Got my final path report mmmt

So this path report is from

So this path report is from the hyst you had on 1-19.  So it was in more than the uterus?  If more than 1 place was involved it means it has spread.  Anything higher than stage 1 means it has spread.

My spread too.  There is still hope.  I am a 6 1/2 year survivor of MMT Stage 3c1 as mine had already spread to a lyphm node.  I had 6 rounds of chemo carbo  / taxol 21 days apart and no radiation.

On a breast cancer site I found this defination of Focal ANGIOLYMPHATIC invasion   It means that there were blood vessels and tiny lymphatic vessels seen running through the tumor which can give it the ability to travel to other organs but doesn't automatically mean that it has done so. It does result in a healthy discussion about chemotherapy usually. Also talk to your dr about if the tumor is hormone positive.

But the thing to remember is each person is different as is each cancer and treatment and the response to the treatment.  Take someone with you to the meeting with the dr when discussing treatment.  Ask if you can record the conversation if you need too.  If you are by yourself it helps to have another set of ears.  You miss things.

 Other ladies will be on soon to give their opinion and helpful comments.  Good Luck. trish

 

Make sure you get a port put

Make sure you get a port put in before chemo it saves your veins.  You will be poked a lot, taking blood, the chemo treatment, CT scans with contrast all require to put a needle in you.  While the pain (short) from being poked with a needle is still there it does nelp in the long run.  Paclitaxel (Taxol ®) and carboplatin (also known as Taxol/Carbo) it is what I had and several other ladies too.  The Taxol does make your hair fall out, but it grows back.  I had hair down the middle of my back and cut it short then I ended up shaving my head when it fell out.  That is just me though I now wear my hair about 1/2 an inch long.  It is cute and easy to take care of.  There are other types of chemo they give too.  Discuss with your doctors.  Some of easier than others and some are harder and require hospital stays, while you get it.

They give you hystimine shots before the chemo to help block allergic reaction, sickness, etc., then when they start the chemo they start it slow drip for the first 30 minutes check ing to make sure you do not have a reaction to it.  They they start the drip a bit faster.  It does take almost all day to get the treatment.  There are some treatment centers that have private rooms and others open with a lot of people in chairs.  

 

Try to find a positive in all this and try to keep it.  You will have bad days but the good will out way them.  You will find you are stronger than you think you are.  This too shall pass. Good Luck. trish

Big Apple said:

Thanks so much trish trying

Thanks so much trish trying to focus on the positives.  Knowing you are not alone is so important.

Making it through the treatment process

Any cancer diagnosis is stressful, but having one of the more aggressive types like MMMT is very unnerving. However your diagnosis of Stage 2 is definitely better than if it hadn't been caught until later.

I agree with the recommendation to get the port. My port was put in before my first chemo treatment.

I had four chemotherapy treatments at the outpatient treatment center, followed by another four treatments delivered in the hospital, all 21 days apart. The difference in outpatient/inpatient was due to the different types of chemo drugs I received during the first phase and the second phase.

The different drugs in each phase were planned right from the start and not a result of any reaction to the initial drugs. My medical oncologist wanted to target first the "carcinoma" cells and then the "sarcoma" cells with different chemo drugs. Whether this two-phase approach will be more successful than the usual single phase approach, only time will tell.

Both the medical oncologist and gynecological oncologist recommended radiation after chemo to prevent recurrence to the pelvic area. I thought about radiation often during chemo, including an initial consultation with the radiation oncologist, who was more neutral than the other doctors.

I didn't make a decision about radiation until I was through chemo. Since my only long-term effect from chemo was mild neuropathy in my feet, I decided to have external radiation after chemo.

If I didn't have an aggressive form of cancer, I probably wouldn't have had radiation then, especially since my CT scan in July after the chemo treatments didn't show any evidence of disease, But knowing how aggressive MMMT cancer is, I decided to be proactive as I didn't want to have "should have" second thoughts later.

I tolerated the external radiation well, with only some bladder inflammation during the last week that took a couple more weeks to subside. There's always the chance that long-term effects from the radiation will pop up in future, but that was the risk I decided to take.

My latest CT scan in December was clear and I'm being monitored every three months. I'm not sure how often the gynecological oncologist plans to order CT scans, but I'm seeing him next week and plan to ask him then.

Even when I had some difficult periods with the chemo side effects during treatment, I still had more good days than bad, as Trish said. There are so many more drugs to help with chemo side effects than there were when my mother had cancer 35 years ago.

I've recovered well after treatment and I'm back to my usual routine now. There's no reason to think that you won't have the same results. While the treatment process may seem endless at times, it's really just a short slice of time out of our lives. 

 

Big apple, i had your same

Big apple, i had your same diagnosis. It was MMMt grade 2 stage 3.  There was alot of contaversy between doctors about the seriousness of my diagnosis. To this day i dont know why my cancer doctor who assisted wirh my surgery did not recomend chemo. Luckely the ladies on this site and other doctors saw i needed it.  Any ways i do remember that my cancer invaded my cervix. My diagnosis before surgery was more agressive than the one after surgery. The final pathology report after surgery said that although the MMMt isnt as bad as orginally thought they still recomended chemo.

Hey i wish you the best as you go forward.  Its been a year and 3 months since i finished treatments and still no evedince of desease.  You can do this. Come to the site often.  It helped me so much.  I couldnt have made it with out the ladies and friends here that went before me.

 

Hi Big Apple

I'm behind on posts due to work...just saw this...

definitely get the port put in...it helps so much! They give me a little shot of lidocaine before "punching" my port (think of it like a thumbtack) so I feel nothing...t was nice because it saved a lot of pokes and it keept my arms free to do things like sewing and moving about (i hate iv's...). Be careful when you sit down that you don't pull out the connection from the port to the infusion line...I did that and there was Taxol all over the floor and I literally was a HazMat site...

you will keep the port in for a while after chemo...you will need to go in and have it flushed every 6-8 weeks but it is no big deal and just takes a few minutes...I spend more time in the waiting area than I do actually having it flushed.

I had a bag packed that I took to chemo: a soft blanket, slippers, socks, my favorite cup, lip balm, hand cream...wear comfy clothes and be sure the neck/chest area of your shirt allows for easy access to your port.

I cold capped so I did not lose my hair. I am vain. And single. So for me it was something I wanted to do because otherwise I would have looked like a human emoji if I was bald...message me if you would like to know more.

Sorry you are joinging us as a fellow warrior...the ladies here are totally amazing!