Worried About Diagnosis

I'm the mother of a two year old and I was just diagnosed with cervical cancer.  It's further along than I hoped because I haven't had a pap in two years prior to this.  So I'm going to the doctor on Monday to have some more tests and stuff and I'm just kind of scared.  It's very likely that it has spread some (more on that some other time) and might possibly be in my intestinal area (I have frequent diarrhea and the doctor is concerned about it being part of a cancer growth).

So I'm just sort of hanging in limbo and I'm scared about how cancer and treatment will affect my parenting ability, my marriage, my finances...everything.  I was just looking for support, I guess.

See this message board....there are many Stage 4 cancer survivors on this forum.  You need to schedule another meeting with your doctor and get your questions answered.  Start writing down your questions now as you think of them.  Also, write down the answers that they give you and make sure you have them explain it in a way you can understand.  You need to also schedule a second opinion with a different doctor.  Second opinions are very very important.   You need to make sure you are going down the right path.  Lastly, you need to get your records to the second doctor and keep a set for yourself.  This will help you understand what the doctors are saying you have and the level of treatment.  You need to get into the same mode you would if your child was diagnosed with this same thing.  I have 4 children and I absolutely freaked when I first heard I had cancer.  There are many many treatments out there and you need to be a pro-active part of your treatment.   

Hi:

Go to www.cancer.gov.  This will take you to the National Cancer Institute.  Under search type in Cervical cancer. 

Here is what they have on stages

• Stage 0: The cancer is found only in the top layer of cells in the tissue that lines the cervix. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
• Stage I: The cancer has invaded the cervix beneath the top layer of cells. It is found only in the cervix.
• Stage II: The cancer extends beyond the cervix into nearby tissues. It extends to the upper part of the vagina. The cancer does not invade the lower third of the vagina or the pelvic wall (the lining of the part of the body between the hips).
• Stage III: The cancer extends to the lower part of the vagina. It also may have spread to the pelvic wall and nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: The cancer has spread to the bladder, rectum, or other parts of the body.
• Recurrent cancer: The cancer was treated, but has returned after a period of time during which it could not be detected. The cancer may show up again in the cervix or in other parts of the body.

Also, you need to ask the cell type.......Good luck

Pixie Wright