Recently Diagnosed with Uterine Cancer

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

Staci,

Staci,

My surgeon told me before my surgery that having the robotic surgery all depended upon whether my uterus could "fit through the door".

Lucky for me, it did. :-)

Since it looks like you are concerned about chemo and radiation (we all were by the way) I wanted to let you know there are two threads that I think will help you understand what you will be dealing with. While all of us have some differences in how our bodies react, there are common issues for all of us. Here are the two titles for your reading pleasure:  'Ladies Going Through Chemo' and 'Let's Talk About Radiation'.  If you have any trouble finding them, let me know and I'll send you the links.

Remember to breathe! You will find out you are way stronger than you might think. And, know that if you need chemo, there are loads of meds that you will be given to help with the side effects. While it isn't easy to get through, it is very doable.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Hi Cindi.  I have not met with my surgeon yet, so I don't know for sure what type of surgery he will recommend, but of course I am hoping it will be something less invasive with a faster recovery period.  Thanks for telling me abut the two sites I could look up regarding chemo and radiation.  Of course I hope I won't have to deal with that, but I won't know for sure until after my surgery and I am staged.  I think I always had a fear of those thongs, but like you said, everyone must feel that way, so I am not alone.  I do know of people who have undergone treatment and tolerated it well, so it isn't like the old days where when someone was undergoing treatment for cancer, they spent hours in the bathroom being sick. 

I guess I have my good days and bad, meaning sometimes I think more positvely and other days I get ultra upset and say to myself, "why me?"  Yesterday I attended two parties, keeping distracted and felt somewhat better.  Today,I got up and had that sense of doom again, but had company over and for a while, just tried to forget about my diagnosis and felt better again.  I think the key to my getting through this is to stay busy and keep occupied, taking one day at a time, but not constantly dwelling on my diagnosis, especially since I haven't even met with the surgeon yet, so there isn't much I can do at this point but move on with my life and hope things work out for the best.

Staci xoxo

I am sure what I am feeling is perfectly  normal in terms of maybe feelin more emotional sometimes than at other times about my diagnosis.  Tonight, I am especially feeling all kinds of emotions and I want to explain why. For starters, I still don't know completely what I am dealing with in terms of what type of surgery I will be having, what will be found and what will follow.  I guess you can say those are my fears.  In addition to that, I have a college age daughter that is returning to college in the morning and I am feeling pretty emotional about that.  I am not sure if it has to do with everything else I am dealing with and the fact that I will just miss her while she is away, but I know her plan is to come back to visit after my surgery and I just hope she comes back to hearing good news.  In additon, I have another daughter that is older that will be getting married next July and has booked a destination cruise wedding.  Of course it is all exciting, but I am concerned about what my state of health will be but I also don't want to stop living and put a hault on my life in anticipation of not knowing what is going to be.  I need to live my life and hope everythign turns out okay but between the waiting and not knowing what my prognosis is going to be, my younger daughter returning to college and now thinking about my older daughter's weddding, I am feeling a little overwhelmed and emotional about things.  Have most of you been able to basically live your life's and go on as normal even with everything that was going on with you during periods of time when you were waiting for test results or surgery, after the surgery or if you needed to receive treatment?  Last year was a tough year since my husband needed emergency open heart surgery, which we totally didn't expect even though we knew there was a problem and we just thought he would need an angioplasty procedure to clear his blockages.  It was rough for a while, but he improved and things got better as my daughter got engaged last Christmas, we had a big engagement this summer, even though it wasn't long before that time period when it was first suspected I may have a problem, but at that point we didn't know for sure.  Now, I am the one facing a serious surgery and hope it will all turn out good, and I will be healthy and able to enjoy the cruise and the wedding next summer.  I am taking a chance and gambling I will be okay and just hope I am right about this.  I have seen more hospitals than I care to have seen over the past few years and just when everything finally seems to have settled down, something like this happens.

