Bernie’s Story:
To mark ‘World Cancer Day’ on the 4th February, Bernie has shared her battle with advanced uterine cancer with us. She hopes it will help build awareness and be a positive story for those going through their own cancer journey.
“You know I didn’t feel unwell, I didn’t have an inkling anything was wrong until one Saturday morning, the 6th February 2021. I had a bleed. At the time I was 61 years of age and I knew this couldn’t be right.
“I went to my GP on the Monday, he did an internal and mentioned it might be fibroids, but best to have it checked at the hospital. I was initially referred to the Rotunda and had my appointment on the 24th February. They did a D&C and I had scans and biopsies. Then, it was the wait for results. The bleeding continued – it meant I couldn’t take my mind of what was going on.
Bernie with her four boys
“My husband, Ger, dropped me to get the results. I sent him off, not to waste his time trying to get parking, and said I’d call him when I was done. However, as soon as I went to the waiting room the nurse asked me – “Are you on your own?” – and my heart sank. The tests had shown cancer in my womb and they needed to refer me to the Mater for treatment.
“I was numb, getting cancer had been one of my biggest fears since childhood. I had an Aunt Maureen who passed away from breast cancer at the age of 32. I always remember her being spoken of in whispered conversations… “the cancer had taken her”. Would it take me? Ger and my four boys, they took it hard, I was so worried for them too.
“By the 10th of March I was in the Mater for an MRI. The idea of it scared the life out of me, but the girls doing it looked after me so well. I brought a blindfold for myself, reckoning if I couldn’t see when I was in the machine, then I couldn’t panic 😊. It got me through and I was back to meet Dr. McVey for the results on the 20th March.
“Dr. McVey was exactly what I needed, direct but reassuring. He reviewed the results and did another quick exam. He saw I was still bleeding and decided this needed action sooner rather than later. He had a free spot for robotic surgery in another hospital the following week, I jumped at the chance. It was less invasive and more accurate. I couldn’t believe I was in and out in three days. The bleeding had stopped and I wasn’t in pain anymore. Ger couldn’t believe I walked out of the hospital with my bag unaided.
“There was a 3-4 week wait for the pathology results… it was nerve wracking, and I then was in to see Dr McVey again in early June. While the operation had gone well, results showed a significant amount of high grade cancer. It had started in my uterus – in the lining of my womb -and spread to the ovaries and the apron of my stomach. The treatment team felt they needed to ‘throw the kitchen sink at it’ to ensure any remaining cancer cells were eradicated. I was scheduled for six different rounds of two types of chemotherapy and 27 radiation treatments. Then a lovely Mater nurse called Sheila sat me down and chatted me through it, explaining what would be involved, she really put my mind at ease.
“On the 23 June, my Dad’s birthday, I got a call confirming that the treatment would start the following week. What shocked me the most was when I went into the room with the recliners/chemo chairs the first day was that they were so many, and they were all full. So many people in the same boat… and this was just one hospital. There were people at all stages of treatment some with hats, wigs, hair, no hair. The way it was laid out was perfect, because you had people close enough if they wanted to engage or separate enough to have their privacy with a curtain they could pull over if that was what they wanted. And the amazing staff were so positive and reassuring.
“My treatment was a full day of two types of chemo from 9am-6pm and then a break for three weeks. I got a notebook and recorded every symptom I had during those three weeks. It worked really well, because you tend to forget what symptoms you had and panic that it’s something new. I could check the book and see – yes, I’ve had that before.
Bernie celebrating her birthday – August 2023
“My hair started to fall out after first session. Came out in droves, I was saying to Ger, it’s like having a dog in this car 😊. So, eventually, I shaved it off and tried the wigs, hats, whatever was most comfortable. I finished chemo just before my birthday on the 18 August. It was still lockdown, but we managed to have a socially distant drive by down the road outside my house, all my friends and family were there with banners, singing me happy birthday – I felt I’d achieved another milestone.
“I had the radiation treatment next. Personally, I found it much harder than the chemo, which I wasn’t expecting. Five days a week for five weeks, it was tough. Once it was done, then I had to have the follow up MRI on the 22 February 2022. Thank God, everything was clear, everything looked great, there were no signs of re-occurrence.
“Initially after that, I had a follow up check every three months and everything remained clear. I’m now on six month checkups. It took a little while to get back to myself, but I feel great now. February 6th will be the third anniversary of my bleed and it’s amazing to think I’m still here and have battled through stage 3C cancer.
“I really wanted to share my story, because I wanted someone going through something similar to be able to search and find a positive story. I wanted to share the things that helped my journey – like keeping a notebook and a couple of sessions of hypnotherapy for the stress. I wanted people to know that there is hope.”
Bernie Dixon, Dublin
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