Cervical Cancer Not Picked Up on A Pap Smear - How to Protect Yourself-MY STORY

I am making this information available

to you, so that you may learn some

maybe life saving information about

"Cervical Cancer." I myself, have had

Cervical Cancer, and I am hoping to

be able to help someone else out there,

that may assist you in information you

can either search for, or by my own

experience, help you or someone you

love to warning signs or maybe some

information I can provide for you so

that you will know who you can contact

for further information.

Please read my story below and I pray this information

helps you in knowing a few things about the disease.

In 1991, I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor. I never had it removed , as

they said most of them grow back. I was given a prescription for Parlodel to

help shrink the tumor. My last period was in 1989, so, with that in mind, they

said I will not be able to get pregnant unless this medicine brought my levels

down. I took the medicine and it still never gave me a menstrual cycle. In 1993

by the grace of God, I was pregnant! I had my and then had to quit taking the

Parlodel because it made me severely sick because of hormonal changes.

In 1994, I started having some sharp and very intense lower abdominal pain

above my pubic area. This went on for a good week or so. I called the Dr. and

set an appt. They did a pelvic exam and all was fine. I still was continuing to

bleed vaginally,so I called the Dr.'s office back, and they said to come in for

another appt. They did a pap smear and another pelvic exam. The pap smear

was normal and so was the pelvic exam. Great! Cancer didn't even cross my

mind, as I was only 25, but I thought maybe I had an STD or an infection of

some sort. I continued this route for another month.

Getting Irriated and Worried Now

I kept calling back as the bleeding continued on and off. The last call I made,

the reply to me was exactly this. "Dina, there is nothing wrong with you and we

have other patients to take care of. All your tests are fine, and you are

bothering us." I hung up the phone bawling my head off. As I knew, inside, that

something was just not right. First of all, I didn't have any periods, so when you

are bleeding from somewhere and have pain for no reasonable explanation,

there is something wrong.

Still Another Dr.

I was then referred to another Dr., and then he referred me to an oncologist.

Now, here comes the news. He did an exam right there in his office and took a

biopsy. You could hear me screaming from outside as the pain was just

unbelievable. Without getting the results, and just looking, he knew I had

cancer. He called us in the next day and said I had stage IIB cervical cancer

and I had to have radiation and a radical hysterectomy. We were just

devastated.

Lets Go For Second Opinion (Just in Case)

Now, with all the confusion already from my pap being normal and never

seeing this guy ever, I decided to go to Chicago to the University and get a

second opinion. He told us we were wasting our time, but we were more than

welcome to. So, we did. Are you ready for this? The Dr.s came out after the

pap and exam, and said, "You are going to be so happy you came here. You

don't have cervical cancer, you have endometriosis." We were at (1) of the top

Universities and they knew their stuff. We cried and celebrated and

immediately called the oncologist when we returned. Well, he was not a happy

camper. He said, "Young lady, you have cancer and we need to treat it

promptly." Turns out, after going in for a bigger biopsy and further testing, he

was right.

Treatment

So, I went in and had 6 weeks of radiation therapy and then 2 months later,

had a total hysterectomy. They did the radiation first, because of the size of

the tumor. I was very lucky that the Dr. I had was wonderful and experienced.

The radiation was totally painless. It is like an x-ray machine. The side effects

were diarrhea and hemorrhoids and fatigue. I did not have chemotherapy, as I

chose not to. The Dr. seemed to think the radiation would of taken care of it,

and if it didn't then I would of had chemo.

Signs and Symptoms I had:

• Vaginal bleeding
• Lower abdominal pain (above groin area)
• Pain in the vaginal wall areas (sometimes stabbing)
• General Ill feeling

Please, if you have ANY abnormal vaginal bleeding, please go to your Dr. and

make an appointment! I had the rarer form, and they said that's why it was not

picked on a pap, but I had it sent Boston, and they picked it up. I had

aednocarcioma, which is more aggressive, but hard to pick up on a pap,

because it is a glandular process.

I thank God to this day, that I am still alive. I have been cancer free for 12

years, so it is totally not a death sentence! I just want to share my story, to

helpfully save someone else's life. You must make sure and get your pap tests

done every year, and if you notice any changes, please contact an MD.

Please listen to your gut feelings and DON'T stop looking for an answer if

you feel something is just not right with you!

Please check out the links I have provided for you below as these are VERY

informational !

I have done my best researching areas for you that provides some excellent

information on cervical cancer. Links provide information on signs, symptoms,

prognosis, stages and support group information. Please feel free

to browse them and hopefully I can help someone else in their fight of battling

this disease.