Hello, I had surgery for (then) stage 0/I EC, which was found in the 5 of 11 lymph nodes tested and "upgraded" to stage III. The PET CT Scan results came today and there is no metastasis (liver, kidney, lungs etc. all clear).
The Cancer Center is recommending 5 days a week for 6 weeks of radiation , with adjunct chemo in weeks 1 and 5; then possibly a month break followed by two months of chemo. They would put in a feeding tube for the duration to ensure I get enough nutrition. Forgive me for questioning this, but I felt like they were trying to sell me a used car! Sign here, do this now, let's get started ASAP.
Well, number 1, I don't feel well enough or strong enough to start yet (as I still have a number of lingering issues from the surgery - eating, swallowing, nausea, dizziness, stomach pain and headaches, to name just a few!). And secondly, if my PET scan is "cancer free" WHY SHOULD I SUBJECT MYSELF TO ALL THOSE CHEMICALS, PAIN AND NAUSEA? They have already explained that PET scans will be part of my future forever, so my thinking is that if cancer cells appear by the next PET scan, I can start the chemo and radiation at that time, when I should be feeling strong.
I would love to hear from anyone's experience after Stage III EC surgery. What regime did they use? How much radiation? Which chemo drugs? For how long? Has anyone waited to see what happens? Was the treatment inevitable?
I have not read all the blogs yet, and I suspect some of this information is probably available, but some one-on-one advise would be very valuable.
Thanks in advance
Ironman Ivan