hysterectomy: 44 Real Stories
44 stories match hysterectomy. 43 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chantal’s Survivor Story
Chantal was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she felt a sudden painful lump during a beach trip. Just 1 month earlier, her preventive MRI had looked normal. Because the lump was visible and clearly new, she sought testing quickly. Biopsy…
Read this storyStage III Ovarian Cancer: Jaclyn’s Patient Story
Jackie VanRaaphorst’s ovarian cancer journey began with stomach pain in March 2015. Ultrasound and CT imaging led to a diagnosis of Stage III ovarian cancer. She underwent a complete hysterectomy that removed the uterus, cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Megan’s Survivor Story
Megan-Claire Chase was diagnosed with Stage II invasive lobular breast cancer after symptoms such as green bruises, brittle hair, sudden weight gain, and a left-breast mass. Her doctors later believed the cancer may have been growing for 8 to 10 years and had…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Michelle’s Survivor Story
Michelle Cappel was a 40-year-old fifth-grade teacher when years of chronic constipation, bloating, and worsening abdominal pain finally led to a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. Her symptoms had been blamed on antidepressants, possible celiac disease…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Angelica’s Survivor Story
Angelica Allen’s follow-up story focused on how life changed after Stage III bowel cancer. She was diagnosed in 2018 at age 38, after exhaustion, iron deficiency, bloating, bowel changes, and intermittent bleeding led to emergency evaluation. Treatment began…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Angelica’s Survivor Story
Angelica Allen was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage III bowel cancer after months of symptoms that were easy to misattribute. She had iron deficiency, severe exhaustion that lasted 7 or 8 months, bloating, bowel-movement changes, and intermittent…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Survivor Story
Amy was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB colorectal cancer associated with Lynch syndrome. Treatment was described as a marathon in 3 legs. The first leg was 6 weeks of chemotherapy plus radiation. After a break, she underwent a 9.5-hour operation…
Read this storyStage IV PIK3CA Breast Cancer: Abigail’s Patient Story
Abigail was 38, running a law firm, raising 2 young children, and breastfeeding when she felt a lump in her left breast in January 2017. She first thought it was a clogged duct. In April 2017, she was diagnosed with strongly hormone-positive breast cancer and…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer Can Present Unique Challenges Around Gender
At 43, this patient had a hysterectomy for fibroids. During the operation, the surgeon noticed an abnormal ovarian cyst and removed the ovary. The cyst was cancerous. One month later, in June 2009, the second ovary was removed with a lymph node dissection; 1…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Susie’s’s Patient Story
Susie became involved with the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance after her daughter was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma. Her daughter was 42 and living in California when doctors found an 8 cm ILC in the left breast. Her mammogram had been clear the…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Natalia’s Patient Story
Natalia Padron’s breast cancer was found after she noticed that something looked different in her breasts and sought routine breast imaging. The report was highly suspicious, and she was referred to a surgeon. She had a family history of breast cancer through…
Read this storyStage I Ovarian Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary “Dicey” Jackson Scroggins spent about 2 years dealing with abdominal bloating, weight gain, frequent urination and heavy menstrual bleeding before ovarian cancer was discovered. In September 1996, at age 46, she underwent a hysterectomy for fibroids and…
Read this storyStage III BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Patty’s Patient Story
Patty Klein was in her late 40s when severe pain in her side led to imaging and a diagnosis of Stage III ovarian cancer. The pain came from fluid building up in her abdomen. After diagnosis, she learned that she carried a BRCA1 mutation, which was also found…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Aura’s Patient Story
Aura, 49, discovered 2 small lumps in her right breast and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. Her treatment included mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, hysterectomy, and chemotherapy. Afterward, she remained on hormone therapy. The diagnosis changed her…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Cath’s Survivor Story
Cath, 63, was diagnosed with Stage II luminal A breast cancer in May 2019 after a routine 2-yearly mammogram led to more imaging and a biopsy. She had no symptoms, and the cancer was described as ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative. At first she felt…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Leslie’s Survivor Story
This patient was diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer in August 2013 after weeks of diarrhea were followed by severe bloating. A CT scan showed large amounts of abdominal fluid, and further evaluation led her to MD Anderson. A laparoscopy showed…
Read this storyStage II BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Barb’s Patient Story
In February 2014, at age 50, Barb White underwent a hysterectomy to remove a large suspicious cyst. The surgery confirmed Stage II ovarian cancer, which had spread to her uterus. Three weeks later, she began chemotherapy. Barb had a severe allergic reaction…
Read this storyStage III Ovarian Cancer: Dianne’s Patient Story
Dianne Simpson was 73 when she completed treatment for Stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer in April 2017. Her symptoms had started months earlier with worsening pain, bloating and difficulty sleeping. Initial evaluations did not identify the cause, but…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Theresa’s Survivor Story
Theresa Cotton was 49 when she opened her colonoscopy results alone in a hospital parking lot and learned she had cancer. She called her husband immediately, then started researching cancer centers and treatment options. People she knew encouraged her to go…
Read this storyBRCA1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Nadine’s Survivor Story
Nadine Beech was 27, healthy and a non-smoker when she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 1997. After she started spitting up blood following a water-skiing accident, the problem was first treated as a bruised lung. Several doctors later, an 8…
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