Uterine Cancer Survivor
I had felt very tired for a long time. I was easily fatigued, and had many of the symptoms listed on Cancer Schmancer for uterine cancer--but none of the other medical sites I visited really presented enough of the symptoms for me to recognize it. Nothing showed up on pap smears. Then one day, I just started bleeding, and it was oddly watery. I checked the web and saw this plus my other symptoms can be signs of cancer or other "female" problems." So I headed to my doctor and he sent me to a new gynecologist in the neighborhood. She immediately ordered an ultra-sound, and my uterus was so thick it didn't look at all like a uterus was supposed to. Then my gynecologist did a biopsy in her office, and found cancer. She encouraged me to see a specialist immediately. She sent me to a gynecologic oncologist who did some more tests and procedures before finally saying I needed a complete hysterectomy, and they would also send a frozen sample of my nearby lymph nodes for analysis.
Then in February 2010, I was supposed to have the Da Vinci procedure, but a piece was missing, so my doctor did use the incisions he made for the machine and also removed everything through the vagina. It seemed to go very well, and I was told I might not even need chemo or radiation since it was stage 1b. I'm almost due for a checkup. I'm feeling great, although I occasionally have a little abdominal pain and bleeding. Now my greatest challenge is lifestyle--getting my weight down and working up to be able to do a greater variety of exercises. I had also had shoulder surgery a couple of months earlier, so I'm working on healing from both! Life is good, and I'm thankful for my excellent doctors and Fran!
Comments
uterine cancer
Not something to mess around with. Glad all went well so far. To drop pounds and reduce circulating estrogen (belly fat contributes) take a lock at Dr. Joel Fuhrman's 6 week diet and or his "Eat to Live" book and diet series.I did NOT read or buy anything. Just read and heard about him and saw his presentation on Public Television.
In a nutshell, his food pyramid has all vegetables and fruits at the bottom. The 6-week plan was designed for persons who must lose weight rapidly (while maintaining good nutrition) because of illness or disease. (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, etc.)
Eat 1 lb of raw vegetables and 1 lb of cooked vegetables and 4 fruits each day. Keep starchier vegetables and whole grains to a cup or less per day. Legumes, seeds and nuts are OK, but watch the oils (even the good stuff). Essentially - "the salad is your entree" You have to eat a log of vegs to get enough of their proteins and a legume plus a whole grain together make a "complete protein" that contains alls 12 essential amino acids.
I'm trying very hard to reduce weight because of issues with uterine wall thickness and bellyfat. So far I've reduced by 18 pounds. The first 10 took about 3 mos with my own haphazard method. The eight pounds came off in 3-4 weeks with Dr. Fuhrman's vegetable-centric plan. Not hungry, everything tastes good, and I substitute inexpensive frozen vegs to reduce cost of all that produce (and storage space in frig).