How do you really ever fully process a cancer diagnosis?

Oh my...I have found the group I need. I was diagnosed in late January 2025. Completely out of the blue and symptoms that I thought we're just late stage menopause things. The women in my family are all in their late 50's before "done" with periods, so... I had biopsy, surgery (full hysterctomy), and initially stage 1. However, post pathology showed stage 3 and I am now beginning a cycle of 6 chemo treatments...21 days in between each. I know that means treatment will not be fun. Any advice? I am 59, no children, 2 hours from my treatment center, and still in a little shock. 🙂

@jeanknoll986 Yes, you have found the support group that I hope will be what you need. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect and to our group. Like you I was in my late 50’s when I was in menopause but then had spotting at age 67 that I knew was not normal at that age. Like you I had a hysterectomy with fallopian tubes, ovaries, and cervix all removed. I was diagnosed with endometroid adenocarcinoma FIGO Grade 1, Stage 1a. Pathology staged me at 1a. I did not have chemotherapy but I did have radiation therapy (external and internal) after a recurrence two years later.

There are members here who have experienced chemotherapy. I’m going to tag a few of them and hope they can provide you with some helpful information @denisestlouie @valentinaz @mommacandy @val64

Yes, it’s all a shock, isn’t it? And certainly nothing any of us expected.
When do you start chemotherapy? Do you know what kind of chemotherapy? Two hours away is a long drive. Will you have someone with you to help you with the drive and to keep you company at your infusion center?

Hi Jean, @naturegirl5 tagged me and I'm so glad she did! Your story is similar to mine: I also was prescribed chemotherapy for six rounds every three weeks. This was in late 2021, and I'm entering year four of surveillance. Do you have someone to accompany you to the chemo sessions? I was very lucky to have my husband with me, and I hope you'll have someone, too. You're right: it's not "fun," so take all the support you're offered! I mean EVERYTHING 😊 Whatever folks want to help you with, say yes. Please let us know when you begin your treatments and how it's going, okay? Cancer is a rotten club to be part of, but I've found the people here to be kind, hopeful and helpful. Wishing you all the best.

Thank you for your response. My first treatment will be Carboplatin and Paclitaxel by IV....over 5 hours or so. I have the most supportive hubby and in our clinic, I have a whole team: nurse navigator, Gynecological Oncologist, social worker, and volunteers. They take good care of patients from beginning to ending.

Thank you so much. I will have my hubby with me and also a strong network of sisters and friends. I am not afraid, but was really glad to find this forum where ppl have been through something so similar.

The only thing you have control over is your optimism. I am about to receive the 2nd of 6 chemo treatments. At least, I hope it's 6. I'll get 3 then repeat PET scan and if there's enough shrinkage of Lymph nodes, I'll have a hysterectomy then 3 more rounds of chemo. I was diagnosed with stage 3c carcinosarcoma late February. I had all the expected emotions. I just went for my toxicity test and my oncologist told me all labs were back to pre-chemo levels. She said everything has already returned to normal, after 1 week of chemo. I could be fooling myself but, I am very optimistic that I'll beat this. Stress is the worst thing for cancer so I won't get depressed and have a battle with those demons on a daily basis. Some days I don't even think about the cancer. It's there. You can't "worry" it away but you can flat sure worry it into something worse, I believe. So you be optimistic and, although I know it's not the same for everyone, try your best not to dwell on it on a daily basis. Have your emotional day, few days, or week. I had mine for a week after learning results of PET scan while waiting for appt for 1st chemotherapy treatment. The very worst thing for me....I have an inheritance check I'm due to get within the next month and I don't even know if I'll be around to enjoy it. I had my daughter added to my account at the bank, did power of attorney and made out my will. Believe it or not, it is a lot less stressful now knowing I have all those things taken care of. Please stay positive. I want to believe this is just a hiccup in my life and I WILL get through it. I mean, I had legionella in 1989 and they didn't think I'd make it. I had a brain aneurysm in 2011 and they SURLY didn't think I'd survive that. I never felt like I was going to die with either one. I feel that way with this cancer. This CAN'T be how I go out. I refuse to believe it. I don't feel it. Call me over optimistic but I need those positive vibes. 😊

That is exactly the regime I'm on. I'm due to get 2nd treatment on April 3rd. This time I'll be using the gel packs my sister ordered, and they recommended, on my hands and feet to minimize the neuropathy associated with chemo treatments. My treatments are 5 hours also. 😊

@jeanknoll986 that is the same combo of drugs i took in my chemo...I was offered comfort care right off the bat locally and i was like nope give me a referral to UVA, we're gonna fight this...i was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer stage 3c and because it was on the outside of my liver here they weren't giving me much hope...i however was of an opinion of hell no this ain't gonna get me, i got too many things on my bucket list yet lol.. btw i was diagnosed i think it was near end end of January 2024.. this time last year i was trying to get my blood levels high enough for round 2 of chemo...i had 3 rounds before surgery and 3 rounds after..
i myself did a lot of latchhook wall hangings during the infusions some days...it depended on the day... some days i wanted to nap during them but a lot of that depended on if i was in a room with a bed or i was in a pod where there was several chairs etc...the first one was ironically the hardest on me because i really didn't know what to expect afterwards AND i hadn't discovered my acupuncturist could help with the nausea etc i experienced, once i did oh my...it was a world of difference, can't say enough good about how much he helped the nausea and so forth....and start on stool softeners ASAP if you start having ANY signs of constipation.. especially if you're on pain meds as well... (i was)
they'll tell you some foods taste "off" but its like holding a mouthful of coins even when you're NOT eating...or at least it was for me...i found out that shellfish (oysters, clams, scallops etc) was one of the foods that would make the metal taste go away for awhile...jolly ranchers sour candy also helped because i could suck on those, as well as lemonheads, warheads etc.. from what i understand that is different for everyone but that was my personal experience..
i went ahead and got my hair cut short before chemo began.. i had really long hair and felt like i could deal with losing short hair than i could losing those long locks of hair.. once i started losing my hair really badly (like maybe after the 2nd chemo but i had really thick hair) i started playing around with a huge variety of wigs...thankfully i had friends who had given me wigs when they knew i was starting chemo...
anyways, this group was fantastic at keeping my mood up as i went through it all last year and in Oct when i had my scan i was officially NED (no evidence of disease) and was the same with my scan in Jan and expect it to be the same in May when i go back for my next appointment. The other thing i've been doing since that NED is a variety of supplements that i took after my thyroid cancer in 2013...
If you ever need to reach out or i can answer questions, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know...

So happy to hear that you have great support ❤️ as well as this forum.

not at all even my doc says that my positive attitude and willingness to fight contributed to my NED!!! you go girl!!!