Question for the women in their 40's

[caseysmom]

Hopefully I scared all the men away and if I didn't I apolize...

I started having issues a few months ago so I scheduled an exam, I have had a period for 4 weeks and feel a pressure down there sometimes.

I went in to the appointment and the doctor said they needed to do a biopsy, this is a sign of uterine cancer. This scared me to death and the procedure was quite painful, I had it done once before while going through infertility. My uteris is enlarged, the doctor said it is most likely fibroid but I am concerned.

They have ordered an ultrasound for next week.

Anyone else go through this? It sucks getting old!

[Karen]

I have experienced the extra-long period, not the other symptoms, though. In my case, they did an ultrasound, saw one smallish fibroid, but nothing major, and it was eventually determined the extra bleeding was caused by my weight, which was causing my body to have too much estrogen.

[Donnaj4962]

I am 45 now, but when I was 42, I flowed for 17 weeks (:eek: :eek:) in a row! My OBGYN did an ultrasound, then a biopsy. (My family has a history of fibroids and polyps and all 4 of my sisters had to have a hysterectomy in their early 40's.)

They determined that my hormones were messed up. I was taking birth control pills at the time. They gave me a pill (can't remember what it was, sorry) to control the bleeding. I took it when I was taking the placebos in the bc pack. It took a few months to completely stop, but it eventually did. During that time, it was more spotting than anything else.

I feel for you, flowing for that length of time is awful! I hope that your OBGYN can figure out what the problem is and get it fixed.

[caseysmom]

Thanks for the info Karen and Donna. She said it did feel like fibroids to her. It just seemed to come on so suddenly, I never even have cramps.

Karen I am overweight that is part of why I am scared, that extra dose of estrogen can cause uterine cancer.

I need to lose weight! ugggg

[kuhio98]

I'm 47 myself. I haven't experienced any problems so far, but my younger sister has had fibroid issues for quite some time. Her doctor says she fits the 4F profile. Fat, Forty, Fertile, and Female :p :eek: :(

[caseysmom]

I'm 47 myself. I haven't experienced any problems so far, but my younger sister has had fibroid issues for quite some time. Her doctor says she fits the 4F profile. Fat, Forty, Fertile, and Female :p :eek: :(

Well I don't know how fertile I am but I fit all the other F's!

[Laura's Babies]

When I was 45 I had the period to end all periods.. poured, pressure and all that you described. I went to the doctor only because New Years (and would have been about the 6th week of it) was coming up and I didn't want to be bothered with it for New Years Eve. I knew what it was.. I had already started having the hot flashes. That was my last period!

Of coarse that OB-Gyn tried to argue with me and tell me I was just much to young for menopause and when I disagreed he asked me WHO was the doctor?! :eek: I never went back to see that jerk again.

It was my last real period. 45-55 is the age, average age is 51 but it really depends on your family history. My Mom had started in her mid 30's with menopause so I figured I was just late in starting but I did not fit the text book cases at that time... according to that doctor.

To me they are all to quick to want that biposy and I have refused to have them done after having heard several womens experienced with them. One lady told me it was so painful that she passed out when it was done to her... Don't get me wrong here, I would be quick to have it done if I thought something was wrong but I never have felt anything was wrong.

[RobiLee]

I have had uterine cancer. I'm at work now so I can't be here long. I feel like I have so much to say but then again I don't really know what to say.

Just keep trying to figure out what the problem is. My doctor was not one that liked to do the tests real quick. It was either my 3rd or 4th appt. that she finally decided I should have a biopsy done. I don't remember the biopsy being painful. It kind of hurt and that is all I remember. She did give me a pill to take before I came in to relax me though. My results came back as cancer.

Try not to worry too much. My advice right now is that if the results come back as cancer and you have a complete hysterectomy make sure that when they do that surgery that they also go ahead and do a lymph node disection. After my hysterectomy was done they sent the parts off to the labs and it was full of cancer so then I had to go back in and have another surgery (lymph node discection) which didn't turn out so well. My doctor was very upset with herself that she didn't go ahead and do it when she went in to remove everything. She didn't realize how bad it was.

Also, seek out support groups. Talk and talk and talk about it!

2 surgeries and 5 1/2 weeks of radiation and I am here and healthy.

BTW....I was 38 when I was diagnosed and they kept saying I was too young. Every cancer doc I saw always said that. It got to the point where I didn't know what I was supposed to say to that...lol. I was overweight but completely healthy.

[caseysmom]

I didn't realize you went through all that Robilee {{hugs}} you have been through a lot. Thanks for sharing your story.

[moosmom]

Caseysmom,

I've had fibroids since I was 18. They are the reason why I had a hysterectomy.

They are always benign, according to my doctor. Just the pain (annoyance, that is) of having to have them removed can get on your nerves. At 45 I said, remove the plumbing!!! I do NOT miss all that stuff.

Anyway, getting back on track here, you'll be in my prayers honey. Please keep us posted.

[cyber-sibes]

I had a complete hyst. at 52 for fibroids. I didn't have any of the usual symptoms, just lower back pain & my poor bladder was being squished all the time. You know what - I have never felt better! I'm so glad I followed through.

