What worried you the most about your diagnosis? Were there any good things learned at the time of diagnosis? Please share your experiences and interact with the other members in the comments below!
survivor2009
BuildCommunity
DianaPrince303
LivestrongSurvivor
Kathy_SHARE
Kitty_SHARE
Hi,
When I was first diagnosed in 2015, before the initial pathology report came back, my main worry was how long have I had this disease. How long had I been walking around not knowing what was going on in my body? I always thought I had been in tune with my body and have been pretty healthy, regularly seeing doctors for check ups and screenings.
My initial symptom was unusual.I had a vaginal discharge but no bleeding. Since I knew that any discharge was unusual after menopause, I immediately saw my gynecologist who didn't miss a beat in her effort to determine a diagnosis. It was her diligence and follow up that I believe saved my life. I had some scans which showed polyps, so she performed a hysteroscopy with biopsy and found high grade endometrial cancer. Before she called me with the diagnosis, she arranged for me to see a surgical oncologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and I had surgery two weeks later. (hysterectomy, bilateral removal of tubes and ovaries and extensive lymph node dissection).
The good thing I learned was that the cancer was confined to the uterus. However, since the pathology report indicated "serous features" I was advised to have chemotherapy and brachytherapy to help prevent recurrence. I had 5 treatments of radiation and 5 of Carbo/Taxol.
I'd have to say that what worried me most at my diagnosis was how long I had to live. I heard stage IV and immediately began thinking of it as a death sentence. However, my doctor saw my reaction and realized what I was thinking, because he immediately told me NOT to think of it that way. He assured me that stage did not equate to longevity, that in his experience he had seen folks with stage four long outlive their original prognosis. That advice was probably the best thing I could have heard, because it gave me hope. The following year, after I had completed my treatment and was declared in remission, I asked the same oncologist what my chances of recurrence were. He told me that he wasn't a big believer in statistics, because statistically, I shouldn't have been in remission. He reminded me that we are never promised more that today and that I should go out and live my life the way I wanted, regardless of what might happen in the future. That was almost four years ago, and I am living a wonderful life with no signs of recurrence. Worry got me no where, but faith and hope, combined with an awesome medical team and support network, have led to a great life!
I was blessed with my GYN Doctor he told me that he would recommend me to one of the best in the field to perform my hysterectomy although he is a surgeon he was not an Oncologist. That statement from Dr. Freedman that day made me respect him even more.
When I diagnosed with endometrial cancer my first thought was that I was going to die but my doctor reassured me by telling me that the cancer was found at an early stage so therefore the prognosis looked promising for survival. I was put on hormone therapy and attended every one of my appointments and maintained an open communitive relationship with my Oncologist which I think made my care run smoothly.
