Ive recently been diagnosed with endometrial cancer grade 3 and been referred to the consultant . It hasn’t been formally staged but the nurse thinks it’s stage 1a. I’m totally shocked and worried about the future . I know I need surgery but don’t know if I’ll need treatment after that. I’m also worried about how long I’ll have to wait for surgery. Trying to carry on as normal by working etc. but it’s difficult. I’ve found this forum very helpful so far x
Hello Amilly
Welcome to the Online Community. I am pleased that you have found the forum helpful so far. I found that it does help to share with others who have had the same experiences and to know a bit of what to expect.
I am sorry that you have had a diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Having a diagnosis is a scary time and one where you have lots of questions and want to know what happens next. It is normal to feel shocked and worried about the future. I know I did when I was diagnosed last year.
I was also grade 3. If you click on my name you will see my profile and it will give you a bit of info on the timings. My surgery took place 4 weeks after my first symptoms of bleeding. I had my hysterectomy in April last year. Different hospitals have different criteria but after surgery they will wait for you post op pathology to come back to confirm your final stage and grade. This is the info that they use to decide on further treatment.
I worked until the surgery and found mostly that it did help to carry on my normal routine. I did have some difficult days and it is hard to focus on work when you are going through all of this. Have you been able to confide in your manager or anyone at work so they can give you some support. That helped for me. Sometimes I just needed 5 minutes out and a cuppa.
I will pop a link below to some information I found helpful when I was first diagnosed.
Womb cancer booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support
Hope this helps a bit. I hope you do not have to wait too long to find out when your surgery will be. I found that things moved fairly quickly but there is no harm in contacting your hospital or even GP to get an update. I did this several times and it was helpful.
In the meantime if there is anything else you want to ask, please do so. There are a lot of lovely ladies on here who have been where you are now and will understand.
Jane
From personal experience and from being on here, most people with Grade 3 do seem to have some sort of follow up but it really does depend on what is found post op. Some may not. It all seems to depend on what they find and where exactly. I had chemo and external radiotherapy due to being grade 3 but I was still early stage 1b. I did not have any cancer cells in my cervix so I did not have brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy. There are lots of factors they take into consideration- including your own wishes.
I found the best thing was to focus on the op to begin with and the recovery from that. Take it all one step at a time. If you do find out you need some further treatment then there is time to think about that later. Before surgery I was told stage 1-2 but no grade was given. I was told if anything I may need brachytherapy. After the results that changed to 1b grade 3 which meant different treatment was offered.
Am glad you have spoken with your manager and that they are being supportive.
Acceptance is one of the stages I think that most of us have to go through. For me it was like the initial shock, then numbness, then anxiety/panic, then accepting the diagnosis and working through what I needed to do. Once I had a plan I did feel a bit more in control. I don't think there is any right or wrong way to feel at the moment. Just reach out and talk to people when you need to. We are here if you need us.
The Support Line is also good if you feel talking it through will help. The number is below.
Jane
