Lets back way up to 2007. In 2007 I went to the doctor for my annual pap smear. All the cells on the pap smear looked fine. I did test positive for HPV and the strains that came back from the lab stated that they were not the same strains that caused cervical cancer and to come back in a year. I was in nursing school at the time and working 3 jobs so a year later ended up being about 14-15months later.
So then in 2008 I went for my normal pap smear. I few days later I received a call from the doctor stating that there was some abnormal cells and that I needed to see another doctor to have a LEEP/ Cone Biopsy. So the appointment was made for me to meet my new doctor. When I met with my doctor he explained that I had pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. He stated that we had caught it earlier and it wasn't cancerous. He stated I need to have a cone biopsy done to cut out the precancerous cells. He said that I would not to go have pap smears done every 6 months to monitor if any abnormal cells come back after the biopsy. Due to the doctors busy schedule and my school and work schedule the cone biopsy wasn't scheduled till a few months later in January. The said that was fine that i didn't have cancer and that it was slow growing.
In January my husband Jim (who was my boyfriend at the time) took me to the hospital and I had the procedure done. I went home later that day and although I was sore I was doing fine. I had a follow up appt scheduled for 2 weeks later. About a week before my appointment I received a phone call from my doctors office saying that the doctor wanted to see me that day and asked if I could come in right then. I said yes and immediately called Jim frantically. I was a nursing student and i knew then that doctors don't call you in early unless something is wrong. I then called my sister to brainstorm what could possibly be wrong.
At the appointment I was stuck in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before I was taken to the doctors office. I wasn' taken in an exam room I was taken to his actual office. It was then that he came in and told me that I had cancer. I don't think I really comprehended what was going and was actually just in shock. He told me that I would need to go see a different doctor to decided if I would need a partial or a full hysterectomy. I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to have children. I was 24. People don't have hysterectomies till their 50's. I called Jim told him what was going on. I called my sister to tell her and she called the rest of the family. Jim came over that day and we went to the SPCA to look for a puppy. We didn't find one but it helped lift my spirits.
Over the next week I did a lot of research and found a procedure called a trachelectomy it was a fertility sparing procedure where they take out the cervix and put a sling in place. It sounded like the answer to my prayers. When I went to the appointment at my gynecological office in Fresno we told them about me wanting to do the trachelectomy. They said that they didn't do those in Fresno and that they would refer me to UC Davis. So I went to UC Davis and the doctor told me she would try the trachelectomy but that if there weren't clear margins when they did it then they would have to do a full hysterectomy. I remember waking up after the surgery and asking what surgery I had done. The nurse looked at the chart and told me I had an ovarian transposition. I was kind of confused but then the doctor came in and told me they had found the cancer in the lymph nodes. She said that because of the lymph node involvement I would need chemo and radiation. She said that she moved the ovarian out of the radiation field so that I wouldn't go through menopause and could possibly retrieve eggs later.
From there I went on to do 6 weeks of chemo and radiation followed by weeks of internal radiation. It was very difficult and I was horribly sick. It all paid off though. In may I graduated from the nursing program and found on my next scan that I was cancer free. It was a great feeling and I couldn't wait to move on with a normal life.
Lets fast forward to spring 2011. That month was a very difficult month for Jim and I. We had found out that my mother had a brain tumor, and Jim's grandfather had went into the hospital. I had had clear scans for almost 2 years and was feeling better and better everyday up until this time. I had went in for my normal 6 month scan and a lymph node was lighting up in the epigastric area. One doctor said to watch it and rescan in 6 months. My other doctor felt that it was still treatable and critical to know the results. They attempted to do a CT guided ultra sound but were unable to get it so I went back to my surgeon. After surgery my surgeon came in and informed me that my lymph node was positive for malignancy and said that I would need more chemo and radiation. It was upsetting but if more chemo and radiation was what it took to beat this cancer then lets just do it and get it done. It sucked. I was horribly sick and struggled with weight loss. I swore to myself that I would never put my body through that again. My counts constantly dropped and my body gave everything trying to fight that cancer. And it all played off because my following scan showed No Evidence of Disease. I had one my fight again.
