Uterine cancer
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:21
Is there anyone out there that has/had or knows of anyone with uterine cancer?
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:23
#2
Uterine cancer
have just finished 28 radio sessions and am home. Very little info available on this cancer nor do I know anyone with it. Anyone out there been through it ? Strong
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:24
#3
Uterine cancer
I was diagnosed this year & had a full hysterectomy in june. my gyno was shocked to find it was cancer. luckily my lymph nodes were clear but the cancer have gone into the wall of my uterus. it was a complete fluke it was discovered & that was only thru my gp ordering an ultra sound to see what was causing tummy aches, the aches had nothing to do with the cancer
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:25
#4
Uterine cancer
I had a total hysto in July followed by 28 sessions of radio in case lymph nodes were affected even though PET scan was clear. Now home 4 weeks and getting slowly better with bowel and bladder. Skin which was burnt has peeled but still have a delightful tan where the sun doesnt normally reach( ha ha). My symptons started with slight post-menapausal bleeding and smelly discharge - unfortunately I was in the NT on a remote station for 6 weeks and didnt want to rock the boat with medical concerns, so shut my mouth, hoped I had enough pads to last and on my return went straight to Gyno.
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:26
#5
Uterine cancer
Just read your post , I had surgery for uterine cancer in April. But I was lucky that I only needed 4 brachytherapy treatments. It must have been very difficult to undergo so many radiotherapy treatments. The one problem with surgery and treatment ,you do not know what is normal . The thoughts of does everyone still feel like this, or has discomfort for this amount of time. Good luck and hope you are soon on the way to recovery. ir
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:27
#6
Uterine cancer
I have had uterine cancer and had surgery in April 08 . Followed by Brackytherapy (radiation delivered through the vagina). My tumor was more than 50% through the uterine wall. But lymph nodes were clear,with no hot spots found on pet scan. What supprised me the number of the females in my husbands family said. But did you not have your pap smear? So how many people are there who think uterine cancer is picked up by a pap smear.
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:28
#7
Uterine cancer
Ingrid, Thanks for you reply. I have also sent you a private message. I have been told that a pap smear would not have picked up my cancer as it was up too high. First test they thought it was cervical cancer, but then, when I had the hysteroscopy it was discovered that the cancer had started up much higher. Stay happy & healthy everyone.
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:29
#8
Uterine cancer
Hi Ingrid, It is amazing how many women think the pap smear is a panacea for detecting women's cancers. The current cervical cancer screening brochure says "Why you need to have a Pap smear every two years
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:30
#9
Uterine cancer
Hi Beccnat - I think awareness about uncommon types of female cancers needs to be raised. We hear sooo often about Breast Cancer and the rest barely get a mention. I found it scary when diagnosed in July with Uterine Cancer because it was never on my radar - yep we have a PAP smear and mammogram and we all think we will be fine. How wrong can we be...... Until I went in The Relay for Life and spoke to Cancer Council people I didnt even know about this support group or I would have made enquiries earlier. Kinda makes me mad to think how ignorant I was, even though I had done Net Searches on UC. Good luck and I'm thinking of you
Wed, 11/03/2009 - 12:31
#10
Uterine cancer
I agree. Until I was told I had uterine cancer, I hadn't heard of it. Cervical and Breast Cancers yes, but there is a whole more that women can get, just look at this forum. I was told that with uterine cancer it cannot be detected by a pap smear. By the way, it is good to see a lot more ladies posting messages on here now.
Wed, 11/11/2009 - 20:36
#11
Re: Uterine cancer
Ive just been diagnosed with this on Monday and am right now just stressed out to the max. Im only 33 and really not happy about having to have my uterus removed as we dont have any kids yet. Does anyone know if there is any other options. I cant get in to see the oncology doctor till next wed and am trying to find out what I can beforehand. All I know about it at the moment is that the cancer was found when I had a d+c and it is apperently a high grade which accoriding to my gyno is the best one. I know thats not not alot of info but anything you ladies can tell me id be very grateful
Wed, 11/11/2009 - 22:36
#12
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi there,
I am 34 years old & was diagnosed with cancer of the cervix when I was 31. I know how terrifying it can be. I had a hysterectomy with radiation and chemo and that was a heart breaking decision to have to make! basically in my situation there werent really any other options. You will find out more when you see your Oncologist so until then try (I know its nearly impossible) not to panic. They will do some further investigations and then tell you your options.
I will send you an invite to our womens support group or you can join by clicking on the groups icon on the top right hand side of the screen, there are a few women in our group who are going through the same thing & Im sure it will help to be able to chat some more.
Take care
Vanessa
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 09:11
#13
Re: Uterine cancer
Has anyone had bowel urgency problems after radiation 9 now 1 year later and no better)? I seem to need to go very urgently 1st thing in the morning and then immediately after a meal. Is this common? Would appreciate info on this delicate subject.
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 10:44
#14
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi Strong,
I know exactly what you mean! I suffer from the exact same thing. I have had scans done and my Onc has ordered a small bowel series which I havent had done yet. There is apparently one small section of the bowel which is fixed and so is always in the path of the radiation. I have a friend who had the same radiation I did and suffered the same side effects, she had hyperbaric therapy at St Vincents in Sydney. It fixed her straight away. If it wasnt so time consuming I would have had the same, although it may end up that I have no choice.
