newly diagnosed with serous carcinoma

minniejan
minniejan Member Posts: 88
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
Good Morning,

On Tuesday I was diagnosed with high grade serous carcinoma after suffering with nebulous symptoms for months. I have yet to see a gynecological oncologist, but have appointments with two. One at a suburban hospital near my home and another at a leading university hospital in Philadelphia. As it is the holiday season it seems so stressful and scary. I am very fortunate though to have a supportive daughter who is an oncology nurse. At this point I am still reeling from this, and am angry. I was helping to care for an elderly mother with dementia who needed total twenty four hour care prior to my diagnosis, for about 15 months. I would drive 300 miles each way monthly to help out for a week to ten days. We finally placed my mother in a nursing home after helping with round the clock care for 15 months, and now this. I finally found I could breathe and enjoy life, and boom! I have found that caregivers tend to get ill themselves when the caregiving is over. I need to get over my anger, get positive and go forward. Thanks for listening.

Jan

Comments

  • Becky444
    Becky444 Member Posts: 29 Member
    #2
    Newly diagnosed
    Dear Jan,

    I am so sorry you have come up with this diagnosis. I was diagnosed with UPSC in 8/09 at Stage IIIA, Grade 1. I empahsize with you as I also cared for my Mom for 3 yrs with Mult. Myeloma only to find out five month after she passed that I had UPSC. I think we just get so depleted, it weakens our immune system.

    It is a good to get a couple opinions if you can. I hope they are very soon. You have come to the right place for information & support. It is a great place and I find I have a strong connection to all these women of great courage. The information & friends I have here are so important and have helped me on my journey.

    I wish you the best & please let us know how you are doing. Blessings & peace to you.

    Becky
  • jazzy1
    jazzy1 Member Posts: 1,379
    #3
    Becky444 said:

    Newly diagnosed
    Dear Jan,

    I am so sorry you have come up with this diagnosis. I was diagnosed with UPSC in 8/09 at Stage IIIA, Grade 1. I empahsize with you as I also cared for my Mom for 3 yrs with Mult. Myeloma only to find out five month after she passed that I had UPSC. I think we just get so depleted, it weakens our immune system.

    It is a good to get a couple opinions if you can. I hope they are very soon. You have come to the right place for information & support. It is a great place and I find I have a strong connection to all these women of great courage. The information & friends I have here are so important and have helped me on my journey.

    I wish you the best & please let us know how you are doing. Blessings & peace to you.

    Becky

    Welcome Jan~
    Sorry you're going thru this, but as Becky mentioned, you're in a great spot to receive guidance and support.

    I can't help but to read about both of you working so hard to help a loved one with a disease. This same issue was going on with me, but more at that time with my job and family together. Then during my treatments my mom was diagnosed with alzheimers and I was attempting to take care of her in her own home (4000 sq ft) alone, then moving her to assisted living facility. Wow lots of work and stress.

    You'll find with lots of research and past postings on this site, many writings of a link between stress and cancer. If you do a search above you will find so much information. Most recently Maggie went to a commonweal facility in California. Her comment as to what she learned -- NO STRESS!! IT'S THE WORST THING FOR US. As Becky commented -- we get so d epleted, it weakens our immune system.

    Plse keep us posted on your progress as we care. WELCOME...

    Jan (I do love your name as well)
  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #4
    Dear Jan:
    Sorry to hear
    Dear Jan:

    Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. How wonderful you are to have taken care of your mother for so long.

    Please look at the posts initiated by Linda. I believe she has been or lives near the Philadelphia area and she has logged all of her treatments and has done a lot of research. You will find her posts very helpful and uplifting. Plus all of the other wonderful people on this board.

    Although the thought of this is scary, you will be able to enjoy life. Also, you be the one who makes the decisions and don't feel rushed to go into treatment right away until you are satisfied.

    My best to you.

    Kathy
  • Always Hopeful
    Always Hopeful Member Posts: 234
    #5
    Dear Jan,
    So sorry about your dx. Know that the group of women on this board are more than just a support group...the knowledge amassed from the postings is quite amazing.

    I'm concerned about the anger you are feeling, although I can truly understand it. I guess I look at anger as another stressor in our lives that we MUST take control of. Hopefully, you will soon be able to come to grips with everything and be able to move forward for yourself. Dealing with a cancer dx is tough, as we all know. We have to constantly tell ourselves to stay positive, be proactive while taking good care of ourselves.

    I am sending positive vibes your way so that you can, as you said, "get over my anger, get positive and go forward." Remember today and every day, to LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH!!!

    Peace and hope, JJ
  • hopeful girl 1
    hopeful girl 1 Member Posts: 454
    #6
    Always Hopeful said:

    Dear Jan,
    So sorry about your dx. Know that the group of women on this board are more than just a support group...the knowledge amassed from the postings is quite amazing.

    I'm concerned about the anger you are feeling, although I can truly understand it. I guess I look at anger as another stressor in our lives that we MUST take control of. Hopefully, you will soon be able to come to grips with everything and be able to move forward for yourself. Dealing with a cancer dx is tough, as we all know. We have to constantly tell ourselves to stay positive, be proactive while taking good care of ourselves.

