What Kind of Radiation Did You Get for Your Gynecological Cancer?

I started having bleeding 5/22 with alot of pain, received diagnosis 6/27/22, hysterectomy wasn't till 8/29, no ovary, fallopian tube or node involvement, wasn't in cervix. However, wash had adenocarcinoma cells in the wash, nothing found anywhere else. But, they are reacting like the cells have gone everywhere and treating the extreme way now from reading. Worries me about the radiation causing further problems years down the road.
Asked if after chemo is done whether, radiation treatment could change, and question re: wasn't taken very well.

@rainyp How are you doing? So, no more surprises which is good. Have you started the radiation therapy as you expected on 10/10? How are you feeling?

And have you brought home a doggie companion yet? 🐕

@terradean That is a lot to handle. No wonder your head is spinning. Did your oncologist explain why you will get more radiation sessions than you were originally told?

Were you first diagnosed with uterine cancer two years ago? What kind of uterine cancer were you diagnosed with? So now two years later is it the same kind of cancer that came back (a recurrence)?

In my case I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer (endometrioid adenocarcinoma, FIGO Grade 1) in 2019. I had a radical hysterectomy in 2019 that took also the ovaries, and fallopian tubes and cervix. There was no cancer anywhere else. I had a recurrence in late 2021 of the same cancer that showed up as a small lesion on the vaginal cuff.

Cancers are not all the same so the treatments will be different depending on the kind of cancer. Is it possible that your oncologist is making sure that they get as much of the cancer cells as possible?

I am 2 weeks into my external beam radiation. I will have 28 total of those and 3 brachytherapy ones. So far no real side effects. I am tired somedays, but still working and travel each day for the sessions. My experience is very much like @naturegirl5's

Question, no chemo, just radiation 2 years later, I was Figo Grade1, but liason on serous backside so is 3A, so am to have chemo 6 times 3 weeks apart, had been told 8 routines radiation however saw the Dr. last Monday who said 25 and 2 brachytherapy treatments. My head is still spinning so much more than I had thought originally thought. there was no involvement of ovary, tubes , or lymph nodes. Just seems so much.

Looks like Monday 10/10. The women I spoke with said it was for a consult , as I am getting my treatments closer to home, not with the Radiation Oncologist I met with on Thursday). Hoping its for the CT Simulation and not just a meet and greet. Im going to have to call and confirm. and PS my biopsies came back and confirmed exactly what the team expected.(DIAGNOSIS: Squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina, cT3N1M0, FIGO stage III) Bad enough, but thankfully no additional surprises. Counting my blessings

@naturegirl5
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I am about to go through this process and am a bit nervous.

This is what happened when I had external radiation therapy at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I was instructed to start drinking water about 45 minutes to 1 hour before each radiation therapy session. My bladder was supposed to be full for each session as a full bladder protects organs from radiation. In fact, if my bladder was not full enough which the radiation therapists could see on CT - a CT was taken before every radiation session - then they told me and I drank more water.

My name was called from the waiting from in Radiation Oncology and since I had already been informed which dressing area to go to, I went there, changed into my gown, and then waited for the radiation therapists to come and get me. This was generally 5-10 minutes after I changed which worked out well because my bladder was very full. I then went to the external radiation beam room where they asked my name and birthdate and then I laid on the table with my legs in the cradle that was made for me earlier, and that was my only job. Lay down and lay still. There was music playing and I was usually asked what kind of music I liked. Then the radiation therapists (there were always two) positioned me on the table with the use of some lights. They left the room, first ran the CT to check if my bladder was full and then recorded the images as the radiation oncologist looked at the CTs every day. The external beam machine rotated over me and I often zoned out almost falling asleep some days. After the radiation was completed, the external beam machine stopped and I waited until the radiation therapists came to get me. They helped me from the table. I always went to the bathroom first as my bladder was full and then I changed in the dressing room. The radiation session was complete.

I had 25 external radiation beam treatments. After those were completed I had 2 brachytherapy (internal radiation) treatments that I will write about in another post.

I had few side effects from the radiation. I had the expected side effects although mine were minor according to the nurse and the radiation oncologist. I had a few bouts of diarrhea (I took imodium when that happened), a few headaches (I drank more water), and some fatigue for a few days. I lost my appetite a little and lost about 8 pounds. Of course I've since regained my appetite and that weight. Darn.

The radiation oncology nurse and the radiation oncologist met with me weekly. They monitored my vital signs, my weight, and checked for signs of radiation toxicity - side effects. Their conclusion was that I tolerate the 25 treatments well.

I will. And thank you so much for sharing!!

I will post more on my experiences in external radiation therapy (pelvis) and then another post for brachytherapy (internal radiation therapy).

All my best wishes and positive energy to you, @rainyp. Will you let me know the date you get your start date?