Oh and please continue to keep my grandmother in your prayers. Things aren't looking too good right now. My prayer is that she does not suffer any more.
Cancer Sucks
So, I have been meaning to get into more detail about my experiences with Cervical Cancer. I want to get my story out there because I am living proof that early detection is so important.
I have been going to the Gynecologist since I was 19 years old. My mom is a medical assistant at the OB/GYN practice that I go to (Shout out to Henderson Walton Women's Center in Birmingham, AL), so she made sure I went EVERY SINGLE year to get my PAP. Since I was 19 not ONE PAP had EVER came back abnormal not one.
Let's take a step back though. I never had good experiences with Birth Control pills, so after I had Taylor I had to make some decisions on what kind of Birth Control to use. I talked to my OB/GYN (which I have changed since) and decided to go with an IUD. I got the ParaGard instead of Mirena because Mirena has hormones and I had had so many problems with hormones in the past.
I had the IUD for about 3 years when I started having HORRIBLE menstrual pains and HORRIBLE bleeding. On my yearly checkup I told her about my pain and bleeding and she pretty much told me there was nothing I could do unless I was 100% sure I didn't want anymore children. Well at the time I wasn't 100% sure, 98% maybe but not 100%. So I went home and dealt with it for a couple of more months.Meanwhile, my mom was talking to her doctor (Dr. Dan Hudson, the BEST EVER) about my problems. He told me to come see him and he would switch me to the Mirena. I wouldn't do it. I LOVED my OB/GYN, I mean I had been with her since I was 19. I didn't want to hurt feelings (blah, blah). Well, after another couple of months of the pain and bleeding I just couldn't take it any longer so I made an appointment with him and he switched them out for me. He told me to give it about 3 months and I should stop bleeding altogether. 3 months went by and I was still bleeding. About 25 days out of the month I was bleeding. Needless to say it took a toll on me and Scott.
I went to him for my yearly the next time(about 9 months after the IUD switch). He could not understand WHY I was still bleeding like I was. He talked to me about doing an ablation, but I had to be 100% sure I didn't want kids. At that point I still wasn't 100%, I was about 99.9% at this time. He thought I was just having some issues with my cycle. Again, I had NEVER had a bad PAP.
He did my PAP and pelvic exam, everything looked good sent me on my way. A couple of days later I get a call from his nurse. "Dixie, your PAP came back abnormal. You need to come in for a colposcopy (colpo) ." So naturally I call my mom and ask her what a colpo is. "Pretty much is is a cervical biopsy. He will go in and put this vinegar solution on your cervix. The bad areas will turn white and he will clip some tissue off and send it off to be looked at." Nice, I thought.
So I went in for the "colpo" and it wasn't as bad as I thought. He saw two really bad spots and was able to get tissue to send off.A couple of days later, get a call from the nurse. "Dixie, the colpo results came back abnormal and Dr. Dan wants to do a LEEP procedure on you". WHAT? So I called my mom. "Well, it came back high grade and he just wants to do the LEEP for precaution. It is probably nothing and the LEEP will probably get whatever abnormal cells there are.
So I had to set up a time for surgery at the outpatient clinic for a couple of weeks later. I talked to Dr. Dan and he said that while I was put to sleep he could go ahead and do the ablation and tie my tubes if I wanted too. I was like YES, please! I can't take the bleeding any longer. YES by that time I was 100% sure I didn't want anymore kids.
So on Friday March 28th I was scheduled to have surgery. The first surgery I had EVER had. The first time I had EVER been put to sleep. Dr. Dan said I could go back to work in a couple of days so I took off until the following Tuesday.
Surgery went great, he didn't see anything wrong. Everything should be fine.
Monday got a call, it was Dr. Dan this time. "Dixie, I hate to do this over the phone, but with your mom here and I am not going to be in Birmingham tomorrow I decided I needed to go ahead and call you." (I am freaking out). "The results came back from your LEEP and it is CANCER"...........After that I really don't remember much of what he said. I heard adenocarcinoma, he was going to call Dr. Alvarez at UAB, I needed to call them and set up an appointment.. blah blah. I thought I was going to THROW UP! No one was home, Scott was out of town. I didn't know what to do.
