My name is Linda and I am a two year Cervical Cancer survivor. So much has changed since I was diagnosed in 2010. Everyone has a different experience and not everyone has side effects. I have had a lot change for me and I want to write this blog for other women that are going through this or will go through it in the future.
To start with let's define what Cervical Cancer is: Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the narrow opening into the uterus from the vagina. Most cervical cancers (80 to 90 percent) are squamous cell cancers. Cervical cancer affects approximately 13,000 women in the United States each year, and more than 4,000 of women will die. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in about 99% of cervical cancers. Some types of genital HPV may cause genital warts, while other types of genital HPV are linked to abnormal cell changes on the cervix (detected through Pap tests) that can lead to cervical cancer. HPV can infect anyone who has ever had a sexual encounter, even without going “all the way.” HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact, not through an exchange of bodily fluid. From the National Cervical Cancer Coalition.
If you want more information visit the National Cervical Cancer Coalition page to learn more. Please, if you are a woman, make sure you get a pap smear regularly and if you are a man, make sure the women in your life are getting checked! If caught early, this is a completely curable disease.
Let me start my story by telling you that I had a very bad experience with a gynecologist in the past. I went to a new gynecologist, she was pretty brusque, but I figured I just had to get through it and it would be over soon. I am a "difficult" patient, I have a really hard time relaxing enough for the doctor to get their samples. I am sure some of my doctors wished they had a crowbar! I did explain to the doctor that she needed to take things slow (hehe, sounds like a first date), but either she was not listening or did not care. She attempted to jam the speculum inside me, I jumped back and practically flew off the table! Eventually she got the sample she needed, but not before traumatizing me so much that for the next few years I could not even think about going to a gynecologist without hyperventilating.
Well a few years have gone by and I've managed to convince myself that I did not need to get checked out. I was regular to within a couple of days every month and there was nothing even the slightest bit off about anything. So time is going by and I've managed to put any thought of it out of my mind.....until September of 2009....suddenly things were not working right. First I missed a period....very odd for someone so regular. I was not seeing anyone so pregnancy was not even a question. I did some research and it could have been any number of things that caused that from stress to perimenopause (pre-menopause). I decided to wait and see what happened the next month...well everything happened on time in October. I was feeling relieved until two weeks later I started bleeding again. Now I was starting to get a little worried. I did some more research and once more there were a number of reasons that could cause it from polyps to fibroids to endometriosis. I was concerned, but still not entertaining thoughts of going to a gynecologist.
November came on time, but it brought with it the most intense pain I had ever felt! I felt like I was in the movie, Alien, and it was trying to rip itself out of me. I almost passed out the pain was so bad, good thing I was home. After downing a handful of Advil I curled up in a ball on my bed for a few hours. After a few hours the pain settled down to just extreme and I was able to actually stand up. I was in a lot of pain for the weekend, but by Monday it had settled down to normal cramps. I finally gave in and decided I needed to go to a gynecologist. It had been a long time since I had gone and I had moved a few times since that day so I needed to do some research and try to find someone that I could be comfortable with.
It is December, I still had not found anyone and Christmas was coming, so I did not worry too much about finding one right away. I figured I would get through Christmas and deal with everything in the new year. Well guess what was coming....you got it...the PAIN! Now the pain not quite as intense as the first time, but it was still worse than any cramps I had ever had. I made it my number one priority to find a doctor after the holidays.
It is now January and I have found a doctor that looks promising. Dr A looks like a kind woman, so I call to make an appointment. First available appointment is beginning of February, I take it. Of course this means I have one more excruciatingly painful series of cramps to get through. I was lucky enough to have a very understanding boss, and after I explained the pain she agreed that I could take a couple of days off when I needed it, so I made it through January. Now after dealing with that kind of pain for several months I was more than ready to see a gynecologist if she could get me some relief. A little pain and I was quickly changing my tune!
Finally, it is February and time for my appointment! I really hope she can help stop the pain...and my appointment is just in time with a week to go before the cramps would come again. Dr. A is as nice as she seemed in her profile, she is patient and gentle and is able to get a sample from me. Best of all, she prescribes some painkillers to help me through the pain to come. After I explain my pain to her she schedules me for an ultrasound to check for abnormalities. I leave the office happy and relieved that it is over...little did I know! The next week is the ultrasound...it was INTERNAL!!! That is an experience that I wish I could erase from my memory. I made it through February's cramps with the help of some strong painkillers, but even they could not make the pain completely go away. They were enough to make it seem like normal cramps. Still it was better than the alternative!!!
I expected Dr. A to call me to discuss the results of the ultrasound and to figure out a solution to my pain. I got a call, but it was not the call I was expecting. It was the results of the pap smear, I had not even been concerned about the pap, I had been operating under the assumption that the problem was something like fibroids or endometriosis. The pap was abnormal...
No comments:
Post a Comment