Getting nervous!

@suesam Yay!!! So glad you got a date. It always feels better when a step forward has been taken. And Helen is right, you get the credit for advocating for yourself - you did that by reaching out to this forum, too, so good for you! We all have fear of the unknown and this cancer thing is scary. And we all have moments during this process that are harder than others - that's when friends here can lift us up and remind us we are not alone. Keep us posted, sending hugs and good thoughts your way!

Thanks everyone! Your help and support is amazing. I do feel so much better having a date. At least I know something is happening. I also have a telephone consult with my family doctor - to get the results of my pap smear. Never have I ever even thought of those results - never even asked before - and assumed my doctor would call if a problem. But this time I decided to pursue the results to make sure it was normal. Four weeks will fly by and even thought the biopsy hangs over my head, my trying hard to focus on the present, eat better, (I was stress eating), and exercise. I have an adorable dog who keeps me busy. LOL. I also decided to tell more family members and a few friends. I often keep things inside but this time I'm reaching out. This forum is so wonderful because I can discuss my worries more. My sister hates if I mention the word 'cancer' and tells me to be more positive. I'm actually not being negative - just honest that it could be cancer. So thanks for listening. I'm sending out all sorts of love and positive thoughts to everyone on your own journeys. Thank you.

I had an uterine ultrasound because I was having some discharge that was not normal. 10 days later I had appointment with gynecologist/oncology. He could not get a biopsy so now I am schedules for a hysteroscopy on the 20th of Feb. I worry that it is too long to wait. Should I call and see if there is a cancellation or is 3 weeks not really that long?
I have had both breast cancer and colon cancer in the last 10 years. Both were caught early and treated with surgery. I also have MAP so that makes me anxious also.
Some times I am very positive and keep busy but at other times I think too much about it.

Hi there,
It was suggested to me to call the office and see if you could be put on a cancellation list to move your date up faster. I did that, but mine doesn't have a cancellation list but maybe your doctor does. I waited 5 weeks for a biopsy that my doctor couldn't do, and it'll be 6 weeks before I see a gynecologist on Feb 28. So I'm having long waits. I certainly understand thinking too much about it - I feel it hangs over my head all the time. Some lovely ladies here have made some wonderful suggestions about concentrating on things we can control to keep our minds occupies. I'm so sorry about the breast and colon cancer but so glad to hear it was caught early. Sending you all sorts of warm and loving wishes.

@dfc I can understand why you are anxious given what you've shared about breast and colon cancer in the past 10 years. I'm going to suggest that you go ahead and call the doctor's office and see if there is a cancellation or if you can be put on a wait list. It certainly cannot hurt to ask. If you don't ask, you won't know if an appointment sooner in time is possible.

Three weeks from now for the hysteroscopy seems reasonable enough but I'm not a medical professional so I really don't know. Here is what I do know. I have had anxiety for most of my life and while I have learned many coping skills over the years the anxiety is still there and it comes and goes. That's what anxiety does and I've come to expect that it will ebb and flow. So it makes sense to me that sometimes you feel positive and other times not so much. That's the ebb and flow part of anxiety. So when you feel less optimistic and your mind wanders back into uncertainty can you tell yourself that's the anxiety? You don't have to believe everything you think. Then take a few breaths, move your boy (I like to stretch or walk) and allow yourself some grace.

Will you let me know what you find out when you call and ask about an earlier appointment?

wow, @suesam, I agree with you and naturegirl that 6 months is way too long to wait just for receive a cancer diagnosis or rule it out. I'm so glad you tood Naturgirl's encouragement and made that call. I'm also wondering (not knowing where you live), when you speak with your primary doctor next Monday, whether asking them to make referrals to more than one gynecologist is either allowed or worth considering. I can imagine they made a referral to the GYN they thought best for you, or the GYN most likely to be available soonest. But, given your situation, and given that you are willing to follow-up with the GYN practice to advocate for yourself and request to be on any cancellation lists, this seems at the very least like a worthwhile question to ask or request to make.

