Endometrial Biopsy: I’m terrified, what can I expect?

I had a biopsy several decades ago because I began spotting blood. The only pain I felt during the biopsy
was some cramping, nothing worse than some hard cramping during my menstrual cycle. The biopsy
only lasted, from what I recall, a very short time, a few minutes, and it's over. I can't imagine why
your doctor frightened you by saying what he did. I did have end up having endometrial cancer, and had a full hysterectomy . Six and a half years later, I had a metastasis, much to everyone's surprise. But the good news is
that was back in 2002, well over 20 years ago. So take one day at a time and don't overthink it because from my experience, most of what I worry about doesn't happen and if it does, you deal with it and come out fine. I have a very strong faith and rely on that. It's really the only thing that I can count on and trust. My best to you.

Hey thanks, Jean, and I'm so glad to hear that you recovered so well after your surgery. Sounds like everything is moving quickly for you and I wish you all the best with your chemo. Thanks for sharing. It really helps me to read about other people's experiences. Thank you.

Thanks, Helen. It sure is an interesting and often scary road to be on. And I find so many people will say, "Oh, don't worry", "Don't be afraid", "Think positively", "Don't think like that". I guess they think they're helping and I do know they love me but it's hard not to conjure up all sorts of things - and I'm not a negative person by nature at all. I found myself reading into everything the doctor and secretary said - like the doctor told me to make an appt. in 8 weeks and he never said it was going to be on the phone, the secretary said it was on the phone, then changed it 3 times and now I have a phone appt. and one in his office. She never said the doctor wants to see me in his office, just said 'Oh, I have some appts. for you." My assumption is that I do have cancer because now I have an 'in office' appt. in 3 weeks. But if I have cancer, wouldn't the appt. be sooner? It's all so confusing which of course stresses me out more and I feel like I've become a whiner.

So you have snow? I live in Ontario and our snow is gone but it's still mighty cold out. I'm a huge walker and me and my dog walk every day and I love nature too. I love getting outside and breathing in fresh air.

Thanks a lot for your peaceful comfort - a safe haven in the middle of my stress. I really appreciate it.

@suesam Yep, my experience of waiting for a medical appointment although shorter in time is well, about waiting. While we wait under extreme stress we manage to conjure up all sorts of scenarios for ourselves.

I'd like to share that the amount of time you've been waiting from being informed you need a biopsy to the present time as you wait for the results and to see your doctor is all just too long. I've been on Mayo Clinic Connect for almost 6 years now and I'm amazed at the variation of time frames for appointments and waiting for results between medical systems. I don't know what any of us can do about that other than advocate for ourselves. You are so right. The ambiguity that comes with confusion just causes more stress.

On the nature front, we had snow last night and I awoke to a peaceful and pretty scene outside my windows. It's supposed to be Spring but no one told Mother Nature that on the south shore of Lake Superior where I live. We have that variation of a familiar saying - "we have two seasons: 6 months of winter and 6 months of poor skiing conditions" or something like that.

I had both ultrasound and biopsy and didn't feel much beyond a quick pinch. My Gyne told me she suspected cancer, and then called me personally when the pathology came back. She also said endometrial is a slow growing cancer and I also had 6+ thickness. I wish you well. I had surgery and recovered very well after that, I begin chemo treatments this week, 8 weeks after being diagnosed. Stay strong.

Hey Helen,

Just wanted to thank you again for your response. By the way - thanks also for sharing with me your CT scan scare where it turned out they just didn't have a room available, and all was fine. I think I have 'waiting fatigue' - by the time I see the doctor for results, it will have been 5 months of waiting, since I was first told I needed a biopsy. And they keep changing the times and dates of my appts. And now I have an appt. in his office in 3 weeks. I just assumed he wanted me to come into his office because the results were bad, but she said they still don't have my results. I just find it confusing which creates more stress, but I'm going to try to find peace with it all because in fact, I can't change it. So thanks for listening. I appreciate it.

