I’m wondering if anyone has had a cervical cancer diagnosis following these symptoms…
Had my little girl March 2022.
A few issues & symptoms during pregnancy which I put down to the pregnancy.
Following the birth, I have had very irregular periods, mainly 5-7 weeks between each one but also heavy bleeding.
Extreme exhaustion and fatigue which has depressed me to the core.
Pain in my left knee, diagnosed with patella femoral syndrome.
Awful pain during intercourse, to the point it brings me to tears. Mainly from certain positions.
Slight spotting in between periods.
For the past 3 months or so, I’ve had chronic pain in my cervix area. It feels like a constant dull achy throb - bearable but painful non the less and always there.
UTI beginning of this year which took 2 weeks to shift.
Shooting pain / lightning crotch in my cervix, some times sending the pain right down my legs, this comes and goes during the day.
Vaginal discharge, no foul odour or abnormal colour.
Constipation the majority of time.
Swollen, bloated tummy around my womb area. I’ve always been flat stomached but I put this down post-partum.
I was diagnosed with anaemia in Nov 2022 and prescribed iron tablets. Doctors retest my bloods every month and still come back anaemic. (Possibly due to heavy bleeds etc) but they aren’t sure why tabs aren’t affective.
I had a smear back in Jan 2019 which was HPV pos & mild dyskaryosis. Was sent for colposcopy and had LLETZ treatment. This came back ok, sent for check up smear August 2019 which came back negative and was told to go back to 3 yearly smears.
Skip forward to now.
I was invited for a smear April 11th, whilst having the smear the nurse noticed quite a lot of discharge. 4 weeks later I was informed by my doctor that my swab hadn’t been tested due to the lab saying it was too early to be tested and wasn’t actually due until August this year.
My last period which was 3 weeks late, arrived on 3rd of May. I had very severe and excruciating pain for the first 3 days. I bled for 7 and still suffered normal cramps.
Back to the doctors 11th of May to tell them about the pain I’ve been in down below and the severe period pain , irregular periods etc.
I was tested for various infections and bloods retested. During swabs the nurse again noticed quite a bit of discharge.
Swabs have come back negative but bloods still showing anaemia.
Since all this my pain is causing so much discomfort and I’m so stressed about it that I can’t sleep at night with worry.
Has anyone experienced anything similar and been diagnosed? I’m convinced something isn’t right with my body but I can’t help think the worst. I’ve never experienced this type of pain before and I know it’s not normal.
Please can ANYONE give me some sort of reassurance or if my concerns are justified ?
First of all, I’m so sorry you are in this position and I find it outrageous that the lab refused to test considering your history and current symptoms. Are they looking for a lawsuit???
Can you get a test done privately? No one can say what might be going on but I agree that it needs thorough investigation! Good luck & im sorry to hear this. Hopefully someone from the UK can come by and advise you on this soon
Thank you so much for your reply.
I’m honestly so fed up and down with it all. I haven’t been myself since giving birth to my daughter, but I mainly put this down to post natal etc, and doctors have made me feel like I’ve nothing to worry about.
I don’t go to the doctors unless absolutely necessary, I went in about 3 years back in agony and was told there was nothing wrong, only to find that I had an ovarian cyst the size of an orange!
I just know the pain I’m suffering isn’t the norm for me, especially since it’s constant, and I was devastated to hear the lab won’t test my smear even though I explained my symptoms to the doctors.
My next appointment is the 2nd and I’m hoping they will refer me to gynaecology. Not sure what to expect from them but totally fed up and feel so frustrated.
It’s all making me feel like I’m going stir crazy! X
That’s awful that they aren’t taking you seriously. Why they are waiting for you to be due your screening is crazy. I’m HPV negative and have CC. If it wasn’t for my lovely GP ‘knowing the signs’ who knows what would have happened and I only had bleeding after sex! Please keep at them, ask for another GP. xx
Hello.
It’s of course imperative that you get to the bottom of your symptoms but I wanted to add that I had a lot of bonkers bleeding after having my last baby and became very anaemic. If your iron is low enough, tablets won’t help a great deal - they are really hard for your body to digest (they can also cause constipation and pain, amongst other things). I ended up having an iron infusion privately and I feel like a different person.
The pelvic pain you describe also sounds very familiar - I had it postpartum with both my kids.
I am NOT saying you are worrying about nothing or dismissing your symptoms, just wanted to offer the possibility of alternative explanations to keep your hopes up. I had CIN3 years ago and I know how scary it is. I had visible ectropion when I had my smear immediately after my first son was born and it terrified me.
If there is a way you can get an ultrasound or MRI based on your symptoms, because all my paps came out normal, so they definitely should not just base any diagnosis on a smear. You may have fibroids or something and those would show up on scans. I know how frustrating this is. I went through months of pain trying to navigate doctor visits and tests because everything was so delayed.
I’ve read many different posts about ladies being diagnosed even after a clear smear so understandably scary for them and questions are bound to get asked.
I think my doctor is going to refer me to gynae so hopefully I’ll be able to get some answers. It’s been a year since having my daughter and I don’t feel like I should be displaying all of these symptoms still.
I do hope you are on the right path to recovering from your diagnosis though.
It’s an awful thing to be going through I’m sure ! X
Thank you Libby.
I’m sure it’s nothing sinister but after my previous history and the symptoms I have, admittedly I’m worried and I’d just like a night where I can sleep peacefully without subconsciously thinking the worst.
It’s honestly dreadful what I’m going through, albeit I’m sure it’s nothing in comparison to those who actually have CC.
Keeping my fingers crossed that I can get to the bottom of it all soon. It’s the cervical pain that’s causing me the most concern. I’d of thought my body would be back to normal a year after giving birth. X
Yes I’m keeping my hopes up that my doctor will refer me to gynaecology so I can get some answers. That or just wait it out until my smear is due in August.
How are you getting on? Did you finally get diagnosed or still going through the process ? X
I was diagnosed with stage 2A cc following symptoms which included a persistent yellow watery discharge followed by bleeding - I was post menopausal and not on HRT so bleeding was defo abnormal. I had these symtoms for 5-6 months before I was diagnosed, during which time I didn’t have any pain.
There could be a number of reasons for your symptoms so, easy to say, try not to jump to worst case conclusions. I hope you get some answers soon - I suggest pushing for a gynae referral.
That’s awful news. I hope you are on the right path to recovery it must be a real mental struggle never mind physical.
I had a telephone app with my doctor this morn, who has since told me that my swabs came back clear for infection but I had a high wet white blood cell count in the discharge they swabbed which could mean inflammation? I’m not entirely sure what this is to be honest. She also said that my smear result should be with me by the end of the week so fingers crossed.
And even if that comes back negative then she will still refer me to gynae as she is not sure what is causing my symptoms.
So I guess it’s just a waiting game now! I’m a little relieved that everyone is friendly and helpful on here. Sometimes I just need to get stuff off my chest about it all . X
