When September Calls!!

Well, it's getting around to that time of year again.......... no, I don't mean Christmas!!!

September will soon be here and that means Womb Cancer Awareness month is nearly upon us again.

This September will be our third awareness month and we've already started planning things!

As usual we will be turning Facebook peach again. This is where we get as many people as possible to join us and change their profile pic, preferably on a daily basis to something peach coloured. Its just a bit of fun but it often gets people asking "WHY" and then we can tell them!

It's all about raising awareness of womb cancer!

I am also holding another online auction of handmade goodies to raise funds for the research project that we are involved with https://www.facebook.com/notes/womb-cancer-support-uk/about-dr-elliss-research/202283526516431

The auction will be on Facebook and can be found here https://www.facebook.com/WombCancerResearch 

What else have we got planned? Well, you might have to wait until a bit nearer the time to find out as there are still a few things to sort out.

But if you've got any idea's on how to raise awareness or want to get involved and do something in your own area then please get in touch with us at wombcancersupportuk@hotmail.co.uk

 The more awareness we can raise about womb cancer the better. We need to reach out to women of all ages, as we know only to well that womb cancer is not just something that post menopausal women get.

Please get involved; help spread the word and lets go peach for womb cancer awareness.

Let down by Race for Life! - by D.V

One of our peach sisters did the CRUK Race for Life today - here is her story of the day!

I was diagnosed with womb cancer in January 2012 having had a terrible few months with symptoms. At the time of my diagnosis, I was told that I was in the minority in that I was under the age of 60 and fit; my hobby is running and I ran 5 marathons in 2011, the last one being just before my symptoms started.
I have since found out that I am not really in the minority. I have, through WCSUK, been in contact with women much younger than I.

Last year, shortly after my radiotherapy finished, I took part in a Race for Life where a cancer survivor stood up on the stage and spoke about her experience of breast cancer. I said to my friends that I would want to do that this year. So a few months ago I contacted Cancer Research UK Race for Life and asked about speaking at their Hyde Park event. They agreed and it was arranged for me to speak before both the 10k and 5k races.

So this morning, I arrived nice and early (8am) and found I was due to speak at 8.08am but they seemed to be a bit disorganised; the sound checks hadn't been run at that point. One of the organisers came to me a while later and explained that they were running behind time and would like to concentrate my efforts before the 5k race after I had run the 10k. Hmmmmmmmm!
There was a lot of nothing going on at the time but I suppose these things happen eh? I did point out that, because of the heat, I would probably take longer than I thought originally and asked to be scheduled as late as possible; I can't run in the heat at all and really suffer. I was told that would be ok.

Off I went and I struggled round the race; it felt like I was melting at times! As soon as I finished, I headed back to the stage where I was told, again, that they were running behind schedule. I was told they would like me to speak at the start of the race and that I would be taken down there just beforehand. I was starting to feel a bit like the poor relative by this time.

A little while later, one of the organisers came and got me and I went behind the barrier and then she instantly disappeared! I waited for a good 15 minutes and she didn't return. I was getting slightly hacked off by this time so I decided to just walk away.

I am quite hurt that this happened to me. I have been looking forward to today and getting the message out about womb cancer. This was a chance to reach around 15,000 women at the same time across the two races and I feel very let down.

There were a couple of key messages I wanted to get across.
There are several conditions that make a woman pre-disposed to womb cancer (being overweight, being childless, being diabetic, being unfit and being over 60). I was none of these. So I wanted to get the message across that this is a cancer that can strike ANYONE at ANY time of their lives.

From experience, some women are under the impression that their cervical smear would detect womb cancer but this is not the case. The only time it would detect it would be if it had already spread to the cervix.

I also wanted to point out that womb cancer is on the rise and that obesity could be a factor going forward as the extra fat in our bodies causes oestrogen-like hormones to be produced and womb cancer is mainly hormone receptive.

Now, I consider those messages are vital for the women in this country. There is no awareness campaign going on and there are no plans for any in the near future so ANYTHING that can be done to bring this disease to the forefront should be done.

Womb cancer is considered one of the rarer cancers so I am wondering if the Race for Life organisers just didn't think it was worth the airtime. How does that make me feel? It makes me feel that possibly my cancer has been discounted. If you think about it, the main colour of anything Race for Life is pink. That is the colour associated with breast cancer. Do they see that as a more worthy cancer to promote? I certainly hope not.

All in all, I have been left with a nasty taste in my mouth. My cancer was just as important as any other cancer. At the end of the day, cancer is cancer and to get that diagnosis is devastating. It denotes the end of life as you know it and a new life going forward. One that has you wondering if 'it' is going to return. One where you possibly have to life with side effects of treatment, as I and many other of my peach sisters have.

And I now find myself wondering if I will bother with Race for Life again. After all, they couldn't be bothered about me could they?

It's a long and weary road we travel!!

12th July 2010 was the day I finished my cancer treatment. So I am now 3 years cancer free - or am I?
How do I know I'm cancer free?

Having cancer isn't like having a headache - you know when a headache has gone! But cancer??
I've not actually had any routine follow ups since my treatment ended so I guess that kind of adds to the apprehension a little.

My Oncologist was that convinced that he'd done his job that he obviously felt there was no need to keep an eye on me with regular check ups.

At first, the fact that I'd been left without the safety net of check ups was very disconcerting, but I've gradually got over that feeling and no longer think about it.
Until recently, that is!

You see, its my 50th Birthday next week! And I guess, like everyone else that has reached that milestone, you start to reflect on your life.
There were times, especially when I first got the diagnosis, and when I was going through chemo that I thought I'd never make the next birthday, let alone my 50th!!

I can't actually think of myself as being 3 years cancer free - I am a 3 year survivor!

I guess that's something worth celebrating!!!!

Who do you tell........and when?

Getting a cancer diagnosis comes as a shock to anyone and it can sometime take some time to fully come to grips with the news.

Most people have close family and friends and once you yourself have adjusted to the news then comes the decision of who to tell and often more importantly, when!

I told no one, other than my husband about my cancer diagnosis until after my hysterectomy. My Consultant told me he was 99.9% sure he could remove it all during surgery so I figured there was no need to tell anyone about the cancer if it could be removed. However, when the pathology results came back and it showed that there were cancer cells still present, then I had to decide who to tell.

My parents and siblings came top of the list. It was hard to tell my parents as they are both elderly and come from an era when a cancer diagnosis often meant death so it was hard trying to convince them that I would be ok. No parent wants to think that their child is going to die before they do.

I decided to be totally open about my diagnosis with friends. I live on a small island and felt it was better to be open about my cancer rather than have the rumours spreading. As it turned out I was the only one on the island with womb cancer at the time - sadly I don't think that's the case anymore.

Some cancer patients find it hard to decide when or even if, to tell their loved ones about their diagnosis. Our lives become thrown into chaos by the news and we feel as though we've lost control. Sometimes hanging onto something we can control, like who we tell, saves us from going under.

People have different reasons for not telling; maybe they don't want people to worry about them; maybe they fear loosing their job; maybe they have a son or daughter just starting Uni; or a grandchild on the way. There are so many reasons.

Sometimes patients don't want to tell anyone because they simply don't believe it themselves; they are often struggling with getting their head around the news of the diagnosis. A good Consultant should be aware of the possibility of this and ask their patients how they will explain their cancer to others, to make sure they understand the situation fully.

Keeping such a diagnosis quiet, a secret from those who love and care for us, is something that need not happen because its precisely at that time of diagnosis that we need the support of those we love.