Awwww... Helen, you are so sweet to message me back so fast. You are so kind and thoughtful. It's been dragging on for so long, that I find I just so tired. It's been almost 4 months now since I was told I needed a biopsy and when I finally get to the appt., it will be almost 5 months. I just feel confused by it all. My doctor said to make an appt. in 8 weeks, the secretary said it would be a phone call, then they changed the date of the phone call, then called back and asked me to come into the office in 3 weeks, but still have a phone call 2 weeks later. Weird. I just assume that he wants to talk to me in person because it's cancer, although the secretary said they don't have the results yet. I just find it all confusing but I'm so surprised at how scared I feel. If I look at it calmly, I realize that he never said it would be a phone call, his secretary did. He just said to make an appt. in 8 weeks. So maybe he does see his patients face to face to give the results and is scheduling them around a vacation. The other secretary said he was going away the week of my first appt., so maybe he's away for Easter because the clinic is closed anyway for several days those weeks. And if he doesn't have the results - like the secretary said - then he's not calling me in to give me bad results because he doesn't know them yet. Guess ultimately there is nothing I can do, so I need to somehow find some peace about this. I love your idea of letting nature heal and soothe you. Thanks for listening. I'm still so surprised at how scared and shaky, I am.

@suesam With all these changes I can understand why you are so frightened. I don't know why your appointments were moved around but I wonder as you did whether this is because your oncologist is rearranging the schedule because of his vacation plans. It's very possible he looked at his appointments and patients and made some decisions on who to see before vacation. Also, while your oncologist said it could take 8 weeks to get back the results it's very possible that the results will come back sooner?

I'm going to share something that happened to me in which it was difficult for me not to jump to the worst case scenario. During one of my appointments there was a long delay before I was called in. I'd had a CT that morning and I was very anxious as I'd been having nausea and digestive symptoms and so I thought it was possible that I had a recurrence or a new cancer. I had the thought that the delay was because my nurse practitioner was talking with the doctors about my CT results and that there was something alarming in those results. When I was finally called it turned out that there were no exam rooms available and this was the long delay. My nurse practitioner said "I was ready to see you but there weren't any rooms so we had to wait". My physical exam turned out to show no evidence of disease and the CT showed nothing new. So, I talked myself into this panic because my thoughts went catastrophic on me. It's easy to do.

I'm very much hoping that when you do see your oncologist that in fact the results will be back you can have a good talk with your oncologist. In the meantime can you try this? Write down reasons why your oncologist changed your appointments that are not that worst case scenario - his schedule is changed, he wants to see as many of his patients as possible before he is on vacation, he's a very thorough doctor. These are all ways to challenge your thinking. Then, gently turn your attention back to the present as many times as it takes for you to have those moments of more calm. When I'm feeling very anxious I like to walk out my front door and stand on my front porch. I breathe in the fresh air (assuming it's not bitter cold) and look at the trees and the sky. I do this night or day. Can you guess why I chose the screen name of naturegirl?

HI there,

I'm feeling really scared right now. My biopsy was 3 weeks ago, and the doctor said it can take 8 weeks and to make an appt. then. So I called the next day they said it will be a phone call and they set up an appt. at the 8 week mark. Then on Monday they called and said he was going away that week (the week after Easter) and reset the appt for May 1 - a week later. So today - at the 3 week mark - I got a call and they said they had some appts. for me. He wants to see me in his office in 3 weeks. And they changed the phone call appt. by upping it up one week. So I have an in-office appt. the week before Easter and a phonecall appt. 2 weeks after Easter. (It sure sounds like he might be taking 2 weeks off for Easter) So the in-office appt. will be at the 6 week mark. I asked if they had my results and that was why he wanted to see me in person and I expected her to say that she didn't know and was just making the appts. at his request, but she said that they didn't have my results yet. She actually told me that 3 times - that they didn't have my results and that it was common for him to make the appt for results in his office. But I sure am scared. Why the change from a phonecall to an in office appt in 3 weeks? He said it could take 8 weeks and that's at the 6 week mark. It just sounds to me that it's cancer and he wants to talk to me in person. I'm just scared right now. Thanks for listening.

Thank you so much for the positive words.