Sisterhood of Survivorship
Sharing, Caring, Surviving
Melinda's Story
Year Diagnosed: 2009
Type of Cancer: Uterine Leiomyosarcoma
Listen to your body... and listen to your doctors.
My menstrual periods were getting heavier, and I was clotting. I shared my situation with my friends and my doctor. I wasn't too worried as many women experienced what I was going through during their peri-menopause. Eventually, my bleeding wasn't stopping, even with birth control pills and a D&C, and I became extremely anemic. A pelvic ultrasound showed I had fibroids. I had an abdominal hysterectomy where my uterus and cervix were removed. I had asked my ob/gyn to leave my ovaries if they looked healthy, and they did. Six days after my surgery I received the devastating news - I had uterine leiomyosarcoma. We were hopeful as the wall of my uterus was smooth, and my CT scan showed no signs of cancer. But my oncology gynecologist insisted my ovaries and fallopian tubes be removed, and he also wanted to biopsy my pelvic lymph nodes. A few days after my second surgery, I heard the best five words in my 2009 - "no involvement by leiomyosarcoma seen."
I see my oncologist every 3 months and am always anxious until I hear that no cancer was found. This is my life now... and I am happy to say that I am a survivor.