Follow up from topic Scared

I understand your fear. I wish that you would go back to your original post and the lovely response that you got from Arizona. Her experience seems so close to yours and ought to give you some reassurance as you wait around to have further tests done. Best of luck to you. - Surviving

I will try to answer some of your questions, but I am not a doctor so remember that and this is what I understand: The gynecologist can feel fibroids or masses if they are large enough by palpating your abdomen. The PAP smears that I have had, have to be sent off to a laboratory so the doc has to wait for those results as well. The ultrasound can be vaginal or transvaginal, I have had both. The vaginal one is a little embarassing, but does not hurt and is usually performed by a woman technician. The ultrasound will enable them to look for masses and fibroids, as well as cysts and polyps. They will also be able to measure the thickness of your uterine wall and to check your ovaries. This is a very good test to have and gives a lot of information quickly. The ultasound can tell the difference between a fibroid, a cyst, or a mass, but cannot tell you if the mass is cancerous, that still has to be done with a biopsy. If you have not done the ultrasound yet, be sure you get it done. It is very scary now for you, I understand that, but know that the treatment for cervical and uterine treatment has a very good success rate.

Try to get some sleep, eat...even if it is just automatic, stay off the scary sites...by now you have probably read many of them and it will just keep you in extreme panic. Your going to be afraid and worried and that is normal. Now is the time to gather girlfriends for support. If you need to read, try popping over to the Hystersisters site...this is an excellent site and is for women who have hysterectomies for whatever reason and some due to cancer.

Take care of yourself while you are waiting for your test results. Know that it may not be cancer at all, but take this time to ready yourself for that diagnosis should it come and meet it head-on. Big hug for you Flxwg.

With all due respect I don't feel that a hysterectomy website is the place to be right now, when we are in all likelihood dealing with just prolapse, some irritated dry post-meno tissues and a very frightened woman whose doctor knows how to scare. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it!! - Surviving

Know this, I tried to stay strong as well but would find myself tearing up constantly and would go hide in the bathroom to cry so as not to worry everyone else. The reaction to the word cancer strikes fear in everyone. I don't think there is another word in our English language that has more power over our emotions than that one. There is no way possible to not be afraid. This is one of those situations where we have to reach deep into ourselves just to function normally while in a whirlwind of emotions. As to personal issues, this is where you hold up your hand and say "Excuse me, but this is about me now..."

I mean no offense Surviving. When confronted with a possible cancer diagnosis it is a common reaction to read everything. I did go to the Hystersisters site when I was spotting and it gave me a bit of reassurance should it come down to that. Premature to discuss the possibility of a hysterectomy...perhaps. Each woman must decide for herself how much information she wants to process at this time. I wanted to know everything.

I have been thinking a lot about this thread since yesterday, and realized that I have not yet said all I have to say. Now I will finish, in hopes I don't offend anyone.

Flxwg, you have a prolapse. This is virtually self-evident by your own detailed descriptions of how it moves around, advancing after you have been straining, and retreating when you have been lying down. Every woman here can vouch for that dynamic from her personal experience.

You also have an occasional tinge of pink on your toilet paper. Even good old Dr. Oz himself says that this is common due to drying and thinning of vaginal tissues post-menopause. I would imagine that when you factor in some 'celes that are on the move, well, that's a great recipe for pink on the toilet paper. Your own posts indicate your tissues are dry and that this is happening after you have been more active.

Despite the rather typical symptoms you describe, you fear that you have cancer. No one here can tell you that you do not. No one can know, and at this point it is clear that you must proceed and finish what you started with the doctor. You are upset and you will only listen to the doctor now, which is understandable. You are not in a very good state of mind for making well-informed decisions about diagnostic and treatment procedures, but I hope that you are feeling less distraught the next time you go.

What bothers me the most is the suggestion given to you by one of our members, that you should be researching and mentally preparing yourself for the loss of your uterus! When cooler heads are not prevailing, such a thing can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as can be seen by the overwhelmingly huge percentage of hysterectomies that are medically completely unwarranted. And since the subject has been raised on this thread, I would urge you to get ALL the info on hysterectomy. Start with Christine's interview with Nora Coffey on the Resources page, then proceed to the HERS website and/or Nora's book. - Surviving

having just had a total hysterectomy I feel I can comment here with some personal experience. I feel every woman who has any female anatomy issues should be very versed in all that has to do with a hysterectomy. As we all know, one it's done it's done. There are valid reasons for having the procedure and then there are many many many that are not. But, knowledge is power. And power over our physical and mental health is advised. When new situations come up for us that challenge our physical or mental beings we are not always at our best to be rational, which then takes away our power. So....until there is a conformation of diagnosis (be it cancer or atrophy or prolapse etc...) it is best not to speculate. Get the tests done. Then you will be able to make an informed decision, or at least gather more information to come to a decision of how to handle the diagnosis. Until then, your mind has the opportunity to be like a squirrel running across a field driving you nuts. Go read something fun and healthy, not horror stories of female issues---which hopefully you will never know! Or try working out...getting those good endorphins circulating. Do you already eat healthy? If not, look into better eating....that can be very time consuming and will benefit whatever ails you...and should be incorporated into all of our lives. In other words, live in the today. If there is need for worry, you will have time then right? Worry is such an ugly useless time waster. And think positive....really, statistically speaking---this is most likely not cancer, but just another hoop to jump through. Hugs....

'Celes means cystocele and rectocele basically. I was hoping you were going to do more prolapse research on this site before heading back out to the doctor. - Surviving

About 10 years ago I developed vaginal bleeding. Because I have a large fibroid uterus I am followed by a GYN fairly closely. This GYN did not do a hands-on exam; he just ordered a transvaginal ultrasound which was stable, meaning my fibroids had not grown and everything was ok. In the meantime I questioned the fact that he did not do an internal exam and I talked to a friend of mine who had vag bleeding and it turned out she had a polyp. Anyway, I made another appointment and insisted he do an internal exam and what do you know, he discovered a small polyp which was causing the bleeding. By the way, I never went back to him. In any event, my point is that vaginal bleeding, while a concern, is not always a symptom of cancer. Good luck to you.

I hear your fears about cancer it is a scary subject. I am a proponent of supplements since the 60's, when I was able to help a bi-polar son recover when Drs. couldn't. (I have also been dealing with the rectal prolapse since '66) There is much info on selenium helping prevent cancer on PubMed, and on You tube with Dr. Schnauzer. I trust a Natruopatic Dr. much more than MD's. We need to feed the body all the essential mineral & vitamins for it to heal.