Hi,
I was given the diagnoses of Grade 3 Endometrial Cancer on the 28th which was a shock.
I reported intermittent pink discharge to my doc middle of October. They referred me for an ultrasound which picked up a 1.5 cm polyp.
The biopsy couldn’t be done as I found it too painful/uncomfortable and so a general anaesthetic was organised to remove it on 8th Dec. At this point my gynae said it didn’t look worrying but he’ll send it off to be tested anyway.
28th December received a phone call to attend an urgent appointment same day, plus another one this coming week for an MRI. I was told it was a grade 3 cancer. I don’t know what type. The MRI is to see if it’s spread.
My Gynae told me I’ll need hysterectomy.
I’m very scared by all this especially since I’ve ignored bladder symptoms of occasional bleeding in urine and problems with flow of urine.
To make matters more complicated I was put on a vpap ventilator at night for my lungs in the Summer, my SPO2 levels are extremely low night and day.
I get pain in my lungs and the area where my liver is.
I’m very very scared.
I’m on my own with all of this. No family around or anyone for that matter. I’ve got to organise all of this and the recovery as well as organising where my beloved dog stays while I’m getting better.
Hello EndoCanc
Welcome to the Online Community and the Womb group.
I am so sorry to hear that you have had a diagnosis of grade 3 endometrial cancer. I remember myself what a shock it was and you can go through such a range of emotions. I was also grade 3.
It is understandable to feel scared and anxious and have lots of questions.
I will pop a link here to some information that I found helpful.
Womb cancer booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support
Hopefully you should have your scans very soon and from these they will give an idea of the stage of the cancer. The grade and stage is given provisionally before the hysterectomy and then after is confirmed. Sometimes it can change.
My hysterectomy happened 4 weeks after my bleed and it was done via keyhole. The surgery was straightforward and I recovered well from it. There was little pain and it was a case of taking things easy for a few weeks.
Once you have had your scans it is likely that you will be called in to discuss treatment details and you should be given a CNS (if you don't already have one) This will be a specialist nurse who will be your first port of call for any questions and who will be able to offer support.
I found once I had a provisional diagnosis I did tend to worry about any niggle/symptom and it is certainly natural to attribute this to the cancer having spread but with me - I did have some bladder frequency and discomfort in my abdomen (particularly around 2 weeks before surgery) and my CNS attributed this to my womb being sort of irritated by the cancer and all the anxiety around what was happening. Try not to worry to much at this stage. You have done the right thing in getting symptoms checked and when the scans have been done you should be much more aware of what the next steps are. I know that once I knew, I just wanted to get the surgery done and it was hard waiting for anything and the more I waited, the more I worried.
Do not be afraid to share any worries on here or to ask any questions- there are a lovely bunch of ladies on here who do understand as we have all been there.
If you click on my name, my profile will come up and will show you my journey. Any questions, do ask.
I totally understand your worries about your dog. If it helps I was only in hospital for 1 night and that does seem to be the norm. When you have your appointment they will talk you through in detail about your hysterectomy so should be able to confirm. I know I was worried about my cats but in a way, they helped my recovery.
Here is a link with some info about pets in case it helps.
Pet care when you have cancer | Macmillan Cancer Support
If at any point you feel talking things through would help, then please do give the Support Line a call. The details are at the end of this and they are really supportive on there.
Jane
Hi Catherine
I hope that the results come back quickly and are good.
I would imagine that the kidney area was being checked to rule out any issues around your bladder symptoms. It would be sensible I would think to scan them while you are having the pelvic area done so you do not at a later date need a separate one. I would not worry about it too much at this stage but if it does flag anything up then talk it through with your CNS.
Jane
