womb, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, cervix , top few cms of vagina and lymph nodes removed -  but I woke up as you will!! I didn't know if I was goi g to be laparoscopic or abdominal bu tv up was abdominal in the end. I had endometrial cancer (womb lining) and it had gone deep into the muscle, I also had a large tumour inside my womb that had grown down onto my cervix so I was in fact happy for everything to be taken away! You will be fine. If help is offered at home , accept it!! All the very best fir your op tomorrow x

Hi Workingmum, how are you? You will be at the hospital by now. Hope you are all settled in.  Got everything crossed for you today. Have sent you a friend request in case you need to talk. Wishing you all the best x

Hi,

im here! I made it , didn't go down until quiet late in the end. It all went well with no complications and he didn't find anything else as far as the eye can see. Obviously got to wait for results but he said he seems hopeful! 
 

hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday and had a rough night , but feeling a lot better today. I need to get up today and start getting some of these machines off me as the noise at night drove me insane last night. 
 

prob waffling a bit as still a bit out of it x

Hey, glad you made it!!!! All sounding good! Yes, I was in a shared ward of 4 and never slept a wink that night!!! They may unhook the machines today and get you out of bed!  The thought of actually getting into a sitting position scared me but it was absolutely fine. The nurses will show you what to do!!!  I did like being IN the bed with the reclining button in my hand. Got a nice comfy position and wondered how I would cope when I got home lying flat, but I bought a V shaped pillow beforehand and it was brilliant. I still use it around the house now!!!!!!! Very glad to hear you are on the up , just take things slowly and enjoy the rest in there!! x

Hi.

Home and recovering really well and the best news is I got the all clear today!! There was a small part of the tumour remaining in the cervix , that was removed along with everything else , the margins were really good and no spread to lymph nodes which were also taken out. Good result. So relieved x what a rollercoaster xx

Hi Workingmum, that's fantastic! Very very chuffed for you. The best result you could have hoped for. Just need to concentrate on relaxation and treating yourself now!!!  X

Thank you so much for all your words and help , it meant so so much at such a difficult time. Xx

Not at all. Just wished I had found this site earlier than I did! All the very very best to you in your recovery x 

Hi

I'm glad you are recovering well.

I had an abnormal hysterectomy last year for cervical cancer, kept my ovaries and then 6 months later I had a reoccurrence to them and had those taken out too. Woke up and was on a very low dose of HRT

I'm 44, I would highly recommend when you are feeling a bit better seeing a private menapause doctor. I discovered my HRT dose was way too low for bone health. Even if you decide not to go down the HRT route its good to be informed and make the choice yourself.

Good luck

X

Hi there ..may I ask how large your initial tumor was? I'm having a a radical hysterectomy and wondering what my chances are of recurrence . Did you have Laparoscopic or open surgery ?? Sentinel node biopsy or all pelvic nodes removed ? Your input is much appreciated...

Hi there ..may I ask how large your initial tumor was? I'm having a a radical hysterectomy and wondering what my chances are of recurrence . Did you have Laparoscopic or open surgery ?? Sentinel node biopsy or all pelvic nodes removed ? Your input is much appreciated...

It was just under 4cm. I had open surgery and all my lymph nodes removed. My surgeon wouldn't operate lapascopic due to the greater chance of reoccurrence.

I have adenocarcinoma cancer which there is a greater chance of reoccurrence. Its a lot to think about isn't it?

Hi.. Thanks for your reply.

Yes I researched it and chance of recurrence is higher with laparoscopic particularly in tumors over 2cm. Mine was nothing near that (0.5mm deep x 2mm diam and 3.5mm x 1mm diam) I had two cone biopsies and each found a little tumor.. multifocal they call it. After the first one they recommended simple hysterectomy. But one margin wasn't clear of precancer, so another doctor said get another cone biopsy to make sure there isn't more cancer there. I did that and they found a little more. That wasn't expected and disappointing. They then recommended radical hyst done abdominally and removal of pelvic nodes. It seemed extreme so I started my research. My MRI and pet scan didn't show anything so we knew it wasn't big (scans usually don't show anything less than 5mm) and no sign of spread. 

Other places wouldn't do it that way. I'm in Perth Australia, but I'm from Toronto Canada. I spoke to a doctor in Europe and one back in Toronto. They both said they would do sentinal node biopsy to try and avoid removing all my pelvic nodes, as well as do it laperoscopically because it was small enough to do that safely. Also they wouldn't do radical, at the most modified radical, removing a little more tissue not full amount. I find the recommendations so different it's worrisome .. That one isn't enough and the other is too much. I guess it boils down to the standard of practice where you are, which has alot to do with how often they perform the procedure, the skill and experience etc. They do it way more in a Toronto and so I've decided to go there. My family are all there too. I fly out tonight. I will confer with one more doctor there and then decide what to do and who to go with. I know that going laparoscopic the skill of the surgeon and the technique is  really important for cervical cancer so I will be asking a lot of questions. I hope you're doing well after your surgery. Did you have any issues after removal of you nodes? Lymphadema or anything?  What did the biopsy results reveal. Was there any spread to the nodes? Did you need any adjuvent therapy (radiation/chemo)? Did you have lvsi or anything?

Did they tell you the grade of the cancer cells (1,2 or 3..the aggressiveness of the cancer)? How did they find yours, did you have any cone biopsies? Thanks for sharing your experience it's really helpful :)

You have certainly done a lot of research I was exactly the same though. I think the treatment goes on your staging so I was staged at 1B1 originally which they reccomeded a abdominal hysterectomy for. I'm based in the UK, but this would be standard anywhere in the world.  

I was petrified of lymphadema and wanted the sential node biopsy, but there were delays with my diagnosis on the NHS and by the time I went private my new surgeon had booked me in for an operation date without seeing my scans as so much time had been wasted, if I wanted the sential node biopsy there would have been a greater delay which I could afford time wise.  I would definitely recommend this option if you can get it. I'm still petrified of lymphadema now but have started shaving my legs again!

I choose my surgeon and couldn't recommend her enough, i think more than what type of operation you have you need to find a consultant that you trust and listens to you. This was the biggest thing for me. I trusted my surgeon and her opinion 100%. My operation went well, I had no real complications (I had terrible problems with my catheter) no lymph node spread so no further treatment was needed.

6 months later they found cancer in both ovaries (I had kept these) then had 6 sessions of chemotherapy.

I'd had clear smears even one on November and went to the doctor with abnormal bleeding in the January thats how mine was found.

I hope your flight back was ok, let me know what treatment you decide on.