So worried my mum might have cervical cancer

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Is it possible for a biopsy to be performed before surgery?

Joe, this kind of worrisome situation will recur throughout your life. First it may be anxiety for someone in your mother's generation, later it will be you own health scares.

It's a good idea to develop some skills for helping yourself through these crises.

Best wishes for your mother to have a good outcome. Your love and concern will help her.

My mom had cervical cancer. She's still very much alive.

I feel for you, Joe. I've been there. Waiting for the health system to move, when all you want is to know if your mum will be alright now, is torturous. My suggestion is to concentrate on being a support for your mum, who's probably experiencing all kinds of anxieties and fears herself. She could need to express them - or she might just appreciate your company to keep her mind off it all. There will also be practical things she needs your help with as she prepares to go to hospital and when she comes home.

At the same time, look after yourself. If you're anything like me you could feel a powerful need to talk about all your worries with someone. I seem to remember you have a boyfriend, or you might want to see if there's a UK equivalent of the Australian Cancer Council, which provides information and support services.

Finally, they don't know if it is cancer yet. I truly hope for the best outcome, Joe. Whatever happens, we'll all be here on The Haven if you need us.

Thank you for your support.

I'm trying to just live day by day and not to think too deeply about it, which thanks to Sertraline, I can to a degree, but I am still really worried.

It's affecting my work performance. At work I keep getting told off for forgetting things and not keeping track of time properly. I don't really like to talk about this at work, although I'm thinking of having a talk with the main boss, just tell her that my mum may have cancer and things are going round and round in my head so it has risen my anxiety levels even higher so I just need a bit of consideration at work, just until I know more of my mum's needs and what will happen.
I don't like my supervisors keep yelling at me for being delayed or forgetting something. It is upsetting me.

My mum will die.

The tumour is on her ovary. What if it's been there for some time and has spread to her liver or somewhere?

I just read up about ovarian cancer and it said that not many people survive it.

I feel sick.

I'm so sorry.

But it's important for you to realize that while most people don't survive it, some do.

And it's also important for you to realize that even if a cure is not possible, medical treatments may extend her life by quite a bit.

Try to spend as much time as you can, taking care of her. Also I think I would tell my boss about this, if I were you.

Best wishes for both yourself and your mum.

Most people don't survive, which means there's more chance my mum won't.

I just want peace of mind. I want hope. My mum has been so healthy all her life; never smoked or drank, and she does exercise and eats the right food and drinks lots of water. And yet she gets, to me it sounds, a life-threatening cancer with low chance of surviving.

I keep getting this horrible feeling that she will die, but I'm hoping it's just the anxiety and stress causing my mind think the worst. All I want to do is sleep. I can't live with this worry. What am I going to do? My 52-year-old mother has ovarian cancer. How could things get any worse?

Joe, first of all, have they determined if it was malignant (cancerous) yet?

Second of all, I just found out that the 5-year survival rate for Ovarian cancers that haven't spread is 92%. THAT MEANS ONLY 8 OUT OF 100 PEOPLE DIE WITHIN FIVE YEARS. 92 PEOPLE SURVIVE.

Even in Stage III, where there's been considerable spread, at least 38% survive 5 years. The 38% is for the most extensive of the Stage III cancers.

Hey Joe,

If you don't believe me, just Google "Ovarian Cancer 5 year survival rate."

I understand you're anxious. It's the unknown. They haven't determine exactly the nature of the tumour. When everything is said and done, I would love to hear the outcome.

Please forgive me for seeming cold. I know sometimes I seem insensitive to you.

But having ovarian cancer is not a death sentence necessarily--especially if they catch it in time.

"5-year survival rate" is the rate in which people live five years after an initial diagnosis of cancer.

If there's a 92% 5-year survival rate, for example, 92 out of 100 people, if they were diagnosed with cancer on March 22, 2016, will still be alive on March 22, 2021.

I am sorry to hear this news, I hope you and your mother can find the strength to slay this beast no matter the outcome of these tests and that you have many more years together.

Hi Joe,

If your mum has ovarian cancer, there is still hope. My mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about eight years ago. She is alive, healthy and cancer-free.

Has your mum had her operation yet? If not, when will it be?

I should have pointed out that once somebody is cancer-free for five years, the person is considered CURED. Not just in REMISSION.

The operation is in nearly a month's time. That just gives the cancer more chance to spread. It's already giving her pains. She isn't herself. She's convinced herself that she's going to die. I'm worried about how long she's had this tumour growing. What if it's spread to her kidneys or bowels or something? It's so hard to imagine what it'd be like to see my own mother prematurely die. I may be 25 but I still need my mum, for emotional love and support, even though I have a boyfriend. When your parents are elderly, it's easier to accept when you lose them, although it is still very upsetting.