Do I have cancer yet?

[Mell]

Tomorrow I go into surgery with a gynae-oncologist for a radical hysterectomy.  He told me that in his extensive experience there what he sees and reads is a 95% chance of a rare form of ovarian cancer but the biopsy will confirm. I think he's pretty much telling me I have cancer but I suppose I can't really say I have cancer until tomorrow. Or can I?  It's very hard being in this space where I think I have it but can't really say it aloud. And some friends are holding onto the 5% bit. I'm getting scared that I might not make it out of surgery and have been organising for this possibility. 

[Felicity_CCNSW]

Hi @Mell 

Thank you for posting and reaching out for support from the forum. I can hear from your post how stressful it is to prepare for surgery and to not have certainty about your diagnosis. I can imagine it is very difficult navigating this space. 

Here is a useful resource about planning for surgery that you might find helpful. 

Planning and Preparation for Surgery

Please also feel free to reach out to Cancer Council on 13 11 20 and have a confidential chat with one of our health professionals for support. It can be really helpful to do before surgery, as you can speak to someone who is separate from friends and family and get some emotional support before your surgery. 

If others in the forum have read this post, perhaps you could share what helped you prepare for surgery? 

Take care,

Felicity