Check this out - it's a wonderful site. Lots of topics & info, & support chats. You're bound to find others dealing with the same things:

www.hystersisters.com

Will keep you on my prayer list - hope you have some answers soon-
Pat

[caseysmom]

I am sort of happy to have a hyterectomy I will be glad to be done with it and get 8 weeks off from work!

How long were you unable to drive after your hysterectomies?

[Catty1]

caseysmom - sent you a PM :)

[smokey the elder]

The period that wouldn't quit happened to me twice, once at 39 and once at 41. Both times I was under a lot of stress. The GYN put me on The Pill both times for a few months; this "reset" my hormones. (I had had exams and ultrasound, and a sample taken; no unusual findings.)

Good luck, and I hope you feel better!

[caseysmom]

I wasn't worried because I also figured it was stress...but the doc felt something so I am sure its fibroids.

[Laura's Babies]

A little humor injected here for all us past menopause.. Was this you?

Q: How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman's Answer: One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else
in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that
the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before
they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able
to find the # &%! * light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the
SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of
God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on
to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!! AND
UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!!
BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!! IT'S A WONDER
WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE!
AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !!

I'm sorry. What was the question?

[Pam]

I shouldn't even open this thread because I am way past 40 :o but I am a woman so I did! :D My story is a little different than yours. It was last January and I was getting ready to go to my nephew's surprise birthday party. I stopped to use the bathroom before we left the house. There was blood in my undies. :o I am well past menopause so it was not a good sign at all.

Saw my OB-GYN who sent me first for an ultrasound which revealed two fibroids. He felt that this was the reason for the bleeding but went one step further and had me go through an endometrial biopsy. I found it to be painful but was happy that he was being so thorough. He had given me a pill to take beforehand to relax me but it didn't kick in until I was on the way home. :rolleyes: I say all of that just to say I applaud you for having yourself thoroughly checked out. In this day and age there is no reason to wonder and worry about any symptoms that we may have. There are tests for everything, and anything detected early is better than waiting. For me, the endometrial biopsy revealed no cancer Thank God!

Robin I knew that you had had cancer but never knew which type. I am sooooo glad that you are OK now. ((((hugs)))) Caseysmom, go ahead and have all necessary testing and, yes, growing old is the pits but oh so much better than the alternative. :p If there are any men still reading.....see how lucky you are! LOL!

[Catty1]

lvpets .... ROTFLMBO!!!! :D

[moosmom]

OMG Laura!!!!

I'm in pain right now from laughing so hard!!! I'm crying!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Thanks for sharing it!

[caseysmom]

Thanks everyone, Pam thank you for sharing, I also mean women that have been in their 40's :D

Laura's babies...thanks for the laugh...how true!

[Marigold2]

Wow, getting old sucks. At 48 I have all kinds of aches and pains. Pinched nerve, etc..... who knows what the heck is all going on in that mysteries, wonderful and complex thing we call our bodies.

As Simon & Garfunkle said, "silence like a cancer growth"

Still we over eat, smoke, drink have unsafe sex and mutilate this precious vessel we carry with us till death knocks on our door, loudly.

Once you hit 40 the body is less forgiving of past and present sins. That hamburger with cheese, that piece of chocolate cake, so bad now for the heart and other organs.

I am always amazed when I drive by a McDonalds. I haven't eaten there in over 30 years and can't imagine ever eating there again. I don't know anyone that does except for teenages that don't really care about heart problems.

I loved that commerical that was on when the couple drove up to a window in a fast food joint and ordered a ba dunk a dunk, thunder theighs, double chin. So true so true.

To all the woman who have female problems, thanks for sharing, may your troubles be small and your happiness great, now pass me some cheesecake.

[Rachel]

Another *way past 40* one weighing in here. Hmmm, maybe I should use another cliche besides *weighing in* as that's a challenge too.

I recently had a endometrial biopsy and didn't find the experience to be that painful. It was more like moderate menstral cramps. Didn't take any pain pills before or after. Since that test however I have had experienced very slight cramping - the kind one might get right before a period - which for me are long gone. Don't know if that is a result of the test or a part of what might be going on. My biopsy was normal but I have to have a second pelvic ultrasound tomorrow morning due to what the first one showed, which for someone at my stage shouldn't be there.

At the first meeting with the gynocologist the words D&C, hysterectormy, and removal of the ovaries were mentioned. But a subsequent normal pap test, normal CA125 and the endometrial biopsy are encouraging. Don't know what direction this will take me and I vacillate between denial that anything can be wrong and of course ...the worst scenerio.

[caseysmom]

Hugs Rachel. I hope everything is fine with you.

[Logan]

Caseysmom, my sister (who is 48) had similar symptoms to yours for months and months at a time. She also had significant pain. Finally, she gave in, went to her OB/GYN and had the endometrial biopsy done, also a D&C (I may be getting this out of order). She had fibroids, which they tested for cancer, but did not expect them to be cancerous. They were. She had a radical, vaginal hysterectomy in January, including laproscopic removal of 25 lymph nodes to find out if it had spread. She required no chemo or radiation as the lymph nodes tested clean. Thank goodness! :) She had some post surgical issues (not cancer related) and actually required additional surgery. But saying that, she had none of the "normal" symptoms of endometrial cancer. The surgeon/oncologist told her that this type of cancer "normally" hits women who are over 60 years of age and obese. She was neither of those. You just never know and you have to be careful!

