Suvivor Stories
WELCOME to the NCCC Survivor section
Below in this Cancer Survivor section are the very personal stories from women battling cervical cancer and an "archive section" with a few of the past years' stories too. You may also submit your personal story on how you are battling issues related to your cervical cancer or persistent HPV disease.
While this section focuses in on cervical cancer survivors, there will also be comments from women that are battling persistent HPV precancerous lesions and cancer survivors' family members and friends too. As Mrs. Randi Kaye, the co-founder of the NCCC stated; "No one person is a statistic." Each person has their own personal battle. Each of us can focus in on HOPE and define HOPE within the context of our unique experiences.
The women in this section are the true heroes in the cervical cancer battle.
**Click here to add your story**
Posted By : Rosie
Posted On : Aug 19 , 2008
Hi Ladies,
Just been reading all your wonderful stories. I am down here in Australia and I was diagnosed recently with stage 1b1 and am having an abdominal radical hysterectomy(with preservation of one ovary), lymph node dissection and also hernia repair(as why not do them all at the same time :)) in 10 days time. I live on my own and do not have any family/partner, and was just after any tips to help me in my healing/recovery....what I need to watch out, what foods/drinks should I be having/not having and how long it will take for me to recover and get back to work(I am a waitress). I do have friends that will be coming around to help me with food/house cleaning etc. Also if there are online chat rooms that might be worth joing.
Thank you for reading and also thank you for sharing your stories.
Rosie
Posted By : Meaghan Edelstein
Posted On : Aug 19 , 2008
Rosie:
I was alone when I was struggling through cancer as well. I had my family but no \"spouse\" or boyfriend and let me tell you it was very difficult and lonely for me. That is why I started a blog www.cancerlost.blogspot.com. I wish I had found others like me when I was struggling to survive! On my blog I have links to chat rooms, articles, websites and other blogs all about cancer and cancer survivors.
I had 3B cervical cancer and it was VERY difficult. You need support and friends and I hope that I can be one for you.
Keep strong,
Meaghan
Posted By : Jennifer
Posted On : Aug 18 , 2008
Well back in 2001 at the age of 21 I had started a new job and my insurance had not came into effect yet,I still had 3 months to go.My periods had been off for a few months.I was at work one day started having aches below real bad and I got sick to my stomach this continued and finally a week later I went to the dr.He done a paps and it came back abnormal.Of course at the age of 21 you think nothing can be wrong.Well I had a biopsy done and a few days later went in for surgery of removal of 1/2 my cervix and was told if I wanted children I should have them in 5 to 7 yrs. because the type I had usually came back in 97.7 % of cases.Well with screenings every 3 months for the 1st year and every 6 months after that I finally met the guy I was to love in the end of 2004.While attending college full time in 2005 I started having the same symptoms as in 2001.I went to the dr. and once again it was back.Again had surgery and left me with 1/16th of my cervix.I got married and immediately started trying to have kids.I took fertility pills for two years faced with the decision if the cervical cancer came back would never have children.Well I am thankfull to say I have 5 more weeks to go and my precious baby girl will be here! My little miracle.
Posted By : angela
Posted On : Aug 16 , 2008
hi i just wanted to add my stroy because when i was first told about having cervical cancer i was on this site every single day reading about cerivcal cancer and treatments and it really helped me .now time to add my own . i am 41 yrs old and last yr i was losing a horrible discharge and little bit of bleeding i went to the doctors and was told i had a infection so had antibioctics in januray this so called infection got much worse with a pain that was so bad i never had pain like this in my life i went back to the doctors and he said tube infection maybe on the left side but lets have a smear done also .. went for the smear and results came back invasive cells on the neck of womb i knew it was much more than just cells because the pain i was in . anyway sent to a gyno who was going to look with a microscope seems he didnt need that he could see with his naked eye . he took a bisopsy and one week later i got told yes this is cancer and we need you to have a MRI and also lungs checked . i was so shocked i think i couldnt take it all in .anyway lungs clear but to late for hysterectomy because it just left the cervix into left side lympth nodes so treatment will be 6 chemo 28 external radition and 1 internal radition . i had all 6 chemo\'s with no problems i had all 28 raditions and then internal once my bloods came right because clotting was low then it was platelets then white cells one after the other but was only because 6 chemo\'s . they all came right and i had the internal one done which was 2 days in hospital .the internal one was little bit hard for me because my back was hurting laying still 24 hours the radition was 14 hours but it went to 24 because keep coming in the room and having to turn the machine off . i dont know now what is what i go back to the hospital sepetember but i can say all my pain has gone which i THANKGOD so much and all the hospital staff which have been wonderful . i never thought i see a day that pain would go away i have gained just over 1 stone in weight amd pain free which to me is the best thing ever . my life has changed now and i have become even closer to my family i met some speical people during my times in the hospital on the chemo ward very speical people . my faith in god is STRONG and not one day goes past i dont pray to thankgod for helping guide me and thank you for each day i open my eyes .
Posted By : JANETTE
Posted On : Aug 15 , 2008
IT WAS ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME THAT I HAD CANCER BUT THE EXPERIENCE WAS VERY STRESSFUL IT FEELS WEIRD TO SAY IT BUT I GUESS I CAN SAY I AM A CANCER SURVIVOR AND HERE GOES MY STORY.
