Thickened endometrium & nervous

Fitmom

Hi everyone. I’m a post menopausal mom who had a little bit of spotting and as soon as I told my GP, she kindly ordered a transvaginal and pelvic ultrasound. That showed thickened endometrium of 8 mm and the endometrial biopsy is in 3+ weeks.

So I’ve been reading all about it… and trying to understand what lies ahead. If biopsy is benign, sounds like they might offer progesterone and monitor with follow up biopsies every 6 months? If they find precancerous or cancerous samples, they will probably recommend total hysterectomy? And depending on if cancer present, maybe more treatments .

I’m trying not to stress, but I’m over thinking it all. I just got diagnosed with DM type 2 six months ago. I’ve been taking great care of my health since then and really trying to be active. I got my A1C down to prediabetes levels and lost 20 pounds.

The problem is my dumb brain keeps going to the scary worst place scenario. I’m afraid to tell anyone but my husband. Just looking for wisdom and advice. I’m kind of freaking out to be honest! Lol Sending healing wishes to all of you! I have read through the posts and appreciate the support here. Take care!

ConnieSW

You are in a tough phase of the process right now and I agree it’s really hard. The only way I know to get through is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Hopefully everything will turn out fine. It does for most women. If not, we are here to support you as we were supported.

Congratulations on getting your diabetes under control.

We will be waiting to hear back from you.

BTW, I, too, preferred to keep everything to myself, my husband and one friend till I knew for sure what my diagnosis was.

Prayer2023

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/327198/thickened-endometrium-nervous

Take one day at a time and try not to let what might be become your will be! I hope that make sense! I had the same symptoms, etc. that you have. After a total hysterectomy, my final diagnosis is Endometrial Adenocarcinoma Stage 1A, Grade 3. There was no residual cancer, so my oncologist agreed to a check up every 3 months and no treatment at this time. So, I thank God every day! Hang in there! I know how scared you are and we are right beside you!

Forherself

Welcome. It is scary to think you might have a cancer. But 9 out of 10 endometrial biopsies are cancer free so your chances are very high that yours will be cancer free too. And reading studies it is hard to understand about 80% are endometrioid and low stage which requires no further treatment. Those people tend to drift away from this board. So your chances are really good. Try and keep busy while waiting for your biopsy.

MoeKay

Hi Fitmom and welcome! Waiting for testing, especially when there is even a remote possibility of cancer, is the worst. I can remember my anxiety at that phase in the process and it will be 25 years since my endometrial biopsy in April! I know after my ultrasound I only had to wait 10 days for my endometrial biopsy. So I was wondering if you might be able to get put on a waiting list to try to move your biopsy date up a week or two? This time of year is getting into covid and flu season, etc., so someone who is in line ahead of you might be forced to postpone her biopsy due to illness. I figure it can't hurt to ask and to check in periodically with the office to see if any earlier appointments have become available.

Wishing you all the best!

NoTimeForCancer

Fitmom, congratulations on losing weight and watching what you are eating. That will always help you in everything you do.

I would caution you on Dr Google. He, and none of us, are doctors. It sounds like you doctor is on it and checking it out which not everyone here has had, so that is great.

I agree about calling to see if you can get on a list for any cancels as suggested by MoeKay. The fact is you just don't know what you are dealing with, so I would suggest waiting to see what it is. Please let us know when you get a date and also the results afterwards.

I would suggest not getting to get too far ahead of yourself here. We are here for you, but let's find out what is going on first. Please try to take a breath.

Fitmom

Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement. As crazy as it sounds, it is so comforting to know other have been in the same boat and there will be a way through no matter what the outcome is. Especially appreciate the advice to keep busy and know that statistically odds are in my favor. I guess I’m just scared. I kind of felt already overwhelmed by the new dx of diabetes, I have a great husband and two very awesome teen daughters to keep me busy while I wait. When I first called the gynecologist last week to schedule the biopsy they told me they are booked out December to January! But my GP put the request in as urgent, so they squeezed me in for Nov 15. I feel grateful that they got me in sooner. I had to wait 3+ weeks just to get the ultrasound. Then it will be two weeks after the biopsy to get results. That’s just how it is I guessing healthcare. The waiting part is so hard. Thanks for taking time to respond. You are all so kind to do that! I really do appreciate it.