Hi there,
Thanks, gynosaur, for your concern. I appreciate it. I talked to my family doctor and he said he phoned around and this was the fastest he could get me in. I live in Ontario, Canada. So Feb 28th it is. The receptionist said she would keep me in mind in case of a cancellation but that it was the gynecologist who chose that date. I was wondering if the fact that I'm not 'spotting' at all, never did, and that the radiologist who 'read' my ultrasound said it was 'mildly' thickened at 6mm, makes them feel there is no rush??? Also my CT scan and ultrasound showed no masses or problem areas? I don't know. I had the test before Christmas and I think if I was bleeding, my doctor would have moved quicker - maybe - but he was also going away for 2 weeks so in fact it was 5 weeks before he tried the biopsy. But he was also preparing me, asking me to use Vagifem tablets etc in prep for the biopsy. It seems like a long wait and it hangs over me and stresses me out. But I'm trying to remain calm and focused. The gynecologist is actually near where I live which is excellent. I hope you are doing okay.

Hi Helen,
Thanks for sharing your anxiety thoughts. I struggle with anxiety too - worrying about everything. I like your comment - 'You don't have to believe everything you think.' I'm working on it - especially living in the present moment - but it's a struggle. My doctor wanted me to get a chest/rib x-ray because I often get sore ribs. I mentioned before that I had a female doctor I loved for over 30 years and she handpicked her replacement - a male - who I am getting to know. Interesting - several issues I've been dealing with for years off and on - abdominal pain and rib inflammation - he wants to get to the bottom of it. He said he focuses on 'quality of life' and just 'putting up with it' is not good enough. I am thankful for this approach - touched, actually. Anyhow - in terms of anxiety - I went for an x-ray and I'm totally stressed. She said she took extra pictures and of course I interpreted that as that she saw 'something wrong'. Sheesh. As I walked out, I looked over and saw an x-ray on her screen and thought, "That's mine and it looks bad." So anxiety took hold and ran with it. Later that day, my doctor emailed me to tell my pap smear and x-rays were all normal. So kind of him but wow - all that worrying I did. And he asked me to come in at some point to discuss my 'rib' problem so we can come up with a plan. So anxiety is definitely something I need to work on. Thanks for sharing your own story, Helen - it helps a lot.

What scars me is how few providers there are where you live. I think you are handling this so well. I would be a raging maniac.
I'm not good at waiting. So I won't try to coach on that. Writing is an amazing outlet for me. I write what's floating in my mind. I put it on paper where I can arrange the thoughts to do what I need them to do. Mostly it's clarity. I can also usually spin the thoughts so the writing piece is positive or I give myself another way to think about this. This is a good forum. You will receive feedback from very thoughtful people

Thanks, Denise, for your kind thoughts. This forum is great, that's for sure, and I've learned a lot. Actually, writing is a great tool and outlet - great idea. I've been doing a lot of that lately as well. I hope you're doing okay. I got my results of my CT scan and ultrasound and saw that they found nothing except a 6mm thickness of my endometrium. The radiologist called it mild and said if I had symptoms - bleeding - to do a biopsy but if not, to do another ultrasound in a year. But my family doctor wanted to do a biopsy to check it out. I saw him right after the tests so I thought he would do it right there or even the next day. It was near Christmas and he was going away for 2 weeks but also, I was due for a pap smear in March, so he wanted to do both at the same time to save me coming back. So the appt. was made in Jan. So when he couldn't do it in his office, he had to book me in with a gynecologist who told his secretary to book me 4 weeks later. So by the time I see the gynecologist the end of Feb, it will be almost 3 months. I wonder if the fact I'm not 'bleeding' means they're not rushing it. I am stressed about it - even put on a few pounds from stress eating - but I do feel grateful that my family doctor is taking it seriously and is pursuing the biopsy. Too bad he couldn't have done that biopsy in his office - because I would have answers already. Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.