    I am sending positive vibes your way so that you can, as you said, "get over my anger, get positive and go forward." Remember today and every day, to LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH!!!

    Peace and hope, JJ

    Jan
    Jan,

    There are so many emotions to deal with when first diagnosed-and it is certainly understandable you would feel anger among them.

    These boards are a wonderful source of information and support. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer 3C in Feb 2010, had two surgeries, 6 chemos and 25 radiations. My last chemo was Nov 2nd. These boards really helped me alot, to hear the encouragements of others telling me "you can do this, I got thru' it and so can you." It helped give me the strength to think that maybe all of those treatments which seemed so overwhelming and scarey at the time, were do-able and that I too could get thru' them.

    As everyone mentions, stress is bad for our immune systems.

    I read that we need to laugh, laugh, laugh and help our immune systems. I found it helped and still helps to take things one day at a time.

    You can do this!

    Cindy
  • minniejan
    minniejan Member Posts: 88
    #7
    hopeful girl 1 said:

    Jan
    Jan,

    There are so many emotions to deal with when first diagnosed-and it is certainly understandable you would feel anger among them.

    These boards are a wonderful source of information and support. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer 3C in Feb 2010, had two surgeries, 6 chemos and 25 radiations. My last chemo was Nov 2nd. These boards really helped me alot, to hear the encouragements of others telling me "you can do this, I got thru' it and so can you." It helped give me the strength to think that maybe all of those treatments which seemed so overwhelming and scarey at the time, were do-able and that I too could get thru' them.

    As everyone mentions, stress is bad for our immune systems.

    I read that we need to laugh, laugh, laugh and help our immune systems. I found it helped and still helps to take things one day at a time.

    You can do this!

    Cindy

    Thanks to the replies to my
    Thanks to the replies to my post. I am very new to this website and am learning how to navigate it. Everything is just so confusing at this point, I go for a CT scan today in an hour, prior to my doctor's appointments next week.
    I am slowly letting go of my anger, and my family and friends are a big part of that. I am sure as I navigate around this site and learn more, this will become very helpful as well.
  • Songflower
    Songflower Member Posts: 608
    #8
    minniejan said:

    Thanks to the replies to my
    Thanks to the replies to my post. I am very new to this website and am learning how to navigate it. Everything is just so confusing at this point, I go for a CT scan today in an hour, prior to my doctor's appointments next week.
    I am slowly letting go of my anger, and my family and friends are a big part of that. I am sure as I navigate around this site and learn more, this will become very helpful as well.

    We're here to help you
    Your anger is natural; I saw a therapist and she told me I needed to cry twice a day. And not feel guilty! If we box in anger it makes it worse.

    As you begin your treatment ask for a tissue assay; it is not done normally but can give you great information as to what chemo's and treatments can help you. You will have alot of blood (CA 125), scans, before surgery. Get your teeth cleaned before chemo. Chemo is cumulative so it gets harder as time goes on; Alot of times I had my daughter stay with me for the last one. Check the search board too. ALot of the girls do meditation to CD's for cancer patients. For some reason I love Bellaruth.

    A therapist is also helpful in dealing with all that we go through. I saw one and found it very helpful. I liked a safe place where I could let every feeling out and not feel like I have to be the charged up smiling cancer patient all the time.

    You will learn alot on these boards about different treatments. It amazes the varied treatments throughout the country. Try searching clinical trials and you can see what is really on the front in research. Most of us get carbo/taxol because it's been so effective.
    We are here to cry, cheer, steam, and just be with you.

    Diane
  • dhad
    dhad Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2021 #9
    Post grade 3 serous carcinoma

    I just joined because I happened to have read a posting of 10 years ago about pain in the hips post chemo and radiation.  To anyone reading this I've learned that not only will radiation affect your cancer, but it will affect the area that is being treated, i.e., pelvic, low back and hips.  I developed sciatica and hip bursitis of which I am dealing with now and which I was told it was a result of radiation, perhaps not something everyone would experience.  Now on to my story:

    Hearing about my diagnosis a year ago blindsided me and caused my heart to skip a few beats.  Then it was off to research.  When I met with my oncologist and radiologist I asked them to be open and transparent with me, I wanted the good with the bad and even asked for reading material so I could understand this type of cancer.  I was also fortunate enough to not have suffered the many side effects of the treatment, mine was minimal, with peripheral neuropathy that was constant 12-14 hours a day but bearable.   I also kept a daily diary of how I was feeling and how I dealt with it.  Red light therapy, massage, heating pad, ice, aspirin and occasional 2.5 mg. oxicodone for sleep so my body could rest and recover.  My family helped with usual chores of cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. which allowed me to rest and return to oil painting and genealogy, as my way of keepng positive and unfocused on my health issue.  Yes it is in the back recess of my mind, but I feel I'm in God's hands and his plan.  To all out there, I sincerely hope you are coping and doing well.  Aloha, Di 

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