oldbeauty

Fitmom,

Welcome to this board. It provides great info and support to we women in need. I am a long term living-with-cancer person, and I understand how unnerving this must be right now. My reason for posting is to urge that, if not already done so, that your care be turned over to at least a gynecologist, if not a gynecological oncologist. And, just based on my own experience (you can read my story by clicking my icon), if the biopsy turns out positive, DO NOT allow anyone but an oncologist do surgery, if recommended. There's also the issue that biopsies can deliver a false negative bc only a limited amount of tissue is sampled. A D&C, I believe, is really the gold standard diagnostic procedure. But biopsies are commonly done, and can be followed by a D&C, if indicated. I'm most concerned that you are with the proper specialist. Your post only mentions your GP. Best wishes as you proceed through this journey (one hopes to a benign conclusion). Oldbeauty

Fitmom

Thanks Oldbeauty, and everyone who responded. Thanks for the advice. I am going to see a Gynecologist Nov 15 for biopsy. I don’t get to decide on D&C vs biopsy, as I have a HMO, but at least we start with a biopsy. I didn’t know oncologists did surgery, so good to know to ask about that if it goes that direction. I wish they could get me in sooner! It is terrible to wait. I wish I could not worry. Lol. You know how it goes.

On the plus side, my weight is in now the “normal” range now (was obese 6 mos ago). Down 30# from last year. I’m ramping up my fitness ( mostly inspired by the diabetes diagnosis). At the gym lifting weights 3-4x per week and get 10,000 steps a day. Trying to lose a few more pounds and eat really well. Blood sugars are good. Fingers crossed. Thank you to everyone who responded. I sincerely wish you all the best in your health journeys as well! Appreciate the support here. It’s hard to be in limbo land for 7-9 weeks from start to finish if the work up.

Fitmom

I called the GYN office and asked to be on the waitlist in case a sooner appointment opens up. They won’t let me see other doctors. Don’t know why I can’t let it go. It’s stressing me out to wait 3 weeks 5 days for the biopsy. Trying to keep busy. I saw that my pcp ordered it for 48-72 hours. But GYN is so impacted they can’t see me sooner. I just want to get it done. I know the GYN says in her note that “Nov 15 is fine,” but I read my risk for CA is higher due to the diabetes, so I just want to get the darn test over with! According to this study, there us 62% higher rates of cancer for women with diabetes:

https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20230817/type-2-diabetes-may-raise-your-risk-of-endometrial-cancer

I was also recently obese and started menstruation at an early age.Though my weight is now in normal range and my blood sugars controlled, I feel vulnerable .I have anxiety struggles anyway, and this freaking long wait is not helping at all. I think 7-10 days would be ok but waiting nearly a month is feeling like an eternity. At least I am advocating for myself!

Appreciate you all! Hope you are having a good day!

oldbeauty

Fitmom, good for you to advocate for yourself. I've had my time in the anxiety corner, so feel your agitation. Rationally, however, perhaps you can take comfort in allowing yourself to believe the truth, which is that you are not in immediate danger and, IF you get a positive diagnosis, you have the time you need to make a reasoned decision about finding a specialist you feel comfortable with for consultation/treatment. It is highly unlikely that you are "loaded with cancer" (as my parents' generation coined the phrase) now, or that your situation will be dire in a few weeks (or a few months' time). Easier said than done. Please try to find a pleasant activity to occupy yourself with. And it's OK to come hear and just vent. Best wishes, Oldbeauty

Fitmom

Thank you Oldbeauty! Such great advice. I am feeling strong and healthy and appreciate your wisdom. Have a wonderful day.

MoeKay

Glad to hear that you asked to be put on the waitlist, Fitmom.

As I said in my previous post, given that we're entering flu season and covid remains with us, I believe there's a greater likelihood at this time of year than any other that someone who develops respiratory symptoms shortly before her scheduled procedure would need to reschedule.

It's not as though you're trying to cut ahead of someone else already in line, but if they have an unexpected cancellation, why not fill in the void? It would not only cut down on your anxiety due to several weeks of waiting, but it would also keep the gyn's office from losing revenue from the cancellation. As I see it, that's a win-win for both parties!

MAbound

Hi Fitmom,

I've got to put my 2 cents worth in and reinforce what all have said here. The thing about uterine cancer is that it is a slow-growing cancer, so even if you have it, there is time to get it diagnosed and endure all of the waiting involved. It's hard to have that possibility hanging over your head, but at least don't picture it as spreading out of control while you are waiting to get things done.

