I sought medical
attention because I was having persistent pelvic pain. I had other symptoms of
cervical cancer, but at the time I knew nothing about cervical cancer, and I
chalked those up to just being normal. I saw more doctors than I can count. I
had two colonoscopies and an endoscopy. I had ultrasounds and CT scans. I spent
a good deal of time in the ER – it practically became my second home. One ER
doctor told me I had HPV, and that I needed to follow up with my gynecologist. I
was still seeing the OB/Gyn who delivered my son, so I went to see her. She did
a pelvic exam only, and told me that there was no way I had HPV. So I went on
my way. At one point, my primary care physician told me that she thought this
was all in my head.
Finally, I decided
to go seen a new gynecologist. I was overdue for my well woman checkup, since
my previous gynecologist had only done a pelvic exam. We talked about the pain,
and she didn’t seem too concerned. I left her office thinking it was just
another dead end.
About a week after
my appointment, I started getting calls from my gynecologist’s office. I didn’t
answer, and they didn’t leave a message. I assumed it was just a nurse calling
to say all results are normal. I had never had an abnormal Pap smear, and just
recently my old gynecologist told me I was HPV negative and just fine.
Finally, on the
third call, I answered. It was indeed a nurse, but what she said was not at all
what I was expecting: “You have adenocarcinoma. That’s cervical cancer. You
need to come by the office and pick up all the lab results, and make an
appointment with a gynecologic oncologist as soon as possible.”
I hung up the phone
in tears. I went and got my husband, and somehow managed to blurt out what the
nurse had told me. He drove me to my gynecologist’s office, and we picked up
the paperwork, along with a recommendation for a Gyn oncologist. I couldn’t
believe this was happening. I was 34 years old, way too young for cancer.
I called to make an
appointment with Dr. L, the oncologist. He was out of town, and wouldn’t be
able to see me for two weeks. We had been planning a trip to the Bahamas the
next week, and now the question was should we go or not? Ultimately, we decided
to go, since I couldn’t see him until after we got back, and I didn’t want to
disappoint our boys.
I spent the time
leading up to the appointment completely numb. I knew I had cancer, but I had
no idea how advanced it was, or what my treatment options were. I barely spoke
to anyone.
When I saw Dr. L
for the first time, he did a pelvic exam. Based on what he saw, he said it
might be pre cancer, or 1a at the most. He scheduled me for a cone biopsy,
which is where they cut out part of your cervix. If they get clean margins,
meaning the cancer is contained in the part they cut out, then no further
treatment would be needed. I did not have clean margins. The tumor was deeper inside
my cervix than he had originally thought. At this point, he restaged me to 1b1.
Dr. L gave me two
options for treatment. We could try chemo and radiation, and see if that would
take care of the cancer. One of the side effects of radiation, especially
brachytherapy, where radiation is done inside the vagina, is winding up with
what he referred to as a “short, stiff vagina.” The other option was a radical
hysterectomy. Since we were not planning on having any more children, I opted
for the hysterectomy.
On June 16, 2014, I
had surgery. Dr. L removed my cervix, took sections from my vaginal wall,
removed my uterus, and tendons and ligaments that held the uterus in place, as
well as 26 lymph nodes. He left my ovaries so that I wouldn’t go into early
menopause. When he came out to talk to my family, he assured them that he got
it all and I would be just fine.
My recovery was not
easy. I had a hematoma above my vaginal wall, and some blocked lymph nodes.
Instead of a 4 to 6 week recovery, I spent that entire summer in bed, in a
great deal of pain. But it was all worth it: at my first follow up appointment,
Dr. L told me that the pathology reports were back, the cancer had been
confined to my cervix, and that I was officially NED (no evidence of disease).
What I want women
to know:
- ALWAYS get
your well woman checkups on time – it could save your life!
- There is
nothing shameful about a diagnosis of either HPV or cervical cancer.
- YOU DID NOT
ASK FOR THIS.
- You don’t
deserve this.
- If you
experience any symptoms, see your gynecologist immediately.
- If you are
diagnosed with cervical cancer, please seek treatment immediately.
- Educate
yourself to know what to look for.
- Do not be
ashamed of your body – every anomaly is there to tell you something is not
right.
- And always,
ALWAYS remember that you are never alone.
Having cancer
changed a lot of things in my life, some good, some bad. Keep reading to find
out more!
xoxo Jennie
