Good morning
I’m new to the forum so introducing myself here. I will add info to my bio in due course, but suffice to say I received my diagnosis by biopsy result last week, but my consultant had been very clear on his impressions at colposcopy. I’m waiting for my staging MRI but going on the consultant impression and info in the MacMillan booklet, am preparing myself for stage 3 or more. I know it’s not helpful to speculate but I am also really struggling with this period of limbo so am trying to prepare myself for what is coming next without reading too much and scaring myself. It’s a fine line that’s hard to tread!
I also have type 1 diabetes, which I’ve only had 2.5 years, and I turned 50 earlier this year. Anxiety is currently quite a big issue for me, so I’m doing some breath work and trying to keep a bit distracted by pottering with work.
Overall my husband and children (16 and 19, nearly 20) seem to be coping ok: my parents are a worry and my dad in particular has taken it very badly. He himself has stage 4 oesophageal cancer and has been declining recently, and we also lost my only sibling, an older brother, to pancreatic cancer 10 years ago. So I can understand his anger, but trying to moderate it is an effort.
I will have a read through the threads over the coming days: I’m sure it will be helpful.
Hi molly1973 and welcome to our group.
I’m sorry to read you’ve had a cervical cancer diagnosis, and I appreciate how difficult this limbo state is while waiting for more information. I hope you’ll find plenty of advice and support here in the group for whatever treatment you’ll be having next. I’m sure your own family situation will also have a part to play in how you’re feeling-it’s a lot to deal with.
It’s a very fine line to tread between being informed and being scared, but I’ve seen people who are happy to have as much knowledge as possible to prepare themselves. I’ve also seen ladies assume from their reading and speculating that they have very advanced cancer and have no hope, where that often is not the case at all. But our minds can go to worst case scenario when we don’t have all the information we need.
I decided from the start that I would research nothing, not use Google, and didn’t join groups or forums-that came much later for me. I decided to take things day by day and only listen to what I was being told by my team, and follow their advice. Reading and research would not have told me anything about me as an individual, as we are all different and unique and all react differently.
I was guilty of trying to assess things by the reactions of my consultant, who looked like a kicked puppy when he first told me I had cancer! But then he said “I am treating you to cure you” and I held onto that instead. I don’t think now that we really can go by what we think someone might mean. Some just have no bedside manner and aren’t as good with people skills as they are with treating cancer!
You cannot assume anything at this stage-other than that you have a diagnosis of cancer, and it may well not be as bad as you fear. I thought mine would have spread everywhere due to not seeing a doctor for a long time after I first had symptoms, but that wasn’t the case at all. It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated by any means and I had had this for a long time.
I hope you don’t have too long to wait until your mri scan-there will be a wait for results but I think many of us found things much easier to manage once we knew exactly what we were dealing with, and what treatment was ahead. This allows us to focus on the reality of what’s next, and get on with it.
I hope you’ll keep us updated, and please use the group to ask any questions, or share any worries. We have experience in the group of different kinds of treatment and surgery and can hopefully help support you through.
Sarah xx
The waiting is the worst time of all I think. Don’t be afraid to ask your gp for help to deal with the anxiety, I understand how hard it is. But you have your mri date which means another step closer to answers.
Sarah xx
Hi molly1973
I’m glad you feel well supported and got some meds to help. I took Sertraline for about 18 months and found it definitely helped take the edge off my anxiety(which I had before my cancer diagnosis). My doctor suggested I stay on it through my first line of treatment, which I did.
Sarah xx