Hi Kat. It was interesting reading your story and reading how you never really got sick from chemotherapy and even with the radiation it may have been from getting the norovirus and not the treatment.  As much as I fear a spread of my cancer, I think I fear the treatments involved, but I have read a lot of posts from people that say it wasn't that terrible.  I also never thought in a million years I would get cancer, even though I think I always feared it.  Nobody in my family ever had this type of cancer besides me so it came as quite a shock to me.  You mentioned you were misdiagnosed initialy and I am sure you were shocked when you got the news. In my case, I was never misdiagnosed but my doctor saw a potential problem with my pelvic sonogram, acted on it with a D&C and my cancer was diagnosed.  While my PAP test was normal, that doesn't always tell the story and my doctor was going by my sonogram which showed a thickened endometrial lining that was way out of range of being normal.  Even so, I was still hopeful it wasn't cancer and it was just the two polyps that were found, but that wasn't the case.  I guess you just never know what is going to be do you?  I know you must be so anxious for your bloodwork up to come back and I will pray that all is well.  Is that the way they always check to be sure the cancer is gone and has not come back? I never asked my doctor that question since I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I was wondering what they do since I know you must have to have regular checkups for several years, but wasn't sure how they check or what they check other than having PAP tests since other than still having a cervix, everything else is removed during a hysterectomy in most cases, unless the woman is still in their childbearing years and opts for keeping her ovaries if possible, yet that does not apply to me.

Thanks for writing and for our words of encouragement.  Good luck to you as well. 

Staci

MAbound said:

Focus on yourself during this

It's helpful to understand all that is making you anxious right now. This diagnosis never comes at a convenient time for anyone if there even is such a thing. 

Like many of us, you sound like you've been the caretaker in the family; the glue that keeps everyone going. This is your time now for your loved ones to give some of that back to you so that you can be done with front line treatment in time for your daughter's destination wedding. Even if you need chemo and radiation, there should be enough time for you to get through it before that at this point.

You may be lucky enough with catching this cancer in early stages that you're post-surgery treatment won't be so long as some of us go through, but don't let that be a factor in any decisions you'll be making. You need to focus on doing what needs to be done to kill this beast for good so that you'll also be there for your other daughter's graduation, future grandbabies, and growing old with your husband. 

Looking at everything you have on your plate can be overwhelming and upsetting at a time like this, so maybe try living in the moment or just one day at a time instead and let the rest just take care of itself. There's a very helpful African proverb: How do you eat an elephant?  Answer: One bite at a time!!

 

 

Hi MAbound.  I never heard of that African saying about eating an elephant one bite at a time, but it makes since.  I feel like I have just begun this journey with cancer since I just really found out about it a little over a week ago and now it has to sink in.  I hear even when it isn't caught at very early stages, it is a pretty curable cancer compared to other types of cancer that are more difficult to treat.  One thing I never shared with anyone on the boards is it had been a number of years since I had been to the GYN and at first I kind of blamed myself for this happening, but when I finally did go, I had a clean PAP test, and I know PAP tests don't usually pick up uterine cancer, so I can't beat myself up over this.  Like most people in my position, I just never imagined myself being a cancer patient. Yes, I always feared it, but nobody in my family ever had any of the GYN type of cancers, except breast cancer.  Thankfully my mammogram was also clear.  I just didn't think I was a high risk for having uterine cancer based on what I knew about it, except for being overweight, which I soon found out was definitely a risk factor becasue of the estogren factor.  I am really trying to take this one day at a time and not get myself crazy, but I am finding when I do tell anyone about my condition, I can't seem to use the word cancer for some reason and tell people my tests showed some abnormal cells that I am going to need surgery for.  I don't know what it is about using the word cancer since that is what I have and I will say it to my family when talking about myself, but just not to most other people.  I just need to keep takling to myself and realize that a lot of cancers, including this type is curable and it is not all doom and gloom.  Thanks for writing and I hope you are feeling good yourself.

