Survivorship: anyone else struggling?

@cancerback
I also am told that I look great even now, 8 months after my last treatment. I wonder if people don't know what else to say. It is certainly a journey we would never choose for ourselves to go through. I am glad you are doing well. Hope you have a nice weekend!

Thanks! It sounds like you had a new cancer, not a recurrence, so you may well be on the road to recovery. I had 4 years of no evidence of disease before I had a recurrence. I wish you luck.

I was originally diagnosed in Feb of 2022 and told that it was all contained to my uterus (no treatments at that time), but had a reoccurance in September of that same year.

Where did your cancer show up in September 2022 and what treatments did you have?

@jomamapb, I had an 8mm tumor on the vaginal cuff. It was found during a surveillance exam (every 3 months). My gynecological oncologist at first thought it was scar tissue and biopsied it. He was quite surprised when he called me a couple of days later. I had 28 external and 3 brachytherapy radiation treatments. I finished just before Christmas last year.

Thank you. I will be sure to ask my urogynecologist next exam. My next gyne oncologist visit is in 4 months.

Have you had any long term side effects due to the 28 external radiation treatments or brachytherapy?

@jomamapb

I have some occasional back pain that I never had before. My radiation oncologist doesn't think it is linked to the treatments. I am almost 50 so who knows.

So no effects on your gastrointestinal tract or bladder?

@jomamapb
Not really. I do seem to need to urinate a little more frequently and have had a couple UTI's and I never had one prior to the treatments. I had diarrhea quite frequently during the treatment process and for way over a month at completion, but that is no longer an issue.