About 3 days per month I have terrrible pain in my side which eventually just goes away on its own, but usually a heat pack is the only thing that works to alleviate some of the pain so I can sleep. I know they say it should be a short term problem but it has been 3 years for me and it is not going away!
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 16:29
#15
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi Strong,
great to catch up with you again! I have huge bowel issues from the radiation and although we had different cancers we had radiation in similar areas. I've found a change in diet has almost controlled things. Some days are worse than others and I don't think that I will ever get back to pre cancer control but things are cope-able. I pretty well got rid of all processed foods and really increased the amount of fibre I ate including taking some fibre supplements. At first I was really nervous about it as it didn't make sense to increase fibre to help with bowel control but it really worked for me. Some days I have my dose of wonderful processed foods such as chocolate, white bread, rice etc but I pay for it shortly after. I know it sounds pretty extreme but it was my sanity saver and a bonus is that I have lost 16kg without really trying. A win win choice. I know it won't be the answer for everyone but it might be worth exploring.
Vanessa, I would love to hear more about the hyperbaric therapy your friend had - it sounds promising.
Sharon
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 21:30
#16
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi again,
Yes this has been a major issue for me since finishing the treatments. From what I have been told by my Docs, in my case anyway probably adhesions in the bowel from the radiation. I have been told many times to eat a diet of very low fibre, basically I need to live on white bread and white rice and cake! No salad, fruit, vegies or cereal, the things the I eat everyday. I can not do it which is probably why I suffer with the pains frequently.
The oxygen therapy is basically the same thing a diver with the bends would have, you sit in the chamber and breathe high levels of oxygen everyday for 30 minutes for about a month. I know with my beautiful friend, (passed away on the 6th of October 09 - love you Alli,) she found this helped her almost immediately. I would find it hard to do right now, simply because I still have a little one at home.
Here is a link that explains what the treatment is used for and how effective it is;
http://www.uhms.org/ResourceLibrary/Indications/DelayedRadiationInjury/t...
you might have to copy and paste into your browser. Im not sure if it is an Aussie site but the explanations are the same. It might be worth a try!
The link does work...even though it looks like it has been cut off, just click and it should take you there.
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 21:03
#17
Re: Uterine cancer
Hello everyone,
Gee, isn't it nice to know that you are not alone?
I have had bowel problems too since my radiation nearly 2 years ago. It doesn't happen all the time, just every so often and it is SO annoying. I have seen my doctor that does my colonoscopies and he has suggested a bowel scan. Don't know when I can get that done as the doctor that does it is on maternity leave.
Can I ask something personal please? Do any of you get the feeling that you need to go, or just find later that you have had an accident.
Thanks again friends. Bev
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 23:34
#18
Re: Uterine cancer
When you have anal cancer nothing is too personal 
I was having several accidents a day straight after treatment. Sometimes I felt it and sometimes I didn't. Bowel incontinence was a huge problem and very debilitating. It is very common in anal cancer treatment and the forums I am a member of are full of helpful hints.
Although it was different for Vanessa I found that bulking things up with fibre helped heaps. I have learnt what foods are going to wreak havoc and I have learnt to either avoid them or occasionally enjoy them but be prepared for the consequences. But on saying that it's definitely choosing the right fibre. It's the non digestible stuff that seems to help. For example things like pears, grapes and watermelon are big no no's but apples and prunes are ok. Not sure of the theory of it and maybe everyone's trigger foods are different.
Hope that helps a little bit???? I could go into a lot more grossness but this forum is pretty open to everyone 
Sharon
xxxxx
Fri, 13/11/2009 - 23:43
#19
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi Vanessa,
Sorry to hear about your friend Alli. The loss of anyone to cancer is heartbreaking.
It's tough with a little one at home isn't it. Somedays I would love to curl up on the lounge and veg but it's just not going to happen. My youngest is 2 and a half and she is very good at being 2 1/2 Love her dearly but there is no off switch!
xxxxx
Thu, 07/01/2010 - 20:57
#20
Re: Uterine cancer
Hi Everyone,
I have recently been diagnosed with Uterine cancer. I am 28 years old, and have one child (a daughter) who turned 1 this past November.
From what I have been reading, the most common form of treatments are radium and hysterectomy. Has anyone had Chemotherapy instead of radiotherapy, and not had a complete hysterectomy? I go for my first round of Chemo tomorrow morning, and my doctor thinks he will be able to remove one of my ovaries, and burn away the cancerous part of my uterus and also the cancerous cells in my cervix.
It's absolutely terrifying, especially as my mother died from breast cancer 14 years ago. I guess I just want to make sure that I'm getting the proper treatment etc.
Joanna xo
Tue, 24/01/2012 - 15:59
#21
Re: Uterine cancer
I have recently been told i have low grade uterine cancer... because
1. I am only 30 years old
2. I havnt have any children
they are trying hormone therapy which will mean hormone injections for the rest of my life and bisposy op everyu few months for the next few years
All up i am told it was really good news but all i want to do is hide from the world
Yes, I was Diagnosed with it in 2006