Stage 2B Squamous Cell Cervical Cancer

Jentle8

Hi I am new to this group but this is MY STORY !!

Back in March 2015 I just knew something wasn't right with my body. I had recently quit a job/profession I loved after 10 successful years. I was sick/tired all the time and was dealing with some nuisance symptoms as I thought. My Doc already had labeled me as having Anxiety/Depression and my favorite.... a hyperchondriac. I was scared to open up to him about my concerns. I had been spotting in between periods, my back was hurting more than usual, I suddenly started experiencing urinary incontinence. I always found an excuse to brush everything off... stress, the docs won't believe me, or it's just going to be put off as my Anxiety/Depression once again. But that March 2015 I felt scared inside and felt that my hyperchondriac ways of googling illnesses was going to get me in trouble again. Either way I decided to make a trip to the ER as I was having sharp pains in my right side. I looked at that ER Doc and said "I think I have cancer" she brushed it off to being my anxiety and sat with me for 20 minutes to emotionally console me and tell me "you are way to young for cancer". So I believed her and put my hyperchondriac thoughts to the back of my mind.

FAST FORWARD NOVEMBER 2015

I woke one morning after not feeling so hot a couple days before. I knew I had started my period as soon as I stood out of bed. Little did I realize that I would soon be finding myself in the bathroom hemorrhaging. Somehow I managed to slow the bleeding and actually put in a 9 hour work day cleaning houses. By the next morning I was hemorrhaging worse than the day before..... so I got myself to the ER IMMEDIATELY. 
That day is a day I will never be able to erase out of my mind. It was the scariest day of my life. The faces the docs made when performing my internal examination. .. they didn't NEED to say anything. ..I already knew. But the gynecologist was honest and told me it didn't look good and that I was going to the OR so they could take biopsies and try to stop my bleeding.

The week following this was absolute hell. I knew I had the big "C" word... but I was just waiting for the official results. Finally on 11/27 I got the call saying that my biopsy results were back and that I indeed had squamous cell cervical cancer. The doc on the phone felt I could be a surgical candidate. However after meeting with the surgical oncologist, she felt I was NOT a surgical candidate based on her clinical examination. She basically told me that the tumor was too big and had spread to my parametrial walls. I would need to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy. My heart sunk to the floor. I was diagnosed as having clinical stage II b cervical cancer. I was devastated.

Although it felt like forever. .I was finally scheduled for my first radiation and chemotherapy appointments. They couldn't come fast enough in my eyes. I felt disgusting and gross knowing I had cancer growing in me and nothing being done yet to stop it. The weekend before my appointments were to start... again I wad rushing to the ER because of hemorrhaging again. .. Radiation office opened both Saturday and sunday just for me to com in for emergency treatments. So needless to say my treatment started off with a bang. I spent the entire weekend in the ER/Hospital.

Things quickly became routine after that. I had chemotherapy every Monday and I had radiation every Monday through Friday. I was tired and fatigued most times but overall was doing very well with managing my symptoms.

THEN.. one day the effects of radiation caught up with me quickly. Radiation burns are aweful. And because of the area of treatment ... my bladder/bowel would sometimes be in the treatment field.. so I was having painful complications from that. I went quickly from being someone adamant on not taking pain meds.. to being on some high dose stuff. I did clearly need the meds as they honestly were the only thing that got me thru the following weeks.

My internal treatment started about this same time. I will not lie, worst part of all the treatment. I would arrive at hospital for 6 am to be put under, get a spinal epidural, have internal devices placed, wake up in recover, get wheeled down for a CT scan, then lay still and flat for 2 hours while the doc writes his treatment plan, then he hooks up to radiation machine, get treatment, then pull devices out and let me continue to recover and go home. I typically didn't go home til almost 3 pm. FIVE TIMES I had to do this. So draining. And in the meantine since chemo is a cumulative drug my body just had It. I went from feeling relatively ok to dry heaving. I was miserable again and even though that finish line was so close i honestly wanted to tap out. It was honestly too much.  I then ended all treatment on 2/6/2016.    

