Any advice ?

[Obgal]

I’m new here and wondering if anyone out there can give me advice please?

I was diagnosed with vulva cancer in August. 7 weeks back I had surgery to remove tumour which was successful. Lymph nodes were taken out both sides although only 3 out of 11 on the right side showed sinister signs.

I started daily radiotherapy - one week down and four to go. I also have a weekly low dose of chemo. The outlook is positive so I am thankful for that.

I am really worried about how I’m going to get through the radiotherapy side effects. Already I’m feeling some heat!

How bad can it get and does anyone have any useful tips please?

I’ve kept pretty positive all through the surgery and recovery from that but am worn out with trying to be brave!

[AskEveTeam]

Hi there,

It's wonderful to read that your outlook is positive, even though this is such a tough thing to go through.

It's not at all unusual to be exhausted from putting on a brave front, and being strong for those around you. You're going through so much, physically, emotionally and mentally, so please don't stress about whether you're coping properly or not!

There's a support group on Facebook that you might find helpful, if you type 'Vulval cancer awareness/support group' into the search bar, you will be able to join it.

We can also put up a post on our Twitter (@eveappeal) and Facebook pages, asking for tips on how to cope with vulval radiotherapy side affects, and ask people to 'comment below'. It will of course be anonymous but might be helpful for you to have a look at once the reponses start coming in.

Lastly, if you have any questions about your treatment, please do send us an email on [e-mail] and our gynae cancer Nurse Specalist will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

The Ask Eve Team

[Obgal in reply to AskEveTeam]

That’s helpful many thanks.