Thank You & Question About Keeping Ovaries

lindaprocopio said:

You remind me so much of myself at the beginnng of my cancer!
We are so much alike it's scary. Same age, same extra-good health, same concern for our sexuality and quality of life. I take no medication except a calcium & multi-vitamin daily, and did 10 miles on the ellyptical at the gym 6 days a week; and never weighed more than 130 lbs. at 5'7" tall. I'd never had surgey of ANY kind except my tonsils out as a child. Like you, I was told prior to surgery, based on my D&C, biopsies, and sonogram, and the fact that I had absolutely NO symptoms (not even 1 drop of blood) that I had caught this super early. (My cancer was originally suspected following a routine annual PAP test at my general practitioner's office!) I was so SURE I was fine that my husband and I left for a 9-day hiking trip in Utah 2 days after my D&C, completely unworried.

After my hysterectomy the oncologist told my family that all my organs looked clean but that the cancer had spread down 1 fallopian tube and had penetrated over 1/2 way through my uterous. They took 25 lymph nodes and 1 of them had microscopic cancer cells in it, so I was Staged at 3-c. We were in SHOCK! So, although I hate to shake your confidence in your certainty of a Stage 1 diagnosis, I'm pretty sure that can't be known until after the hysterectomy pathology is done, and can't be staged conclusively without adequate lymph nodes being taken for sampling and disection, including at least one para-aortic node from each side. Without proper staging, your oncologist won't have adequate information for treatment decisions.

But get that ER/PR assay done on your live tissue at the time of surgery (and HER2neu receptivity at the same time, while you're at it, to see if Herceptin is called for.) You can better decide on the hormone therapy if you know for a fact you are ER / PR negative. But don't be hoping for that, as ER/PR negative cancer cells are associated with more aggressive and recurrent uterine cancers. Better to have a cancer that is ER+ / PR+ with a high cure rate and give up your hormones. And you REALLY must give up your hormones if you test positive, as they very likely CAUSED you to get this cancer if that is the case and will FEED your cancer if you are hormone receptor positive. Over 80% of uetrine cancers are hormone positive, so please be HAPPY if you are, because that's such GOOD NEWS as far as achieving a cure.

I was more concerned about my CERVIX being removed than my ovaries. I didn't want a shortened vagina. But my surgeon wouldn't even consider not taking that out too. He said I'd be back in for MORE surgery if I didn't do 'optimal debulking' now. I wasn't given a choice; I'd have had to find another gynecologic oncologist to do the surgery if I didn't do his recommended surgery, and this guy had the most experience and best reputation in my state (and I already was driving 2 hours each way to get him!) Finding someone comparable would have lost me too much time. My current gyne-oncologist and husband both say I am not shortened; but I still thought I was, and use a vaginal dilator daily to make sure I'm NOT since I had so much radiation! You don't need your ovaries. If you are ER and PR negative, you can use a hormone cream that makes you just perfect inside. The photo here was taken in late May/early June 2010 when I was on a cruise. I've had my ovaries out 2 years now, and I think I still look pretty good for 57, and feel really GOOD for a woman who has had 21 rounds of chemo and 33 rounds of radiation to keep my recurremt cancer in check (as I am ER and PR negative). Please concentrate on staying ALIVE for now, then deal with the rest later. ((((hugs)))