What the heck is going on?????

I know that waiting is the opportunity for the imagination to run wild and cancerhead to kick in. I am still waiting and trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

I had my 6 mo. check-up. Really the first time since dx. and surgery that I just wasn't really concerned about anything. My dx. was great..surgery all I needed..endo ca stage 1a, grade 1. The mass was high in the uterus and the chance of recurrence extremely low. So, I just haven't been that worried. Now..had the vault smear and basic look see and push and prod..no big deal. Vault smear was uncomfortable but he said "looks good".

I waited 14 days and called for results. Usually get a note in the mail that says "all good..see ya in 6 mo.". Anyway.. nurse on Monday said she didn't see my file..doc probably had it..he'd call or they'd let me know or send a note or something..then she asked for ss# and put my on hold and came back saying it looked like they were waiting for one other test result. One other?? how many do they do? So..ok.waited. Called onThursday..she said immediately "oh..I'm so sorry..your file is right on the doc's desk. He WILL call you." I asked if she just couldn't run down the hall, flip it open and let me know if I can just plan on coming back in 6 mo. She said.."no..I'm really really sorry, can't do that and the Doc WILL call you". Well.. Friday came, went..no call. So of course, I'm trying to imagine what the heck is in that file. I mean..I can't imagine that this has popped up there..doesn't make sense..so what could possibly be happening to "down there" that he would need to call me about???? It does not make sense. Anyone...have any ideas?? If it was just dysplasia..wouldn't I hear something?? would that be a possibility???? This just doesn't jibe. I have always heard from this doctor within 10 days. I know that whatever is going on would simply be a guess..but how likely would a recurrence be? What the heck else can go wrong..and why just not give me a **** call???? Any ideas ladies?? I don't know if I should be worried or just p*ssed off. Hope whatever anyone here is going through is smooth for the day..it's always something and I feel like this is the least of anyone's worries, but I just can't imagine what could be going on...thank you all so much for just being here!

Josie,I t is VERY FRUSTRATING when Drs. do this. I had the same thing happen to me. FINALLY about 3 weeks later I got a letter in the mail saying everything was fine. I don't think they realize how this waiting effects us. They should have a complaint box in these offices!
I'm sure everything is alright.

Hi Josie,
Waiting can be the pits and I sometimes believe the doctors/office staffs do not know how truly nerve raking this is for many of us. There could be countless reasons your doctor has not called back including being tied up with difficult case(s), still waiting for that test results (labs can move at snail's pace), emergency with a patient(s,) etc. Many doctors do not allow nurses or other members of the staff to call patients even with good news/results and they of course have limited time to call and no doubt notify those with problems first. May you get only good results and soonest next week.
s, peggiesue
PS, as Lollipop, I got my first post op test results via a post card ala the good old days; when the docs were doing test, pre-op upon my cancer dx, I always got immediate phone calls with results - good or bad. I left the post-op notifications this way (post-card) as it gives me a feeling of more normalcy and also I had an early stage cancer. I am sure my doc would call immediately if there was anything amiss. Of course each person is different and their docs needs to do what works best for them re notification.

Hi Josie,
Knowing what a nervous wreck I can be awaiting any kind of results, my doctors would never do that to me or any of their patients.
One time my doctors receptionist called me saying to please hold for the doctor she would like to speak to me. I almost had a heart attact right there and then. Turns out that the doctor had good news to tell me and just wanted to speak to me personally.
Hopefully this is the case for you too.
I would be on the phone Monday morning demanding to speak directly to the doctor. Be Firm!!
Rosalie

Josie
I too was dx with EC stage 1a....had a TAHBSO three years ago...at my 3rd check up I called the pap hotline to get my results 10 days after the appt and heard, please call your dr. for results....I called and the nurse said, drs note says pap is fine but slightly irregular...of course that sent me into total cancerhead hysteria....I talked with the dr and she explained that the results were totally what she expected as I had used up all of my estrogen stores and the vaginal area was experiencing cell changes because of a lack of estrogen. She called in Estrace cream for me to use vaginally and so far so good...all paps have been fine.
I would think that your dr. would have called you asap if the results were concerning....I would bet that your pap showed cell changes that are due to hormonal issues...
Be sure to let your dr know how this lack of information impacted your life the last few days....

Chris and others... thank you. We all know what a time it is for us that have been through this stuff. What bothers me is that this place KNOWS this stuff. They know the waiting game is impossibly hard and of all places they know better than to keep people waiting.

I am hoping and thinking it more likely to be the reasons Chris has mentioned. It makes sense and is definetely a problem for me. So, here's hoping that's the reason..however, having a file sitting around for more time than is necessary is just not right. I will call on Monday, and if it means stopping by and asking to see a copy, I will. I know they are busy. So am I. It just doesn't take that much time to push the folder on to the next step and send a note/make the call..whatever. I have been lucky so far as I have not ever had to wait this long. Thank you all for your replies and support. I will also let them know that waiting and worrying can't be healthy for anyone.

Josie
I would suspect everything is fine....If the drs office is typically very good about getting reports to you...but it is good to follow up to make sure. Let us know how things turn out.

Hi Josie,

It is very common to have a slightly abnormal Pap following a TAH/BSO's whether we are cancer survivors or not due to tissue changes from lack of estrogen. My 15 month post op Pap came back with ASCUS (abnormal squamus cells of unknown source), and my 18 month came back normal. My Gyn told me he gets about 10 ASCUS results back a month in his post menopausal patients.

Being a nurse and often on the receiving end of patients calling in for test results, my facility's policy is nurses can relay normal results, but anything abnormal or slightly abnormal requiring further explanation has to be deferred to a doctor or nurse practitioner. Any test results that are grossly abnormal which may require ASAP intervention, the doctors are notified right away and contact the patients right away. Knowing my patient's high anxiety level, I will relay in the case of slight abnormalities for them NOT to loose sleep until the doctor gets back to them as the results require explanations beyond my scope of expertise. This approach usually lessens their fear until their doctor calls.

Josie, I am sure if something was terribly wrong you would have heard right away from your doctor.

Take care and try not to worry too much as likely this is just a small bump in the road.

Hey all... I have some answers but not all....
Finally got through to someone today. A nurse (or someone) looked up my records and said that the report indicated atypical squamous cells of undertermined nature. She then said that they were waiting for the results of the HPV test. Ok..so, my question is..Do they generally do an hpv test? Ever since all this started, I wondered if they had ever done a hpv test and what the results were. No one has ever mentioned it. I've had an abnormal pap years ago, was given a cream preparation for it but it wasn't hpv and I've never had a discussion with any of my docs regarding this. Is it possible they never tested? Or is it standard procedure? I had a normal pap 1 yr. ago and he didn't do one in March. Any clues? I do know that the ASCUS is not uncommon and can be related to all sorts of benign reasons. Just curious about the HPV area.