To ask about your experience with endometrial/uterine cancer

[mindutopia]

Have any of you had experiences with endometrial (uterine) cancer that you would be comfortable sharing? How was it treated? What was your treatment experience like? Prognosis? Has it caused any longer term issues etc? Basically anything you can share that would be helpful for someone to know about supporting someone who is going through it?

My DM who I love but have a sometimes difficult relationship with has recently been diagnosed with it, I think. I say I think because she refuses to admit it or talk about it, but she had some spotting, they did an ultrasound and then rushed her in for a hysterectomy about a week or so later. I have a medical background (though don’t personally know much about cancer), so I’m not a moron. She said they found a ‘mass’ that has been sent for further testing and they’ve done a scan to check if it had spread (it hadn’t appeared to). But as she doesn’t want to talk about it as she struggles to admit she is anything but happy and life is anything but wonderful all the time (didn’t even tell me she’d been in hospital until a week after she was discharged), I’m not really sure what to expect in terms of what happens next or how I can support her through it. It would be reassuring to hear from anyone who has been through it themselves or with a family member.

I've had it. It's far more common in post menopausal women though and I was lucky as they caught me early. The treatment was a hysterectomy, (which I delayed having) and I was told if it hadn't spread no chemo or radio would be required. I was told the prognosis for five year survival rates were very good, and that because mine was confined to the organ, that it's removal meant I was at no more risk than anyone else of any other cancers. I was very strictly told that a good five year prognosis did not mean I wasnt going to have a long healthy life, it just means that's what they are measuring for. I 've had three monthly follow ups for two years post op which were internals to check all ok.

I found very little information available though to a pre menopausal woman. It's a really hard operation to recover from, it took me four months to really physically feel like myself again, aside from all the problems that a chemical menopause brings. It's also really traumatic to get a diagnosis, you can't quite process the information, you feel like everyone else has to be looked after and considered, and I felt I had to do so much research but I just ended up sobbing every time I got into it.

My care was excellent, but I found the emotional side of it far harder than I thought it would be. I wasn't one for admitting to be vulnerable and it was a bit of a fright to find myself there. My hospital ran courses for relatives of those who had cancer to help them process it emotionally, that might be worth looking into. Hope that helps a bit.

Yes I do. Not me personally but in my family.

Normally you have a hysterectomy and sometimes chemotherapy. It's quite easy to diagnose if you are observant and if caught early and you take your symptoms to the GP who normally diagnose and send for tests -meaning it is caught early.. Bloating, bleeding etc. Most of the time.

Hysterectomy is major surgery. C word is terrifying. Chemotherapy can knock you for 6 or 8 or 20.

My Gran didn't tell anyone and kept going through thick and thin, if caught early it has a very good success rate (hers wasn't she didn't 'bother the Doctor and ignored the symptoms for years). Hers was caught late (in 1980s) and it had spread and she died from it although she was post 60+

My Aunt was different -she was diagnosed early -as had prior knowledge on my Gran's. She had a hysterectomy and lived a long life and never had any more issues.

A hysterectomy is very, very personal for some people. Some women find it traumatic, some fine it a relief, it varies. Some women think they 'aren't a woman afterwards' etc
In my family we are very medical and it's kind of get on with it, and worse things can happen (bit hard hearted) and different people respond different ways.
For my Aunt it was a relief and she was pleased to see the back of it quickly.

It's not supposed to be hereditary but is linked with other factors. But given Gran, Aunt and cousins have had it on my maternal side , I'm on the look out and wouldn't have any hesitation about an ultrasound etc. and monitor bleeding and any pain.

It has a high survival rate so I'd be led by her and what she wants.