Two years ago, a biopsy showed I had precancer cells in my uterus.  This precancer has 1% chance of turning into cancer over a long period of time.  None the less..I’d rather not have any word in my medical files that includes cancer of any type.  But there it was….no denying it…the chance of cancer! 1%.

You ask, what’s the big deal….well, my mother had cancer when I was about 30 years old. Now that is a whole miracle story in itself which I have wanted to write about for a long time, in fact, I was planning to write her story this summer……but now there will be a new slant to that story…my story.  Also, my sister has had breast cancer and my brother currently has colon cancer….so that’s the big deal.

You see this past Friday, I learned that I was diagnosed with Complex Hyperplasia Atypia which could not exclude low grade endometrial carcinoma.    It appears that we have caught this in time…we hope.  We will not know until I have surgery sometime in July.  My doctor said they will probably check the lymph nodes etc. too and may even give me a couple of chemo treatments as a safe guard.  That is all speculative at this point…so we will wait until July 7th at which time I will meet with an oncologist at UW University Hospital.

There is good news in this journey… I am fortunate that I started having pain this past November… Had a colonoscopy–turned out fine.  In February had a regular check up and was still complaining about  pain.  You see I also have a lower back disc issue of which the only remedy is removal and insertion of an artificial disk.  So I have been putting that surgery off as long as possible…  Thinking for some time that much of my pain is from the lower back…however, my mind has wondered if there was something else going on… and now we know, there is.   So my doctor sent me for an ultra sound which showed thickening of the endometrial lining.  I was referred to another doctor and she ordered a more detailed ultra sound which showed I had a large polyp in my uterus.

So I had surgery last Wednesday…  5+ polyps later… and a D&C  I was ready to go home. The doctor said everything looked fine and that we would get the test results in three days. Then two days later, last Friday, I received the call from the doctor and said she had somewhat good news and then not so good news.  The polyps were benign, but as she put it.  “You have an angry uterus!”  We both actually laughed.  She referred my case to Cancer Connect at UW Hospital.  So that is where I am at this point of my Journey…..waiting, waiting for two weeks to see another doctor and then schedule surgery.

Fortunately, I will be preoccupied with a wonderful trip to Indiana to see my family and friends…traveling with my daughter, son-in-law and two adorable grandchildren.  I am sure with five of us in the car…for several hours…will be quite an experience we will all remember.  After that first week, we will head back to Wisconsin for a week of vacation at beautiful White Lake.  My husband Ken will join us when he can as his work is tied up with two big projects and it looks like he will need to forfeit some of his scheduled vacation and work.   In any event, there is much to look forward to…

Many ask, “How are you feeling?” since they heard the news on Friday.  I must say it has been rather surreal….talking about cancer like I am talking about somebody else.  But in the night hours, God and I have been having a 2:30 a.m. appt. to talk.  Something like this sure puts a whole new meaning to time as well as  priorities and I couldn’t go through this without the peace only God can give me.  Not that I don’t have my moments of tears and what if’s.. I think that is normal when first being told…it looks like you have cancer, but I have been a Christian for many years and God has been my Rock through the ups and downs of my life.

There is always hope both that the diagnosis is wrong and of course wonderful hope in the Lord…. So I am confident that whatever the case be….it will be just fine.

I will be posting updates periodically when I back from vacation…  Have a great 4th… Blessings,  Marilyn