Newly diagnosed and struggling to cope

Hi Willow32 I am so sorry to hear you have been diagnosed this week and can fully understnd how anxious you are feeling.  I can remember imagining all sorts going on inside and thinking the worst, which is quite normal to do.  I don't think I was told my grade until after surgery as that is when they do the histology on what they remove and can give you the final diagnosis on that.  I think I was told the stage from the results of the MRI and this was confirmed after surgery.  Hopefully you will get a treatment plan soon and then you can focus on preparing for that.  I only had a couple of weeks to wait for surgery and just wanted it to be done with so it could be removed.  It is completely normal to fear the worst, but they can do so much these days in the way of different treatments.  There are plenty of us here who have had different types and treatments so I am sure there will be support for you when you know your treatment plan.

Take care and try and eat and keep your strength up if you can.  

Hugs, Lesley xx

Thank you Lesley, really kind of you to reply so quickly. I definitely have a tendency to overthink everything. I will take your advice and try to eat something. 

Chris x

Hi Willow32, welcome to the group nobody wants to join. I'm sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed stage 3. Cancer has a horrible habit of messing with our mind making us fear allsorts. It's perfectly  natural and I don't know a lady here who hasn't had these thoughts. Try and remember though that you are the stronger person here, not the cancer, and whatever it throws at you, you can get through this with the support of all of us on the forum. As Poppysmum says it will be better when you get your treatment plan and have discussed your fears with your consultant and nurse then you will know what you are facing. We are all here in the meantime to support you. In the meantime try to keep busy to distract yourself, engross yourself in a hobby to help you relax, indulge in some meditation, music or reading and please try and stay off Google.. Now show the unwanted hitch hiker who is boss and please start eating again to keep your strength up. Love and hugs, God bless. Lamb.xx

Thank you Lamb, your advice is really appreciated. I am scheduled to get my treatment plan next Friday. I admit that I am terrified. However, I did manage to eat 2 fish fingers and half a carton of yoghurt this evening - I never thought that I would one day consider that to be such an achievement! 

Thank you

Chris x

I was diagnosed with stage 1a grade 3 so knew after the biopsy that I would have to have a hysterectomy and radiotherapy. You must take one stage at a time. You will get through this. Many people with this diagnosis come through it but it’s a long road ahead so you must find a way to deal with it. But that doesn’t mean you can go from A-Z, you can only go from A to B then from B to C etc. You are on this path and there’s no going back even though you wish you could. You will go through allsorts of emotions, that is normal! Do you have family support? There are lots of people that you can talk to but your hospital team will and should be able to help. You will be assigned a specialist nurse and you can ask them any questions. There is a lot of literature too but we are all different. I had no symptoms at all apart from two days post menopausal bleeding but it is a strange feeling to realise there is cancer inside you but your mind does play tricks.. try and concentrate on things you enjoy. Take a walk, have a nice meal, focus on the nice things and be kind to yourself. Do let us know how you get on. Sending a hug! X

Thank you for your support Galanthophile. It was really good to hear from you as I have had a particularly bad day and have just come off the phone from 111, now waiting for the doctor to call back. My anxiety is overtaking me and bringing my husband down with me. I have other, worrying symptoms which have convinced me that it has spread. I wont know until Friday this week if that is the case. I really appreciate your advice 

Thank you x

How are you Willow32? I am on a very similar road to yourself. The anxiety of waiting is dreadful and likewise my husband has suffered also. I hope you are ok.

Lorraine x

Hi Lozza C, thank you for taking the time to ask after me. I am with you on this dreadful roller-coaster. We need to hang on tight xxx  My husband has been my rock this week and I've seen a side of him that I didn't know existed and we've been together well over 30 years! My week has been a bit grim. The overthinking thing went into overdrive and made me physically ill. I got dosed up on Diazepam to help me cope. I don't have a treatment plan yet as I needed more scans to check liver and kidneys. I had those this morning and although the radiologist said things are ok, I am not counting my chickens. I'm told that the waiting is the worst bit, let's hope you and I have better news soon.

Sending you a massive hug 

Chris x

Hi Willow32.  Yes we must stay strong. I know how you feel with the otherthinking. I am the same and you are right it makes you physically drained. I have had the otherthinking that it has spread and you are imagining allsorts going on inside your body. The waiting is definitely the worst part. I went to the hospital on Thursday and have been booked for a hysterectomy on the 4th September. Definitely once you have a plan and you feel things are moving forward you will start to feel better. I have calmed down a lot and accepted it better now. I had been beating myself up that I hadn't gone to the doctors sooner but all of my symptoms could be explained away as something trivial. I never in a million years would have though of cancer but once this was mentioned my mind went into overdrive. We are stronger than we know and we will get through this time.

Sending you a massive hug back.

Lorraine x 

Hi, Willow

Cancer’s a bit of a bugger that way, playing with your mind and imagination. 

I was diagnosed two years ago with endometrial cancer and successfully treated, but it still comes to mind most days. I think it’s very normal at this very early stage that you feel preoccupied by it all. 

Thing is, as you read through this site, you will start to realise just how amazing the new treatments are. People with really advanced disease still living their lives after many years thanks to all the clever stuff available. 

Everyone’s journey is different, but there will come a point when you realise you’re living in spite of cancer and that it isn’t the only thing in the world. It’s just takes a little while to get to that point.

This site is a place where people will listen and acknowledge your feelings and they will be accepted as rightfully yours but we also want to tell you there is hope and lots of help available. Your cancer nurse specialist should be able to offer you a great deal of support (although I imagine that’s by phone at the moment). And hospitals really are as safe as anywhere when you need to go there. I work I one and am permanently drowning in bleach!

So let these people help and care for you - you’ll be amazed what they can do!

Lots of love

Gusbun xxxxxxx