As soon as I got off the phone with him I called my mom and told her. She threw the phone down and ran to his office. I didn't hear back from her until she was on her way to my house. I called my dad, my in-laws, my sister and my best friend. They all came over to comfort me. Scott was out of town. You can read about it here.
So, I am here to tell you. God intervened with me switching doctors to Dr. Dan. I am not so sure that my previous OB/GYN would have followed the same procedures and I may not have gotten such and early diagnosis. God was in control!
Cervical Adenocarcinoma is the rarest form of cervical cancer. Only about 10% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer have adenocarcinoma. The cancer is in the glandular part of the cervix instead of the "outside" which is what PAP smears pick up. I really don't know how the PAP picked up my cancer because the tumor was so small.
I made the appointment with Dr. Alvarez (the best there is!) and was to see him Thursday. I took the rest of the week off of work.
Next post: Oncologist Visit.
Cervical Cancer Sucks Part Two: Oncologist
Before I post part two I just want to say that yesterday was a very hard day for me. It would have been my cousin's birthday. She died in a horrible car accident in 1998. She was 14 at the time. She would have been 25 yesterday. I just remember back when I was turning 25 and thinking that she never got to experience any of those things. It just breaks my heart. But like I have said over and over. God has his reasons for everything and I who am I to question them. So I cried a lot yesterday, I have those days sometimes. I don't know why. It is probably my hormones freaking out but I do have down days since the whole Cancer thing.
OK on to the oncologist.
First of all I want to say I am SO blessed to live where I do. A lot of people talk down about Birmingham. You know, hick-ville, rednecks, blah blah. But let me tell you. I would NEVER want to live ANYWHERE else. Birmingham is WONDERFUL.
For no other reason than because of UAB. We have one of the BEST hospital systems in the country right here! Dr. Dan recommended me to the best GYN Oncology groups in the nation. Dr. Alvarez is a good friend of his and he took me right in.
The Thursday after I was diagnosed I had an appointment with him. My mom, mother in law, best friend and my aunt (God rest her soul) were there for support. Scott was of course still out of town fishing the first day of his tournament. I can remember going to the waiting room and signing in. I looked around and all I saw was elderly women. They all looked at me with a blank stare on their face. I can imagine all of them saying, "What is she doing here? She is too young". At least that is what I was thinking. It was so sad. I could hear crying coming from the rooms. Happy cries and sad cries. It was very overwhelming. I got called back and they told me that I would have to go by myself at first then they would go get my family when he was ready to talk about what was going to happen.
I went back to the examine room. He wanted to examine me but I reminded him I had just had surgery so he decided not to do the examination. I remember some of the first words he said to me was "You are just too young". YEAH YOU THINK! So then he asked me a couple of questions, I guess he figured out I didn't want anymore kids because he could see on my chart I had had my tubes tied. So that was never brought up.
So we get done with the one on one, and honestly I really don't remember a lot that went on with that.
They go and get my herd and go back to another room. All the nurses were so taken back with all the people I had with me. My family is so close and we are always there for each other. Dr. Alvarez tells us what his plan is, but informs us that it has to go before the Tumor Board. I really LOVE this. I am not only getting one Dr. opinion or one pathologist opinion but SEVERAL! That was really awesome to me.
So he tells me that he is thinking a modified radical hysterectomy. That they will take everything except my ovaries including the pelvic lymph nodes. He draws a picture and explains everything. I chose to keep my ovaries, because I am so young, unless he got in there and they didn't look good. He gave us an opportunity to ask questions. He just kept saying over and over "She is so young".
So after that we went on our merry way. He told me that he would call me after my case went before the board, but surgery would have to wait for at least a month because I just HAD surgery and he didn't want to risk it.
I just have to say that Dr. Alvarez and his crew are the BEST! His nurse is so freaking sweet. She hugged me about 20 times and I could just feel they REALLY cared. I was actually relieved when I left. I KNEW everything was going to be OK and I was going to be healed.
Oh and one last thing. I am so thankful that my Aunt Tammy got to go with me to that visit. She died in a tragic pool accident only two months later. I cherish that she was able to be there for me. I will always have that memory to look back on.
Next post will be about the surgery!