Hi.  I recently joined this forum and introduced myself, but here it is almost 5 in the morning and I am having a bad panic attack.  I was recently told I had uterine cancer and while I had no symptoms, I had a thick endometrial lining which led to a D&C and my cancer was discovered.  i am scheduled to see a GYN/Oncologist this Friday and knew I was going to need a hysterectomy, however the pathology report from my D&C indicated my cancer was found at an early stage.  I had no bleeding which was a positive sign that this was caught early, but that all changed tonight.  By the way, prior to my D&C I was getting a clear discharge that I didn't think much of at the time, but after the procedure the discharge went away.  Tonight I felt the discharge was back and when I checked the toilet paper as I always do, I saw the discharge was no longer clear but had a light brown tint to it and I realized that means I am now bleeding.  I am totally and completely freaking out because prior to this I felt it was a very good sign that I had no bleeding.  I have had burning prior to my D&C and afterwards it got a lot worse, but I assumed the procedure caused that and thought it would just go away, but that never happened.  Tonight is the first night I ever saw a color to my discharge except when I bled a few days after my D&C.  My anxiety level is through the roof now and I don't know if I should call my GYN on Monday or just wait until I see the GYN/oncologist on Friday.  I don't know if the bleeding is related to the cancer, which I am guessing it is, but it also burns, so it could be an infection.  I am totally beside myself and don't know what to do now but I know I can't sleep since I don't know if this is an infection or the cancer is worse than originally thought based on the D&C pathology report.  I have already been through menopause but feel like I do when I used to begin my periid years ago, but I know it can't be that.

StrongerthanIthought said:

breathe

I remember feeling just the same way you do.  I'm betting alot of us here do.  Bleeding was my first symptom - actually spotting, quarter-size that I noticed on my underwear.  I didn't have the burning tho.   It is OK to call the doctor when you have a concern. Even if they say wait until your Fri appt, it will ease your mind that the Dr is up to date on your symptoms.   BTW, I had stage 3C,  Had to have the hysterectomy, chemo & radiation.  Nothing easy about it but it is doable - you can do it too if you need to.   Now I am almost 3 years NED (no evidence of disease),  Waiting is hard, Once the gyn/onc takes over & makes a plan, you will feel better, because you will know an expert in the field is in charge and helping you fight.  

Barb

Hi Barb.  I just woke up a few minutes ago and the first thing I did was to go to the bathroom and check for bleeding.  i did not know what to ecoect but it wasn't as much discharge as last night, but still a drop and the color was not completely clear.  Not to be too graphic, but I stuck the toilet paper all the way up to see if there was any bright red blood since any brown tinted blood could just mean it was sitting around fir a while, but it was mostly clear with a slight tint.  I am still feeling nauseous with worry because prior to this I was so optimistic that my cancer was found super early, yet now I am not so sure..  I am trying to stay calm but seeing something like this sent me into a state of panic.  I have to ask you, were you staged sfter your surgery and initially after you had your biopsy or D&C, what did they tell you they thought your prognosis was? This is so incredibly hard to deal with since first I get my diagnosi, then I am assured it was caught so early that I should be fine and now this.  In fact I was grateful I never had any bleeding since that is often an early warning sign of cancer, yet it was believed that because I had no bleeding it was probably at a super early stage, but there goes that theory.  Maybe you are right in saying I should call my Gyn just to let him know what is going on.  He may tell me to be calm and just wait until I see the oncologist on Friday.  It is very reassuring to know you were treated for your cancer that wasn't even st the earliest stage, yet you are cancer free today and have been for a few years.  I need to hear positive stories like your with good outcomes to get me through this since I have an snxiety disorder to begin with and this is one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with.  My family thinks I am handling all of this pretty well, but they have no idea how I am feeling inside and how truly worried and upset I am, not to mention uncomfortable from the extreme burning.  Anyway, thank you for writing.  I hope and pray you remain cancer free and live a long and healthy life.

