Newly Diagnosed and newbie to board

txtrisha55

I did not feel any different, was thankful the cancer was out
I was 54 when diagnosed with uterine cancer. In 2004 my GYN Dr did a D&C and found some polyps that were benign. 7 March 2011, vaginal bleeding started with bad pain, went to GYN Dr said she would do another D&C with hystoscope. D&C done 25 March, Dr said there were more polyps and they were nasty looking. She sent everything to pathology. 1 April called and let me know that I had MMMT uterine cancer cells and they were setting appointment with a GYNONC Dr at UT Southwestern Cancer Center which is a teaching hospital in Dallas.
I had appointment on Monday, 4 April surgery Friday, 8 April. They had me out of bed on Saturday, 9 April sitting up in a chair and started me walking on Sunday. I basically took myself off the morphine drip by Sunday night, it felt too good to use it and I knew that would complicate things down the road. I had a radical hysterectomy and they cut me open down the middle of my stomach, I had 36 staples. I went home after a week stay in the hospital.
I had a regular GYNONC Dr and many residents come in and out of my hospital room while I was there, Morning and Afternoon rounds. You kinda lose all sense of modest as they come in a lift your gown to check the incision and staples. They ask you are you in pain on scale of 1-10, how are you eating, you can now start having solid food, get up and sit in a chair, are you walking, you can have a shower now, etc.
One thing all my female friends told that had had just regular hysterectomies was to carry a pillow with you and hold it against your stomach as you sat up, laid down or rode in a car. I did for about two weeks then I could get up and lay down without it. It still took about six weeks for me to feel like driving again. I did not lift anything heavy.
Took off work for 8 weeks for the surgery (I had over 800 vacation and sick leave hours built up) so it was easier on me. Started chemo in May and ended in August and my Drs. said I would not need any radiation. Pathology report stated the tumor 5.5cm x 5.0cm in the uterus was stage 1a but then the whole thing was upgraded to stage 3c1 because two microscopic cells were found in 1 lymph node.
After the surgery and the pathology report comes back is when you will need to know all the questions to ask. The GYNONC Dr could not answer a lot of our questions, before the surgery because what was in the D&C pathology report was just cells and they could not stage the cancer from that.
I do not have a significant other in my life so I have no idea how that would work out. I do know that a uterus/ovaries/tubes and even breast do not define who I am as a woman, so I was ok about losing them. I am now 55, already had a child at 27 and not planning on another one, so I did not need those parts anymore.
Hope this helps you and good luck to you. trish

Double Whammy

txtrisha55 said:

I did not feel any different, was thankful the cancer was out
I was 54 when diagnosed with uterine cancer. In 2004 my GYN Dr did a D&C and found some polyps that were benign. 7 March 2011, vaginal bleeding started with bad pain, went to GYN Dr said she would do another D&C with hystoscope. D&C done 25 March, Dr said there were more polyps and they were nasty looking. She sent everything to pathology. 1 April called and let me know that I had MMMT uterine cancer cells and they were setting appointment with a GYNONC Dr at UT Southwestern Cancer Center which is a teaching hospital in Dallas.
I had appointment on Monday, 4 April surgery Friday, 8 April. They had me out of bed on Saturday, 9 April sitting up in a chair and started me walking on Sunday. I basically took myself off the morphine drip by Sunday night, it felt too good to use it and I knew that would complicate things down the road. I had a radical hysterectomy and they cut me open down the middle of my stomach, I had 36 staples. I went home after a week stay in the hospital.
I had a regular GYNONC Dr and many residents come in and out of my hospital room while I was there, Morning and Afternoon rounds. You kinda lose all sense of modest as they come in a lift your gown to check the incision and staples. They ask you are you in pain on scale of 1-10, how are you eating, you can now start having solid food, get up and sit in a chair, are you walking, you can have a shower now, etc.
One thing all my female friends told that had had just regular hysterectomies was to carry a pillow with you and hold it against your stomach as you sat up, laid down or rode in a car. I did for about two weeks then I could get up and lay down without it. It still took about six weeks for me to feel like driving again. I did not lift anything heavy.
Took off work for 8 weeks for the surgery (I had over 800 vacation and sick leave hours built up) so it was easier on me. Started chemo in May and ended in August and my Drs. said I would not need any radiation. Pathology report stated the tumor 5.5cm x 5.0cm in the uterus was stage 1a but then the whole thing was upgraded to stage 3c1 because two microscopic cells were found in 1 lymph node.
After the surgery and the pathology report comes back is when you will need to know all the questions to ask. The GYNONC Dr could not answer a lot of our questions, before the surgery because what was in the D&C pathology report was just cells and they could not stage the cancer from that.
I do not have a significant other in my life so I have no idea how that would work out. I do know that a uterus/ovaries/tubes and even breast do not define who I am as a woman, so I was ok about losing them. I am now 55, already had a child at 27 and not planning on another one, so I did not need those parts anymore.
Hope this helps you and good luck to you. trish

Emotional difference
I was 63 at the time of my surgery, 6 years post menopause, far, far, beyond childbearing and all things hormonal. I was surprised one day about a month or so post op when it hit me: "what am I now"? Am I a woman or an "it"? Funny how the unexpected can happen. It crosses my mind every now and then. It's crazy. Not anything that keeps me awake at night, not do I want the stuff back. I was just so surprised by the reaction. Afterall, it doesn't show that I don't have a uterus, etc. Maybe I was just having some issues with age and sexuality. Maybe the breast cancer thing came into play. Maybe it was more about mortality than sexuality. Who knows? I thought I'd mention it since you asked about any differences. This "difference" really surprised me.
Suzanne