Uterine cancer

[bev]

I agree. Until I was told I had uterine cancer, I hadn't heard of it. Cervical and Breast Cancers yes, but there is a whole more that women can get, just look at this forum. I was told that with uterine cancer it cannot be detected by a pap smear. By the way, it is good to see a lot more ladies posting messages on here now.    

[Brigale]

Ive just been diagnosed with this on Monday and am right now just stressed out to the max. Im only 33 and really not happy about having to have my uterus removed as we dont have any kids yet. Does anyone know if there is any other options. I cant get in to see the oncology doctor till next wed and am trying to find out what I can beforehand. All I know about it at the moment is that the cancer was found when I had a d+c and it is apperently a high grade which accoriding to my gyno is the best one. I know thats not not alot of info but anything you ladies can tell me id be very grateful

[#3]

Hi there, I am 34 years old & was diagnosed with cancer of the cervix when I was 31. I know how terrifying it can be. I had a hysterectomy with radiation and chemo and that was a heart breaking decision to have to make! basically in my situation there werent really any other options. You will find out more when you see your Oncologist so until then try (I know its nearly impossible) not to panic. They will do some further investigations and then tell you your options. I will send you an invite to our womens support group or you can join by clicking on the groups icon on the top right hand side of the screen, there are a few women in our group who are going through the same thing & Im sure it will help to be able to chat some more. Take care Vanessa

[strong]

Has anyone had bowel urgency problems after radiation 9 now 1 year later and no better)? I seem to need to go very urgently 1st thing in the morning and then immediately after a meal. Is this common? Would appreciate info on this delicate subject.

[#5]

Hi Strong, I know exactly what you mean! I suffer from the exact same thing. I have had scans done and my Onc has ordered a small bowel series which I havent had done yet. There is apparently one small section of the bowel which is fixed and so is always in the path of the radiation. I have a friend who had the same radiation I did and suffered the same side effects, she had hyperbaric therapy at St Vincents in Sydney. It fixed her straight away. If it wasnt so time consuming I would have had the same, although it may end up that I have no choice. About 3 days per month I have terrrible pain in my side which eventually just goes away on its own, but usually a heat pack is the only thing that works to alleviate some of the pain so I can sleep. I know they say it should be a short term problem but it has been 3 years for me and it is not going away!

[benlisecca]

Hi Strong, great to catch up with you again! I have huge bowel issues from the radiation and although we had different cancers we had radiation in similar areas. I've found a change in diet has almost controlled things. Some days are worse than others and I don't think that I will ever get back to pre cancer control but things are cope-able. I pretty well got rid of all processed foods and really increased the amount of fibre I ate including taking some fibre supplements. At first I was really nervous about it as it didn't make sense to increase fibre to help with bowel control but it really worked for me. Some days I have my dose of wonderful processed foods such as chocolate, white bread, rice etc but I pay for it shortly after. I know it sounds pretty extreme but it was my sanity saver and a bonus is that I have lost 16kg without really trying. A win win choice. I know it won't be the answer for everyone but it might be worth exploring. Vanessa, I would love to hear more about the hyperbaric therapy your friend had - it sounds promising. Sharon

[bev]

Hello everyone, Gee, isn't it nice to know that you are not alone? I have had bowel problems too since my radiation nearly 2 years ago. It doesn't happen all the time, just every so often and it is SO annoying. I have seen my doctor that does my colonoscopies and he has suggested a bowel scan. Don't know when I can get that done as the doctor that does it is on maternity leave. Can I ask something personal please? Do any of you get the feeling that you need to go, or just find later that you have had an accident. Thanks again friends. Bev

[#8]

Hi again, Yes this has been a major issue for me since finishing the treatments. From what I have been told by my Docs, in my case anyway probably adhesions in the bowel from the radiation. I have been told many times to eat a diet of very low fibre, basically I need to live on white bread and white rice and cake! No salad, fruit, vegies or cereal, the things the I eat everyday. I can not do it which is probably why I suffer with the pains frequently. The oxygen therapy is basically the same thing a diver with the bends would have, you sit in the chamber and breathe high levels of oxygen everyday for 30 minutes for about a month. I know with my beautiful friend, (passed away on the 6th of October 09 - love you Alli,) she found this helped her almost immediately. I would find it hard to do right now, simply because I still have a little one at home. Here is a link that explains what the treatment is used for and how effective it is; http://www.uhms.org/ResourceLibrary/Indications/DelayedRadiationInjury/tabid/281/Default.aspx you might have to copy and paste into your browser. Im not sure if it is an Aussie site but the explanations are the same. It might be worth a try! The link does work...even though it looks like it has been cut off, just click and it should take you there.

[benlisecca]

When you have anal cancer nothing is too personal 🙂 I was having several accidents a day straight after treatment. Sometimes I felt it and sometimes I didn't. Bowel incontinence was a huge problem and very debilitating. It is very common in anal cancer treatment and the forums I am a member of are full of helpful hints. Although it was different for Vanessa I found that bulking things up with fibre helped heaps. I have learnt what foods are going to wreak havoc and I have learnt to either avoid them or occasionally enjoy them but be prepared for the consequences. But on saying that it's definitely choosing the right fibre. It's the non digestible stuff that seems to help. For example things like pears, grapes and watermelon are big no no's but apples and prunes are ok. Not sure of the theory of it and maybe everyone's trigger foods are different. Hope that helps a little bit???? I could go into a lot more grossness but this forum is pretty open to everyone ;-) Sharon xxxxx

[benlisecca]

Hi Vanessa, Sorry to hear about your friend Alli. The loss of anyone to cancer is heartbreaking. It's tough with a little one at home isn't it. Somedays I would love to curl up on the lounge and veg but it's just not going to happen. My youngest is 2 and a half and she is very good at being 2 1/2 🙂 Love her dearly but there is no off switch! xxxxx