StrongerthanIthought said:

I was staged after the

I was staged after the surgery.  My biopsy, no D&C, showed the cancer, but no staging until later.  My gyn/onc told me I'd need the surgery, of course, but I was hopeful that I would be cancer free after that. I had gone in at the first sign of a problem, the spotting, so I thought it was found early.  Very scary to learn it was stage3 and chemo & radiation would be needed.  I had no other symptoms and never had any pain. Almost impossible to believe. Took a while for it to even sink in.  But, I did every thing he told me to do, went to every appt, test, etc that was my part of this deal.  Sept 4th will be 3 years since my last treatment.  You can do this!  I never asked for my prognosis - stage3 scared me enough. I knew it wasn't good and didn't want to know more.  My gyn/onc didn't tell me either BUT my chemo/onc (who I also didn't ask) just blurted it out at one appt.  40%  another devistating blow.   When I told my gyn/onc what I had learned, he said to trust him. That this was his specialty and the chemo dr sees all kinds of cancer. He said it was closer to 60%  Better - but still not very reassuring - so I went w 50% chance of being here in 5 years. I'm at 3 years & aim to be here for a lot longer.  Don't get too far ahead of yourself.    Go to your appt on Fri, take one sstep at a time & come here for support. We all understand. If one of us can't answer a question someone ese wil come along who can.

Barb

Hi Barb.  I went back to sleep after writing to you since i was trying to sleep my problems away.  I guess I figured if I was asleep I wouldn't have to face anything, but I woke up, immediately went to the bathroom to check and there was hardly anything new in terms of the brownish discharge, yet I know that means nothing since if it happened once, it will happen again.  I haven't even told my husband about this yet, but I am sure he will tell me to remain calm and take one thing at a time. By the way, I read the amount of bleeding or discharge really has nothing to do with the stage of cancer since you could spot a drop and still have a serious issue going on.  I have to ask you how hard was it going through the surgery and then the treatments that followed?  I bet everyone hopes after surgery that will be it and they will be cured, not needing further treatment, but it doesn't always work out that way.  I have been doing a ton of reading about uterine cancer and it says if caught early there is an excellent chance if cure, but of course the statistics go down if it is caught late, yet there are lots of women on the boards who were not at an early stage, had treatments and have been cancer free for years.  The waiting part is hard since I feel this has been going on for months with me.  I was originally supposed to have my D&C months ago but kept feeling like my had a UTI so I was on antibiotics for a while until things got better and then had the procedure done. maybe at the beginning I really did have a UTI, but it seemed to get better so I had the D&C since my cultures were clear, but right after that the bad burning began.again, the cancer was found and I assumed it was all related.  I have had so many ups and downs since after my D&C my GYN really felt my problems were from the two polyps that were removed and felt the tissue looked healthy and I would be fine, yet that wasn't the case.  Then I was told my cancer was an early catch, adding  I don't even have any bleeding and the abnormal cells found were well differentiated and there was no invasion or something or other listed in the report, yet now I am spotting a little bit?  This can't be good.  I am very happy to hear you are doing well despite you staging and feel you are probably right in not asking too many questions about what your odds are since plenty of people beat whatever odds are quoted.  I was told I had excellent odds that my polps were benign and that everything would be fine, yet look what the pathogen repidt showed.  I was told that I may be an excellent candidate for laparoscopic surgery, but that was weeks ago before the spitting began and now it may be a whole different story, depending on what the oncologist I will be seeing feels.  The other night I was up the entire night reading the book Cancer Smancher that was written by Fran  Dreschler from The Nanny.  It took her over two years to even get diagnosed properly, yet she is alive and well all these years later, so I found her book interesting.  Well, thanks again for writing.  I need to hear survival stories to help me feel better and cope with all of this.  I still can't believe it when I say to myself that I have cancer, but just hope I end up having a good outcome since I know there are absolutely no guarantees in life.