Hi!!
I can’t believe I am writing this! I was diagnosed with cervical cancer yesterday. In all honesty what I was told is one big blur so bare with me.
She (the gynea) told me I have a form of cancer further up in the cervix canal, glandular?? Cgin? Is that right?
I have to have another Lletz done on the 27th July, the cone shape one and she hopes that will remove the rest of the cancerous cells, if not I have to have a hysterectomy!
I am so freighted!! I have 5 children aged 4-12, I am 6 weeks away from completing my nursing degree too and I have an amazing husband who I love so much.
Please tell me how I feel is normal, I can’t focus but trying to keep everything as normal as possible for the children at home. Have informed work that I won’t be in today (I told my boss yesterday) due to not being focused or emotionally stable as I keep bursting into tear with the fear that I die. Sounds silly but I’m petrified.
I just don’t know what to do with myself, this wait is going to drive me insane.
I have read through some of these post and you ladies seem a friendly bunch so I hope you don’t mind me joining you!
Take care and thanks for looking xxx
What's the comment field?? Lol
Hi Micheele :-)
Welcome to the forum! I am so sorry to read of your distress! This stage that you are at is quite the scariest part of the whole experience, so if it comes as any consolation at all, things will get better for you soon. It sounds like what you have is called adenocarcinoma, which accounts for about 20% of all cervical cancers and it tends to be located that bit farther up inside the cervical canal. The other 80% of cervical cancers are called 'squamous cell' and tend to be located on the outer surface of the cervix closer to the vagina. I know that the word 'cancer' drives fear into most hearts but please be assured that this is a very, very curable cancer and you are so, so unlikely to die from it :-)
It sounds like it has been caught really nice and early if your gynae hopes it can be entirely got rid of with a cone biopsy. Let's hope she's right!
How you are feeling right now is completely normal :-) Some people go into shock/denial, some become very emotional, there is no right or wrong way to receive a cancer diagnosis.
Can I ask you one simple favour? from now on keep right away from Google! Any questions you have you just ask them on here and we will all jump in with answers for you - accurate ones!
(((((HUGS)))))
Be lucky :-)
Tivoli
Hi Michelle. This is a very difficult time and I know I panicked too. There are so many unknowns. The medical team follow a process involving tests and scans etc. If there is one good thing about having cervical cancer is that it happens very very slowly and the other good thing is that caught early there is an extraordinary good chance of cure. I found the best way to navigate it all is to stay calm, have faith in your treating team, stay off google and talk to all the wonderful women here.
Best wishes Jayne
Thank you for your replys!! I darent googled, I have died 10 times over already and learnt along time ago not to google anything!
I feel better today, saw my best friends who have really been fantastic, shocked but super supportive!
its when I'm not busy my mind races, one min I'm like gonna kick ass, the next I'm telling my husband to get the kids regular hair cuts, check their feet every few month as their feet grow so quick and thinking oh dear god will he remember to strip and wash the beds!! I feel like I'm being over dramatic one min then to blasay the next!!
Thanks for your reply Tivoli!! That A name does ring a bell!! I keep thinking they must have mixed me up with someone else then I think how do they know it's there if I only had 1cm taken away! im so confused!
michelle xxx
Hi Michelle, what you're feeling is completely normal, its terrifying being told you have cancer as we always associate it with the extreme end of the scale but cervical cancer when caught early is very easily treated. I was off work for about 10 weeks after diagnosis as I was in such a state mentally especially too as I have young children and was so worried for them. Did they give you a stage yet? I was diagnosed with cervical cancer 1a1 in January 2015 after having lletz to remove cin3, I then was told I would need the cone biopsy like you have been advised which I had and that was completely clear. After the all clear I was being seen 3 monthly for colposcopies and 6 monthly for smears all of which have been clear. I made a few changes to my lifestyle too to give my immune system the best chance, not sure if it all works but makes you feel a bit more in control and like you're helping yourself a bit. I hope they get your cone booked in quickly for you, mine rushed it due to my anxiety and the nurse called me a few days later with results to save me hanging around for the 2 weeks before I was due to see the consultant again so try and rush them along if you can x
I have the same, glandular which is called adnecarcinoma i believe. I just recieved my diagnosis on July 5th. I was terrified as I have not had a pap in many years. I started having some rough symptoms out of nowhere and booked a smear stat. It has all went really fast. I will have my pet scan next week, but after a thorough pelvic exam I am not a candidate for surgery because my tumor is too big. I meet with the chemo/rad team tomorrow, and will start treatment after pet scan. Doc has me staged as a 1b2, with my tumor being aprox 6 cm.
Hello Libby,
No stage yet, that doesn't help! She told me she (the gynea) wants me in quick to get it out. That's frightened me! I think because I'm a nurse I'm thinking things in my head, lymph nodes, bladder, bowels...it's the way nurses are wired lol.
im a terrible patient, I have my op scheduled for the 27th for the cone. I pray they get it all then!!
Telling my mum was so hard. Shes so worried. But it is what it is, I'll face it head on and hopefully the cone will be enough.
Thanks again xx
Oh lymph nodes!I was obsessed with lymph nodes! I didn't have mine removed as they said it was so small it wouldn't have spread, I still worry about the lymph nodes now but I have to trust they know what they're doing. Seems once you get to 1b1 they normally remove lymphnode to check but most 1a1 don't. I also had an mri, they said they wouldn't normally but was for my reassurance and it helped a bit when they told me that was clear. Seems all hospitals do things slightly differently, I'm not a nurse but I do tend to over think these things and look into everything myself and jump to the worst conclusion rather than trust what a very experienced and qualified consultant is telling me lol. I'm thinking they must think you're pretty early stages if they're talking about a cone biopsy to remove everything x
Hi Michelle.
As you can see we've all felt the same as you. Your comment about thinking they're talking about someone else is exactly how I still feel 7 months on from diagnosis!
Hopefully you'll get your treatment over and done with then all this will be a distant memory!
