It's over to you..............................

In the run up to September's womb cancer awareness month, I have asked some of the ladies in WCSUK to have a go at writing a piece for the blog. The first one is by joint admin at WCSUK, Debra Parry.

"On Thursday afternoon I sat with my daughter while she made quill pens. She has always insisted on ‘mother-daughter bonding time’, so what better way to achieve that than by being involved with her work and researching and learning new things - or, in this case, old things - together.

I am just over two years post-op for endometrial adenocarcinoma, otherwise known as womb cancer. I had never heard of womb cancer/endometrial cancer/uterine cancer when given my diagnosis in June 2010. Now I know more about womb cancer than I would normally ever have wanted to know and, sadly, am no longer shocked at how commonplace the story of never having heard of womb cancer before diagnosis is among women.

Cervical cancer. I’d had one or two ‘abnormal’ smear test results many years ago – anomalies that cleared up on their own – and nothing from then on. But smear tests were never intended to detect changes to the cells inside the womb cavity itself. There was no evidence of cancer found in my cervix after it was removed in July 2010.

Skin cancer. I’d developed a growth on my leg but the biopsy had shown it wasn’t cancer.

Breast cancer. I’d found a lump but the mammogram and ultrasound etc had shown it wasn’t cancer.

Oral cancer. I’d developed a lump inside my lower lip but, after removal of the lump , it was found to not be cancer.

So far so good...

In late 2006 I passed out on the stairs at home, fell and broke my foot. I’d never passed out before. In 2008 I developed a persistent cough and breathing problems that were diagnosed as asthma. I’d never had asthma before. In 2009, only days after my 50^th birthday, I came down with ‘flu’. Several bouts complete with temperature spikes and rashes followed over several months – swine ‘flu’ was doing the rounds, I was ‘unlucky’. And then the bleeding set in. Only minor at first. I noticed I’d begun spotting some months leading into my period. Then I noticed more spotting some months at the end of my period until it happened at the beginning and the end of my periods and they became slightly longer but remained quite regular. Then came some spotting mid-period and the age-old excuses were going through my head: I’m 50, here we go! It must be hormone changes. It must be my age. It must be the start of the menopause.

In April 2010 - following four months or so of abnormal bleeding that, by then, was almost constant and at times worryingly heavy - a lightbulb finally went on in my head. “This isn’t normal, this isn’t the menopause!”and I booked myself in to see my GP. From the moment that month when I told Dr B, “I think we’re looking at something potentially very serious here,” through to the day he telephoned me after my womb cancer diagnosis to say, “We knew there was something there, didn’t we, because of the ultrasound, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be this,” he had never doubted me. Not once. And I shall forever be grateful to him.

So, how did the quill pens go? My daughter made twelve in total and I got to try them all. It was fun , but I can safely say I understand why ballpoint pens were invented!"

(c) Debra Parry