I am a cancer survivor

Posted by Helen, Volunteer Mentor @naturegirl5, Sep 25, 2019

I was diagnosed with Stage 1a endometrioid adenocarcinoma following a radical hysterectomy in August at Mayo. I'm fortunate that my cancer was caught at a very early stage and was not aggressive. My follow-up visit with my doctor at Mayo was last week and I was given my packet about cancer survivorship.

A new perception of myself to work through-I am a cancer survivor. How do I deal with this? How do you deal with this?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Cancer Support Group.

mamqtz | @mamqtz | Dec 13 6:01pm

I, too was diagnosed with endometrial CA stage 1. Treated with surgery. 5 years later diagnosed with stage 4 peritoneal CA. Treated with radiation and chemo. 2 years later, am OK, followed with PET scans. Initially I objected to being labeled as "palliative." Then realized I am still me, despite labels. My hair grew in from bald state, I am stronger, I can function pretty independently.
I didn't want to tell family.

I think of myself as a survivor, not a victim. Many I am in contact with have cancer. I try to help with support, education. We each deal with our cancer in our own way. There are many resources, on line and in person. My faith helped me greatly.
My chemo experience wasn't fun. If there is a recurrence, I dread the chemo. I try not to think too much about cancer. The experience increased my resiliency.
This is a good site to share. My heartfelt wishes to all to be strong and positive.