How serious is my wifes cervical cancer?
in Health
She was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 17, had a cone biopsy done and everything was fine..
Last summer the docs said it returned and had advanced to stage 2, and made her do 2 months of radiation treatment. At the end of it they said it wasn't very effective and she needed to have a hysterectomy followed by chemotherapy. We didn't have the $5000 it was going to cost and lost our health insurance shortly after.
We have new Doctors now and they want to start her or chemotherapy right away, and say she will most likely need surgery in the near future.
Does anyone know how serious this is? In 4 years it has gone from being a minor problem, easily cured if caught early like it was, to an aggressive cancer needing chemo and surgery.
Comments
There is so much that your post is not saying. Were the cell changes due to squamous cells or the glandular cells of the cervix?
Due to no insurance contact the American Cancer Society. hey do have services that can help you since you do not have insurance. They may also be able to direct you with other services available to you.
Keep strong, keep looking for your answers.
I wish well.
Obviously we can't tell just by what you have said, we would have to see scans, etc but what I do know is that she must take the chemotherapy. Yes, it's tough, it can be horrible and crush your soul sometimes but she's 21. She has the strength to do it! She must push as hard as she can and accept it and always be looking for the light at the end of the tunnel and sprinting as fast as she can towards it! The doctors won't ask for treatment she doesn't need. Life is worth much, much more that £5000! It's priceless. If the worst comes to the worse (and I know this may sound strange) run away to Mexico or Brazil to escape your debts, all that matters is that you have eachother and you are both well, alive and healthy.
Good luck.
According to Livestrong.com "Stage II tumors, ranging from a 65- to 95-percent five-year survival rate, include tumors that have spread from the cervix through the uterus (Stage IIA) and then into the tissues surrounding the uterus (Stage IIB) without involving the pelvic walls or the lower vagina. Neither category of Stage II tumors involves distant metastatic sites, although each may include regional lymph node disease."
Be upfront with your doctors about your insurance situation and about your financial situation. There are sometimes ways that things can get paid for, but almost no one reads minds. You have to tell them.
Call your insurance company and talk to them about what they will and can do. It depends on how long your medical insurance was not in effect, but the insurance company can call it a preexisting condition and refuse to pay. Let your doctors know what the insurance company tells you and get written copies of everything.
Here are the survival rates by stage for cervical; carcinoma.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CervicalCancer/Detail...
If you know her current stage, you can see how serious your wife's situation is.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CervicalCancer/Detail...
If you don't know her stage , her oncologist does.
You should be asking your medical oncologist - the chemotherapy specialist -
what her stage is and what he or she thinks her five year survival may be statistically.
One word of caution - people are not statistics.
No doctor can predict the future months or years ahead of time.
I assume you go with your wife when she sees her doctors.
The doctors who know her history and have seen the CT scans
are the ones to answer this.
In point 3 the main cancers has gotten to the decrease element of the vagina,and likewise could have unfold to the pelvic wall and close by lymph nodes. So surgical technique is probable. she would be able to probable even have Chemotherapy and Radiation. the solid information. in accordance to webmd, is that "Even in progressed circumstances, the prospect of surviving a minimum of 5 years, with probability of finished treatment, remains greater useful than 70% ." that is totally solid that it isn't point 4, and it appears like she would be able to have an extremely solid risk of survival. I wish you the two numerous luck. i've got risk-free my components so which you will study greater in case you like to.
sorry to hear she has cancer. unfortunately, it is very serious. hopefully they'll be able to get it out with the surgery and the chemo will take care of the rest. when they do the surgery they'll get a better idea of how much the cancer has spread. best of wishes to you and your family.