Endometrial cancer survivors

I am week 9 post op of the Davinci Laparoscopic Hysterectomy. I was diagnosed on Jan 27th with endometrial cancer stage 1. They sent everything off to pathology while I was on the surgical table or rather hanging (youre upside down with the robotic surgery) to check if it had spread. It was only in the lining so no further treatment other than quarterly checks. It will be a hard surgery. I've only just started to feel normal again and I was quite active. Hiking, biking, yoga, gardening, running a business and working for a corporate corporation. Take it slow, get all the help you can, don't bother with the house or laundry, know this is only temporary and as they say "if you have to have any of the "woman cancers" this is the best one to have. My GYN told me I would live to be a 100 if I took care of myself, that this cancer wasn't going to do me in.

So I got 50 more years left to go God willing. I was just ready to have the cancer out of me. I was in surgery 26 days after diagnosis to my relief.

Good for you for catching it early. Take care and holler if you have any questions.

Best of wishes

Dee

Mary -this is a question I can answer I had endo cancer at 51, as did my Mum at 51, and would you believe it my sister also at 51, and the Dr's say there is no family links that are known of.

?I am now 66, so that is 15 years later, and Mum lived to 87 when she had a massive stroke that she survived but in a coma, we had to just let her go, not a very happy Xmas that year.

?Thank god like you it was discovered in the early stages, Dr and senior nurse sister Sibling, yes the one who also got the same, said to me it is usually discovered except for someone older who has ignored unusual bleeding long after change of life, and in ignoring those symptoms they put their lives in danger, and apparently it is very slow growing which is a bonus when you hear all the horror stories about other cancers.

?You will be fine, take it easy, forget about housework, get someone in, or get help from family, it is a big surgery, or it was for me, about 6 weeks before able to do much at all, but after that up and away, no slowing me down.

?My surgery was 12 days after diagnoses via D + C, they were not even looking for a cancer, so came as a surprise to even the Dr's as they had discharged me from hospital after D + C.

Only symptom I had was extremely heavy bleeding with periods that I had been complaining about for the previous 4 - 5 years, multiple D + C could find no cause other than hormonal, and when they tried that only made me sick, vomiting, itching skin, and then enventally a heomerage where I needed 3 units of blood that resulted in final D+C that found the endo cancer.

I had laposcopic surgery for endometrial cancer 6 weeks ago. I was grade 3 so the Dr told me to expect the worst. Mine turned out to be stage 1b. My lymph glands were removed up by my aorta, they turned out to be clear. Since yours is grade 1 I bet you will only need surgery. I will be having 3 radiation treatments when I am fully healed. Take it easy afterwards. You will feel like being very active one day and the next day you may have more discomfort and perhaps spotting. My tumor was half way into the myometrium. If it had been less than that I wouldn't need the radiation. It was all so frightening. I know how you feel believe you will be fine.

Thinking of you today, I was diagnosed 3 years ago at stage1A, so know how you must be feeling.

Good luck I'm sure all will be fine

oxox Phoebe.

Hi, Mary,

Sorry not to reply sooner.  I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2016, and staged after the surgery at 1a, no spread to the adjacent lymph nodes.  Nothing further needed.  I am not writing this to scare you, because I am sure that you will come through this entirely well.  

My oncologist continued to monitor me every 3 months. All my blood work looked good.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel recovered and couldn't seem to get my strength back.  It is important to know that the only cancer that can be shown by a CT scan is when the cells grow to the size of roughly a pencil eraser. 

Unfortunately, I felt a tumor in the muscle of my abdomen about a year later, just as my oncologist was about to arrange for a CT scan.  The resulting CT scan  and MRI showed that growth, as well as cancer cells in lymph nodes in my groin.  This wasn't a reoccurrence. The cancer had been there all the time.

Since August, 2017, I have had 6 months of chemo every 3 weeks, surgery and am now having radiation. I am grateful to have the chance to finally deal with this.

My suggestion for you is that you monitor your own health, especially how you feel.  If something doesn't seem right, speak up.  Don't let anyone make you feel foolish.  Learn about what you're gong through, so you can participate in your own recovery.  

Please know that you're in my prayers. xx     

I definitely will. 🤗