If she hasn’t had the biopsy or a colposcopy yet, how do they know that her abnormal cells are cancerous?
I am 31 and I have had several abnormal paps over the years. I had a LEEP done, and at another time (mid-20s), I had cryo-something (I forget the name, but they freeze the cervix).
But before the treatments, I had a colposcopy and biopsy (it hurts!) It wasn’t cancer, but it was “precancerous” or “abnormal” or “dysplasia.”
So are you sure her cells are really cancerous? If she hasn’t had the biopsy yet, maybe they just diagnosed her with abnormal cells that need to be biopsied to check for cancerous cells.
Also, has she been having a pap smear every year? It would seem unusual to me (from my research) that if she had a normal pap last year, that it could get to “really bad” in just a year. I think cervical cancer progresses fairly slowly.
Anyway, as for me, my paps have been normal for the past several years!
I know how hard it is to sleep when you’re worrying about the health of a loved one, but you’ve got to get some rest. When you’re tired, it’s even harder to deal with the other things in your life. And I also got pink eye this summer at a time when I wasn’t sleeping well, and it sucks. Take care of yourself, and the best to all of you.
This is pretty much what happened to me nearly 5 years ago - first abnormal Pap of my life, with carcinoma in situ then confirmed by colposcopy, and removed by LEEP shortly thereafter. (I posted about it on the boards at the time; the threads are easy enough to find.)
I then had repeat Pap smears every 3 months for a couple of years, then every 6 months - all were completely negative, and in fact apparently showed no trace of HPV either. These days I’m down to yearly exams. My GYN recommended taking a folic acid supplement afterward to keep up the immune system and keep it from recurring; I decided to go crazy and take a whole multivitamin, which turned out to be a good thing for my general energy level in any case.
So Jonathan Chance, I know you’re freaking out right now, but if you’re going to pick an early-stage cancer to get, cervical cancer isn’t so horrendous. And hey, feel free to PM me if you want to know anything else. And best of luck to both of you.
My Mother had cancerous cervical cells twice in her lifetime, once when she was younger, once later in life. Both times they were discovered early enough that it was dealt with quickly, and she’s perfectly fine as a consequence.
A friend of hers was also diagnosed twice, but was not tested regularly enough to be caught early, and the second time she died of cervical cancer at age 50.
Good lord. I’m so sorry to hear it. However, it’s one of those things that they can just cut out, in most cases. My cousin was diagnosed in the mid-80s, had part of her cervix removed, and is perfectly fine now. There has been no relapse, no need for chemo or anything.
Been there. 18-year-survivor, now, and cancer-free.
I had the conization, the cryo-thing (the name escapes me too), chemotherapy, and a D&C. And I have had 3 babies in the past 5 years, so it didn’t compromise my child-bearing at all, in the end.
My thoughts are with your wife, you and your family. Feel free to e-mail if you (or she) want to talk.
So sorry to hear this, Jonathan. When I was in my early 20’s, I had an abnormal pap, which we dealt with using (in order) colposcopy, biopsy, LEEP. I was fine, am still fine, and had two kids. I’m 40 now, BTW, and nary an abnormal pap since.
Keep the faith. Peace and strength to you both.
PS- we are always happy to be the “short straw” whenever you need us!
irishgirl, thank you so much for your clarification. As your description was so much different from what I recalled, I read up on the other links and realized that the GYN I saw did a full cone biopsy on me without local anesthetic.
But that’s a hijack and a Pit thread for another time.
My doctor used the word “colposcopy”, but it involved cutting out a bit of the cervix with something that looked like nail clippers on a long stick. It hurt. A lot.
I have a relative who was diagnoised with stage one cervical cancer in 1995 (by a horrifying turn of events it seems she should have been told of this nine months before she was but the office lost the results!) She’s fine now and it never came back. All I know about the treatment is that it involved removal by laser.
Well, she had the procedure yesterday. She was admitted about noon and when under the general about 3PM. I picked her up at 5:30 or so and babied her. This morning she says she feels fine…just a little sore.
The doctor said we needed to watch for large amounts of bleeding as he took a large cone out, just as he said he’d do, to try to get clear margins and such. Yes, it’s a biopsy but it’s also a treatment.
It’ll still be several days before we get any results back, though. But at least we’re doing something.
I’m so sorry. ((( hugs ))) Wishing you both strength.
I know several people who’ve survived cancer, including one who had cervical cancer that required a hysterectomy. She’s gorgeous and living an exciting life, you’d never know she’d been ill.