 

 

I had my follow up with the Radiation oncologist on 3/18/16 and he felt that things were looking good and that I had a good response to the radiation treatment.  He did refer me to see the OB/GYN Oncologist for a baseline exam with her as well. He said that she would be the one the schedule my PETSCAN, and he explained how it would still need to be a few weeks before the PETSCAN could be done or else I would glow like I had cancer still.  We went over the menopause symptoms I have been hacving. I get very bad hot flashes and night sweats. I also feel very achy in my joints all the time.  He said the OB/GYN would be able to prescribe me something to help out.

 

I saw the OB/GYN on 3/29/16. It wasnt really as great as I had hoped. She seemed hesitant. She did say that everything was improved. I questioned if that meant she felt cancer still.  She said she still felt irregularities in my cervix and parametrial wall, however we wont know for sure if it is cancer or radiation damage until we get the PETSCAN. Upon going back afterwards and reading her report from that day.,.... she wrote in her notes "thickened left parametrial - improved" .  Also when I asked her about the hysterectomy that she originally said I would be a good candidate for once we shrunk the tumor, she was hesitant again and indicated the importance of the PETSCAN to determine. She also mentioned that if hysterectomy can be done it would need to happen before the 6 month post treatment mark? . She did review my menopausal symptoms and decided to put me on Estrodiol patch and Progesterone 100 mg.    

 

So I have a bad feeling that the cancer is still there. I know that with my prior conversations, having a hysterectomy if cancer is still in my parametrial wall, could cause some huge complications during surgery.   Just curious to see what is done for treatment if initial chemoradiation isnt effective?  

 

 

ccfighter

Hi Jentle8,
im glad you found

Hi Jentle8,

im glad you found us here.  I am sorry for all that you have been through.  I know it's hard.  Please don't worry yourself too much about the doctors exam.  I know that is easier said then done, but remember that radiation continues to work for several weeks post treatment, and doctors can feel irregularities that aren't necessarily cancer.  It could be scar tissue, swelling and inflammation, ECT.  

Good luck with the PET scan.  I hope it comes out clear.  

As for your question regarding treatment if residual cancer remain, likely they will start you on chemo, a combo such as carbo/taxol plus aVastin.  There are many options.

hugs.

Jentle8

ccfighter said:

Hi Jentle8,
im glad you found

Hi Jentle8,

im glad you found us here.  I am sorry for all that you have been through.  I know it's hard.  Please don't worry yourself too much about the doctors exam.  I know that is easier said then done, but remember that radiation continues to work for several weeks post treatment, and doctors can feel irregularities that aren't necessarily cancer.  It could be scar tissue, swelling and inflammation, ECT.  

Good luck with the PET scan.  I hope it comes out clear.  

As for your question regarding treatment if residual cancer remain, likely they will start you on chemo, a combo such as carbo/taxol plus aVastin.  There are many options.

hugs.

Is that combination of chemo

Is that combination of chemo a definite for hair loss?    With the Cisplatin I did not lose my hair, however it did thin out a little, but that could also be from the menopause too.     I guess i would just feel better knowing the status. Whether it shows cancer or not, at least then I would know the next steps and be prepared for the battle   I feel like I did waiting for the original biopsy results...... Im sure it will get easier, as this is now a lifetime worry I willl probably deal with, but for now it is just all so new still.  Thanks for writing. At least I know a little what to expect on what worse case scenario 

 

ccfighter

Jentle8 said:

Is that combination of chemo

Is that combination of chemo a definite for hair loss?    With the Cisplatin I did not lose my hair, however it did thin out a little, but that could also be from the menopause too.     I guess i would just feel better knowing the status. Whether it shows cancer or not, at least then I would know the next steps and be prepared for the battle   I feel like I did waiting for the original biopsy results...... Im sure it will get easier, as this is now a lifetime worry I willl probably deal with, but for now it is just all so new still.  Thanks for writing. At least I know a little what to expect on what worse case scenario 

 

Carbo you will not lose your

Carbo you will not lose your hair but with taxol you will.  Good luck.  Hugs.