Endometrial Cancer- Important Information

Just a quick post to share some very important information. For anyone new coming over to check out my blog- I would like to share just a little bit of my story - just in case it may help one of you.

3 months ago - I had a hysterectomy. I had an enlarged uterus and the Dr thought that I had - adenomyosis. So on November the 18th- I had a total hysterectomy. When my uterus was sent to the lab- they found cancer- Endometrial cancer or uterine cancer. This is very unusual for someone pre menopausal- and it is the reason why my cancer was not found early enough. The cancer was found to have grown to about 80% into the uterine wall. If they find the cancer before it gets past the 50% point of the uterine wall- they are more sure that the cancer has been contained in the uterus. And on top of it being so large - I also found out that my cancer cells were a grade 3 - the highest and most aggressive cancer cells. For this reason - I was sent to on oncologist and am undergoing chemo - 6 rounds of Carbo/Taxol. Every 3 weeks I get chemo. Last Friday I did my 3rd round. 3 more to go. I will be having to have 3-5 radiation treatments when the chemo is done.

What I would like to share with you ladies is- if you are menopausal and you begin to bleed- have it checked out ASAP- that is when people find this cancer in time - so that they are able to just do a hysterectomy and not end up having to have all the chemo and radiation. If you are pre- menopausal and you are having heavy periods and break through bleeding- or spotting more and more- be sure and get with your Dr and explain to her what is going on with you. Please look up Endometrial Cancer and see what all the symptoms are for it and be sure and let your Dr's know what is going on with you. I had spoken to my Dr the last time I went for an appointment and wish now that I had have pursued having it checked out sooner - rather than waiting a little over a year and then when I went in I knew that I needed to have more done- even though the pap smear tests comes back normal does not mean that everything is ok. Endometrial cancer does not show up on pap smear tests. So you have to let your Dr know what is going on with you- if you have heavy period- or are bleeding more and more- have it checked out. I am only 44 years old - and was diagnosed at 43 with this cancer that usually hits women that are post menopausal. And when it hits younger women it tends to be more serious because we just think that the symptoms are just premenopausal and so we let it slid.

I really hope that by me sharing my story - that I can help other women avoid having to go through what I am having to go through it is no fun. And it is also scary - to realize that you have had cancer growing inside of you for who knows how long and had no idea. It changes your life. I am so thankful that God led me to pushing have more testing done and that we found this cancer. Had I just had my pap smear and accepted my normal results - I might have been dead by the next time my annual came around. Cancer is nothing to play with - if you have problems - have it checked out - you will be glad you did.