So then in 2008 I went for my normal pap smear. I few days later I received a call from the doctor stating that there was some abnormal cells and that I needed to see another doctor to have a LEEP/ Cone Biopsy. So the appointment was made for me to meet my new doctor. When I met with my doctor he explained that I had pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. He stated that we had caught it earlier and it wasn't cancerous. He stated I need to have a cone biopsy done to cut out the precancerous cells. He said that I would not to go have pap smears done every 6 months to monitor if any abnormal cells come back after the biopsy. Due to the doctors busy schedule and my school and work schedule the cone biopsy wasn't scheduled till a few months later in January. The said that was fine that i didn't have cancer and that it was slow growing.
In January my husband Jim (who was my boyfriend at the time) took me to the hospital and I had the procedure done. I went home later that day and although I was sore I was doing fine. I had a follow up appt scheduled for 2 weeks later. About a week before my appointment I received a phone call from my doctors office saying that the doctor wanted to see me that day and asked if I could come in right then. I said yes and immediately called Jim frantically. I was a nursing student and i knew then that doctors don't call you in early unless something is wrong. I then called my sister to brainstorm what could possibly be wrong.
At the appointment I was stuck in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before I was taken to the doctors office. I wasn' taken in an exam room I was taken to his actual office. It was then that he came in and told me that I had cancer. I don't think I really comprehended what was going and was actually just in shock. He told me that I would need to go see a different doctor to decided if I would need a partial or a full hysterectomy. I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to have children. I was 24. People don't have hysterectomies till their 50's. I called Jim told him what was going on. I called my sister to tell her and she called the rest of the family. Jim came over that day and we went to the SPCA to look for a puppy. We didn't find one but it helped lift my spirits.
Over the next week I did a lot of research and found a procedure called a trachelectomy it was a fertility sparing procedure where they take out the cervix and put a sling in place. It sounded like the answer to my prayers. When I went to the appointment at my gynecological office in Fresno we told them about me wanting to do the trachelectomy. They said that they didn't do those in Fresno and that they would refer me to UC Davis. So I went to UC Davis and the doctor told me she would try the trachelectomy but that if there weren't clear margins when they did it then they would have to do a full hysterectomy. I remember waking up after the surgery and asking what surgery I had done. The nurse looked at the chart and told me I had an ovarian transposition. I was kind of confused but then the doctor came in and told me they had found the cancer in the lymph nodes. She said that because of the lymph node involvement I would need chemo and radiation. She said that she moved the ovarian out of the radiation field so that I wouldn't go through menopause and could possibly retrieve eggs later.
From there I went on to do 6 weeks of chemo and radiation followed by weeks of internal radiation. It was very difficult and I was horribly sick. It all paid off though. In may I graduated from the nursing program and found on my next scan that I was cancer free. It was a great feeling and I couldn't wait to move on with a normal life.
Lets fast forward to spring 2011. That month was a very difficult month for Jim and I. We had found out that my mother had a brain tumor, and Jim's grandfather had went into the hospital. I had had clear scans for almost 2 years and was feeling better and better everyday up until this time. I had went in for my normal 6 month scan and a lymph node was lighting up in the epigastric area. One doctor said to watch it and rescan in 6 months. My other doctor felt that it was still treatable and critical to know the results. They attempted to do a CT guided ultra sound but were unable to get it so I went back to my surgeon. After surgery my surgeon came in and informed me that my lymph node was positive for malignancy and said that I would need more chemo and radiation. It was upsetting but if more chemo and radiation was what it took to beat this cancer then lets just do it and get it done. It sucked. I was horribly sick and struggled with weight loss. I swore to myself that I would never put my body through that again. My counts constantly dropped and my body gave everything trying to fight that cancer. And it all played off because my following scan showed No Evidence of Disease. I had one my fight again.
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