My Story – Uterine (Endometrial) Cancer: How to Listen to a New Cancer Patient

In Saturday’s mail, I received a gift card to Panera from the MRI center where I had my pelvic and abdominal studies done last Tuesday after a number of scheduling and reporting mishaps. (See “The MRI Story” toward the bottom of my November 14 post.)

Just over an hour ago, I emailed the lead technologist who’d sent the Panera card to both thank him and to fill him in about the “miscues,” particularly not getting the report in time for my doctor’s visit on November 13. (My doctor called the MRI center and got a verbal reading and a preliminary report by fax while I was in his office.) Within a short time of my sending the email this morning, the lead technologist called me, apologized, and explained why they’d had to switch the time and place of my MRI appointment last Tuesday. It was actually to my benefit because the technologist scheduled to work that afternoon was not proficient on the machine they use for pelvic and abdominal studies, so they thought I would get a better result at the medical center’s MRI suite. Of course, clerical staff would probably not be aware of these things.

Because last week’s MRI report was preliminary, today I also requested that the technologist fax the final MRI report to me and to my doctors. This report is important because the treatment plan–whether to have surgery first or radiation first–is based on the results of the MRIs. Within minutes, I had the faxed report in my hands, and my oncologist, gynecologist, and family doctor had been faxed theirs.

The final report does show the soft tissue mass (cancer) in the uterus and some additional soft tissue lining the endocervical canal that likely represents cells brought down from the uterus during the D&C, which both my oncologist and gynecologist suspected was the case. Although to be safe the report says they cannot entirely exclude the possibility that this is a separate mass, it likely is not. So onward toward da Vinci Day, Friday the 13th of December.

Just wanted to put this note of gratitude out there that I was listened to and given the information that is so vital to my care.

Coming shortly: Look for an important post about uterine cancer risk factors. I hope to have it up later today, although I have to pick up my husband from Newark airport late this afternoon (I will be so glad to have him back from Singapore), and I have reams of forms to complete before my three back-to-back medical appointments tomorrow. As I mentioned in the November 14 post, somehow I managed to get appointments with the gastroenterologist, mammography center, and dermatologist all in one day–it’s all about the pre-hysterectomy homework.