Hi All,
I have been reading everyones posts on here for the last 6-8 weeks and it really has helped ease my mind and relate to others going through an uncertain time.
In August of this year 2020 I attended a routine smear after I was written to in March but due to Covid was unable to make an app at this time... two weeks later I had a phonecall to advise adnormal cells had been discovered and so therefore I needed to invetigate further. I was booked in for a Colposcopy that week (2 weeks after smear).
A little after a week I was called back and again due to Covid had to go alone to hear my results. I had a strange feeling on the drive into the hospital and although i had no symptems to report something didn't feel right; a gut feeling.
I sat down in the app room and the Doctor came straight out with it and gave the news that nobody ever wants to hear... "it's not good news I'm afraid, we have found cancer"... soon after the Doctor followed on by advising the positives to be taken is that its very early on and around stage 11b.
A couple of week later I had an MRI which confirmed the inital diagnosis and I then had to await a multi-disciplinary board meeting to confirm my treatment. A couple of weeks later I was again contacted with a date for an app to discuss my treatment plan. The doctor was very helpful and explained that in order to preserve fertility and my chance of having children in the future they suggested a radical trachelectomy. Again due to Covid things were working a little differently and from that point on I was told to self-isolate as i could be called a few days prior to go in for surgery.
On Monday 16th Nov I had the surgery - they removed my cervix, lymph nodes and top part of the vagina and put a stitch in place to hold my womb. The surgery was a success and the surgeon told me that it went well and there were no visual signs of any disruption to the lymph nodes which immediately came as a huge relief. I was out of hospital in 4 days and I am now 3 weeks post surgery and feeling good / healthy and nearly back to normal. I keep a fit and healthy lifestyle and my doctor told me this will have certainly helped in my quick recovery.
Everything seemed to be looking up for me and then yesterday I had a conference call with my doctor to discuss the biopsy results... he came right out with it and said on testing the lymph nodes x2 have tested positive for cancer and so further treatment is needed asap. He said he has reffered me to a specialist doctor who deals with combined radio/chemotherapy treatment and i now have a meeting on 30/12 to discuss my treatment plan. He said that the tumour was bigger than originally diagnosed and because of the Lymph nodes testing positive he said they would put me at stage 3c for the cancer which is devestating news.
I now have to haev my eggs frozen and come Jan i dive straight into treatment. I know I will come out the other side stronger, wiser and with more grattitude for life and I had one day to cry it all out yesterday but now i am determined to beat this and enjoy life alongside cancer for now, with a view of being cancer free next year and being able to go on and be happy and healthy again.
Out of everything I have gone through so far, the worst part for me was the doctor telling me i need to freeze my eggs and I will be infertile after treatment. I always imagined myself having a family and this news is devestating but I am still hopeful and holding on to that little bit of chance of being able to become pregnant in the future... otherwise I will have to look in to surrogocy I suppose.
Onwards and upwards - on a positive I am so so thankful i went for my smear and this is treatable and we live in a country with full support and the NHS!
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Would love to hear.
(Sorry to babble on but it feels good to get it off my chest haha).
Abi xx