When I went for my annual OB/GYN appt in April, they asked that same question they always ask, "when was the first day of your last period". I couldn't remember. I realized it had probably been at least 5 months. Based on what my sister had just gone through, and the fact that I was 44 years old at the time and having no menopausal symptoms, other than my period stopping, he decided to put me on Progesterone for 12 days, see if it started back, and if it didn't he wanted to do a biopsy, vaginal ultrasound and fasting bloodwork. I found the biopsy to be painful, while he was doing it, but I was fine as soon as it was over. The bloodwork ended up showing that I was truly in menopause. Several months later, I started bleeding again, for almost 2 weeks. They did another endometrial biopsy, not expecting to see anything, but just to be on the safe side. Again, no cancer, but I did experience more bleeding and cramping as a result of that one, but it did subside eventually. Since then, I have had one short occurence of bleeding (Sept), but nothing since then. He says my body is confused about whether it is truly in menopause or not. I hope it will stay in menopause, frankly. My only symptom, periodically, is that i have hot flashes during the night. It is not nearly significant enough to even consider hormone replacement, though.

I am 45 now and it seems like it is too soon to be menopausal, but my sister and my mother were forced into menopause in their 40s by radical hysterectomy. I'm glad I'm not dealing with that! And at least I have been tested, inside and out, and know that there is no issue of cancer for me at this point.

I hope you will follow through, stay positive, and whatever it takes, get to the bottom of the problem. We'll be here to support you!! :)

Logan

[caseysmom]

I think the reason mostly for the pain during the test was because she said my uteris was flipped so she had to dialate it or something like that when I had my IUD changed 2 years ago I remember him mentioning this and it was quite uncomfortable.


Logan it sounds like your sister caught her cancer in time, thank goodness.

[jazzcat]

Well I'm about a week short of 40 *cough cough* I can't believe I'm saying that :eek: . Anyway I had a hysterectomy last year for endometriosis and in the process the dr. discovered a small fibroid. I had both my ovaries removed also so I went into surgical menopause. I started hormones but with that came horrible groin pain and after months of trying different kinds of hormones I gave up when my dr. said the estrogen in the hormones must be causing my endo to grow back and cause pain. That was why they took my ovaries - to stop the endo from growing. Let me tell you, hot flashes and night sweats are no way to spend the last year of your 30s! :(

I just went through a cat scan and xrays to see if my groin pain is being caused by something else but they came back normal so it's looking like I can either be mostly pain free but in full blown menopause or take hormones and suffer the bad groin pain. Either way stinks and either way I've gained about 20 pounds over the past year since the hsyt. :mad: For the first time since the surgery I've actually started thinking maybe I was better off having 2 week periods every 21 days and pain so bad I was bed bound for at least two days a month.

It's true what they say 'when one door closes another one opens'. I closed the door on horrilbe periods just to open another to menopause and groin pain. :rolleyes:

[caseysmom]

Well my biopsy was benign....I am so relieved. I guess my IUD is in the wrong place and my be causing all of this, I have an appt to go in today.

[lvpets2002]

:o I am 48 yrs young & doing well with female parts {whats left}.. When I was 35 is when I had my 2 lb Fibroid tumor taken out.. I went thru the same discomfort as you & bleed for 1 month off & on.. The doctor sorta brushed it off & said I was going thru early menopause.. Then I started Heavy bleeding with tissue for a month & thats when the doctor woke up & I went thru emergency hysterectomy.. The rest is history & all great.. Good Luck = Huggss & Prayers Being Sent

[caseysmom]

Well my iud was not in the right place, I could have gotten pregnant, the doc said what would you do if you were pregnant...I said I would jump off a bridge :eek:

They replaced the IUD and my uteris is 16cm...suppose to be 8, she thinks I have adenomyosis, could have been caused by my csection years ago...who knows, I kind of think she is wrong because I have to pain, this condition is suppose to be painful...either way I believe a hysterecomy is in my future.

[Pam]

Well my iud was not in the right place, I could have gotten pregnant, the doc said what would you do if you were pregnant...I said I would jump off a bridge :eek:

They replaced the IUD and my uteris is 16cm...suppose to be 8, she thinks I have adenomyosis, could have been caused by my csection years ago...who knows, I kind of think she is wrong because I have to pain, this condition is suppose to be painful...either way I believe a hysterecomy is in my future.

I sort of forgot about this thread and am glad to see it back up. I'm so glad your biopsy was benign! As I was reading I thought what a weight must be off your shoulders! I hope you don't have to go through a hysterectomy but, if you have to in order to get resolution to your problems, they are very routine and I know you will be just fine. A co-worker of mine had one at the age of 30 and has been so happy ever since. I have never heard of adenomyosis. I will have to do some Googling. :) Us women have to educate each other. ;)