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!