Never, ever, ever did I imagine that I would hear the words. ‘You have cancer.’ Our family was a tribe with autoimmune issues; thyroid, diabetes and such. Recently, I had been doing ‘all the things’ to feel good. Walking, hydration, sleep, sunshine, grounding for God’s sake, better nutrition, meditation, breathwork, avoiding negativity & news, researching all kinds of wellness practices and yada yada yada…ugh. But cancer doesn’t care. Didn’t care.
On September 16, 2025 at 9pm (one remembers these details), I went to the bathroom before bed and to my shock there was blood in the toilet. (I want to be real here friends…..if this is too much for you, I completely understand….thank you ever so much for popping in anyway. Hugs.) Instantly I thought ‘Hmmm…one of the girls in my house must have forgotten to flush the toilet’. One of them is on their period. You see, I hadn’t had a period for 26 years. I’m 66 now and since I turned 40, (early menopause) I had many glorious years that I never had to deal with this female nonsense. No spotting, no cramping, no emotional turmoil. This blood could not be from me! I flushed the toilet.
Then I thought, dammit I better check. Could it be me? Nah! No way. Impossible. I rolled out some extra toilet paper and wiped again. What?! Oh my God. No! Not me. It is me. What the FUCK! Bloody hell!
I’ll spare you the gory details, but it was bad. Heavy. Drip. Drip. And the next thing I did the very next instant was ask Dr. Google what it could be. (I know this isn’t what we are supposed to do, but I did it. I admit. it.)
He said:
“You must contact a healthcare provider immediately if you are a postmenopausal woman experiencing a heavy period after 26 years of menopause, as this requires prompt medical evaluation to rule out serious conditions like endometrial cancer, with 10-15% of cases involving endometrial cancer. A doctor will likely perform a physical exam, a pelvic ultrasound, and an endometrial biopsy to determine the cause and recommend appropriate treatment, which could range from hormone therapy to surgical procedures.”
By 10 pm I was at the hospital. Bloodwork. Vitals. CT Scan, Pelvic Exam, PAP test, External and Vaginal Ultrasound and on September 17th a Endometrial Biopsy. (Ha! I had to ask the triage nurse for a few pads. Who needs to stock them at home when you are in menopause?) Yes, the biopsy was ouch-y. Bonus: Digestive biscuit and a Canada Dry ginger ale as a reward.
There was some humor. The Dr. reminded me not to have intercourse for 4 weeks. I’m single so in my head I’m thinking, ‘You should have told me this BEFORE the procedure ‘cause I wouldn’t have done it!’ (hehe)
The Gynecologist said it would take 2 weeks for results, but I overheard her putting a call into the lab to expedite the results…urgently. My heart sank.
Peace Love Create Art Gather,
Patti xo