Concerns about radiotherapy - abdominal & pelvic

Welcome Floelle, So sorry you need to be here. There is a thread that you might find helpful. Please read the thread 'Let's Talk About Radiation'.  There are several women who talked about their experience here.  Congrats on nearing the end of Chemo! That is a major milestone. :-)

Please come back and let us know how you are doing.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Hi Floelle,

I finished my radiation on November 30. Radiation for me was external and 25 treatments. This followed the chemo of every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. My diagnosis is stage 3B, grade 3 UPSC. Unfortunately I had a positive margin at the vaginal cuff. My radiologist chose external only and focused on the lower pelvic area. After treatment was set up and the ct scan done I asked her to show me exactly what she was aiming for. She pulled up everything on the computer and explained it all. It really did give me a better understanding.

I had Pelvic and higher up in abdomen because of positive para aortic lymph node. But it is very targeted. 

I’ve had it all and like cheese said it was worth it despite side effects. I was stage 3C so I wanted to do everything I could. Yes, vaginal stenosis and I have chronic constipation which could have been brought about a number of things including surgery, chemo and radiation.

Hey there. I was stage 1A, grade 1, endometrial cancer a few years ago. Unfortunately, it recurred last year and radiation/chemo plus 3 rounds of carbo/taxol was recommended after surgery to remove the tumor, the remaining ovary and part of my sigmoid colon. I was nervous about radiation too especially when they suggested two low doses of cisplatin as a supplement to radiation. I believe the cisplatin caused most of the nausea but medication kept it at bay very well.

It's very doable. Painless for the actual procedure if external. Diarrhea, nausea and fatigue are common side effects (along with hair loss down there and my skin turned brown in the area of radiation) but they don't really appear until later in your treatment. It's also time-consuming as I was going in 5 days a week and I had to make sure I had a full bladder so timing was key. Long term effects include vaginal stenosis and you must use dilators 3x a week for the rest of your life if you're not sexually active.

Is it worth it? I just got back from my check-up and I'm still in the clear a year later. I worry it will come back and now that radiation is no longer an option, it makes me nervous but I figure this is my one shot at nipping it in the bud while my doctors feel it's still curable even though I've recurred. Depending on your cancer, it may respond better to radiation if they're hanging around. Mine is a low grade endometrioid adenocarcinoma which responds better to radiation than chemo. In the end, did both.