One thing I'd consider doing while you are waiting is asking your doctor if you should go ahead and get all of your vaccinations up to date if you haven't done so already. I don't think doing so would interfere with a biopsy, but check first to make certain. As Moekay said, it's that time of year again and any time you spend in health care facilities where sick people are increases your exposure to everything out there and getting a virus now wouldn't help.

If your biopsy comes back negative, it is hard to say how your doctor may want to proceed. Biopsies are hit or miss finding cancer, so he or she may want to see if your spotting persists past what is expected following the procedure or they may want to just proceed to scheduling a D&C to get a more definitive answer. We all would have just liked to have passed on having a biopsy and gone straight to the D&C to get diagnosed, but you'll find that things have to follow a certain order to get covered by insurance and doctors usually have no choice but to start with the less expensive tests first.

If your biopsy ends up positive, any gynecologist worth his salt will refer you to a gyn-oncologist because dealing with cancer or even a pre-cancerous uterus is outside of their skill-set. Hysterectomies under those circumstances require special considerations and surgical training that gynecologists just don't have. Hopefully, your HMO has one or a few they can refer you to should there be a need. As others have said, do not let a gynecologist do a hysterectomy unless cancer has been definitively ruled out as a possibility.

Good luck to you as you go through this. I'll be praying that you can get an earlier appointment!

Fitmom

Thank you MABound and MoeKay. I appreciate the info and glad to read your feedback. Hopefully waiting few weeks is not going to have any negative impact on my outcomes ( except my anxiety levels haha). I already had the 2023 season flu and covid vaccines, so I think I’m in good shape. I’m going to keep working on my fitness and nutrition, too. Trying to eat those healthy foods and get some sleep. I had more spotting tonight, but I guess that happens with EH, so it doesn’t necessarily mean cancer. I just marked in on my calendar to keep track of it. It’s very minor spotting. I don’t feel at all confident that GYN will have an earlier opening, but at least I tried. I made it through 5 days, only 21 more to go. LOL. I keep telling myself to “look at the day in front of you…” and focus on step at a time. We have some fun Holidays coming up…and I’m loving the cooler fall weather. Hope you are all enjoying the beauty of this time of year also. Thanks again to all of you who responded.

zsazsa1

The odds are very high that this is benign, so please try not to worry. That being said, all of us on here wish we had had a hysterectomy before we developed uterine cancer. I thought that my post-menopausal laparascopic/vaginal hysterectomy was incredibly easy to recover from.

Fitmom

Thanks zsazsa1! Wishing the best for you as well.

Fitmom

Hi there everyone. Only one week to go until the biopsy. I have a long holiday weekend so only a few more work days until I get it done. I already waited about 3 weeks. I wish I could relax in the confidence that it will probably be fine. I guess I’m just freaking out. Didn’t help to google cancer and diabetes. Lol. The closer the date gets, the more anxious I feel! Looking forward to this weekend and keeping myself busy so as not to worry. Ironically I need to get a mammogram done next week too. At the mammogram center, they give you results immediately so you don’t have to worry. Sending good wishes for health to all of you! Thanks again.

BluebirdOne

Fitmom,

The hardest initial wait is almost over. Remember, we are here for you as you go through this, you are not alone. I know it is so very difficult to do, but remember the statistics are on your side. The best part is that you have done so well to increase your fitness and health so that you will be prepared for what comes. Let us know how the biopsy goes.

xxoo

Denise

Fitmom

Thank you Denise! Finally it happens tomorrow. I appreciate your reply. I just want it over with. The waiting has been so difficult. I will post an update once results are in (more waiting). :-)

Fitmom

Well I just had the biopsy. It went pretty well, though I did feel it. It was a little uncomfortable. I‘m supposed to hear back in two weeks. She said she will call me. She said if the spotting persists they would do a procedure where they look inside for polyps. The ultrasound only catches about 50% of uterine polyps. So, there was never even mentioned the possibility of cancer. But I know that’s what they are checking for- to see if the cells are precancerous or what. Funny how they never mention that. She only mentioned polyps. She said my endometrium wasn’t that thick for a newly post menopausal woman (8 mm), but they take post menopausal bleeding seriously. I guess I feel less worried. Im glad the biopsy is in the works anyway! Should hear back by Nov 29. Thanks for the support.