Catherine-Ann / Pure-Grace

Aug. 6, 2021

'SISTERS' DON'T BE SLOW TO ACT

Thursday, August 5, 2021 6:59 PM

  Yesterday at breakfast on our balcony, I was thinking of how slow I was to act on the signs my body was telling me, that something was wrong. As the word 'SLOW' came across my mind, I looked at our water fountain, and there was a snail, the symbol for 'slow'. So that little guy encouraged me to write the following.

  If you are the loved one of someone procrastinating about this, please be persistent in 'encouraging' her to see a doctor. If she won't listen to you, please give me a call. I sincerely mean that! There's no time-clock to tell us when it's too late… until it is too late!

    The phone call saying "Sorry to tell you, but you have uterine cancer!" came to me in in mid-December, 2020. From my first appointment in September to report bleeding, then various exams, a CT scan then endometrial biopsy and the couple of weeks between each appointment or test-result, the time really added up.

    Following the diagnosis and being referred to gynecological oncology is another while, and finally, there's getting on the list for surgery (which was for February). Interesting that it was February, because that was exactly a year after I first had the first sign that something was wrong, which was spotting/ light bleeding (but ignored it). No 'sign' again until May, then more serious bleeding in the summer. I can hear my sister's very stern voice saying "What are you doing about it?" She was right. I have no idea what I was waiting for.

   The type of cancer I had was grade 3 endometrial cancer. From grade 1 to 3, 3 is the most serious. It is very aggressive, tending to grow more quickly and more likely to spread than low grade. Mine was contained within the uterus, but was invading the fallopian tubes and the cervix and had penetrated through to the outer lining of the uterus. If I had waited much longer, it would very likely have invaded other organs.

   So, it's serious business, whether you are younger and having abnormal bleeding during periods, or during or post menopause. Make an appointment with your doctor NOW! Please reach out to me if you have any concerns at all, for yourself or for someone you care about!