I HAD NOT HAD A PAPSMEAR EXAM SINCE MY LAST CHILD WAS BORN WHICH WAS ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO BUT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS I WAS BLEEDING CONTINUOUSLY. I GOT USED TO THE BLEEDING AND EVERYTIME I THOUGHT ABOUT GOING TO THE DOCTOR I WOULD STOP FOR A DAY THEN I WOULD START BLEEDING AGAIN. FOR A WHOLE YEAR I STOPPED BLEEDING ALTOGETHER FOR A TOTAL OF 2 WEEKS HERE AND THERE. BEING A SINGLE MOM WORKING FULL-TIME AND ATTENDING COLLEGE FULL-TIME DIDNT ALLOW MYSELF ANY TIME. AFTER 2+ YEARS OF BLEEDING AND TAKING BIRTH CONTROL PILLS THAT WOULD ONLY SUBSIDE THE BLEEDING I WENT TO THE GYNECOLOGIST ON ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT I STOPPED BLEEDING AND HE DID A PAPSMEAR WHICH CAME OUT ABNORMAL AND WAS ADVISED TO DO A COLPOSCOPY BUT I PUT THAT OFF ONLY FOR A MONTH BECAUSE BY THEN I COULD NOT EVEN MOVE WITHOUT BLEEDING EXCESSIVELY. I BEGGED MY GYNECOLOGIST TO DO A D&C THAT SAME DAY. HE AGREED AND HE ALSO DID THE COLPOSCOPY WHICH CAME BACK POSITIVE FOR CARCINOMA.
I DIDN\'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK AND I JUST DIDN\'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT. I WAS SCARED AND KIND OF IN DENIAL. I DID RESEARCH AND I GOT MORE SCARED JUST TO THINK OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH MAJOR SURGERY IN WHICH I COULD NEVER HAVE CHILDREN AGAIN OR GO THROUGH CHEMO AND RADIATION.
MY DOCTOR SAID THAT MY NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO HAVE A CONE BIOPSY. I HAD THE CONE BIOPSY AND THE DOCTOR WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ALL OF THE CANCER WHICH WAS ONLY CARCINOMA IN SITU. NOW I HAVE TO HAVE A PAPSMEAR EVERY THREE MONTHS.
I\'M STILL SCARED BECAUSE THE DOCTOR SAID THAT \"HE HOPED THE PATHOLOGIST LOOKED AT THE MARGINS THAT HE WANTED HIM TO LOOK AT\" WHICH LEFT ME CONFUSED AND WITH DOUBT. I ASKED FOR A CT SCAN TO BE DONE ONLY FOR MY PEACE OF MIND AND THAT WAS TODAY SO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR HIS RESPONSE. I DONT KNOW IF I DID THE RIGHT THING IN ASKING MY GYNECOLOGIST TO ORDER A CT SCAN BUT I WANT SOMETHING TO REASSURE ME THAT THERE ISN\'T ANYMORE CANCER CELLS.
Posted By : JANETTE
Posted On : Aug 15 , 2008
IN RESPONSE TO LEAA. YES, WHEN I WAS BLEEDING I EXPERIENCED THE HUGE BLOOD CLOTTS THAT YOU MENTIONED BUT IT DIDN\'T SCARE ME ENOUGH NOT UNTIL I WAS BLEEDING ESXCESSIVELY EVERYTIME I STOOD UP.
Posted By : stela
Posted On : Aug 14 , 2008
I will having a cone biopsy next week and i feel scarced. after two abnormal paps & biopsy. the doctor has set up a cone biopsy. I have two beatiful daughters 7 & 9 and a wonderfaul husband .
Posted By : Meaghan
Posted On : Aug 12 , 2008
Im An Auntie:
I too can never have children due to my cancer. At age 28 I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Cervical Cancer. I had Chemo, radiation and internal radiation as well as surgeries. I was given no choice and told that there wasn\'t even time to save eggs in an effort to try to have a surrogate later in life. Now I am 30 and going through menapause. About two months after finding out I could never have children my younger sister got pregnant. This was a hard time for me.
Now I am actually happy I cannot have children. This is a subject I have thought about a lot. What I know is that there are thousands of children in the world who are not loved. Now I have an opportunity to make a difference in the world and in a persons life, what an amazing gift. I often wonder if being afflicted with cancer happened so that I could bring love into a child\'s life. I do not need to see my eyes or hair or facial expressions in a baby that came from me. I think it is so much more important to care for those lost children out there who have never heard I love you or been read a story before bed. There are too many children without a good home and if I can help just one of them then all my suffering through cancer was worth it!
So, to those women out there who can never have \"their own biological child\" don\'t waste too much time feeling bad about it. Your child is out there and waiting for you to take him or her home! Sometimes we are given gifts in packages we don\'t recognize. I believe Cancer was a gift and instead of looking at the negative I chose to look at the great things that do and will come into my life as a result of it.
xoxo
Meaghan
Posted By : Leea
Posted On : Aug 12 , 2008
Meaghan,
Thanks for your response. I know in my gut I have something serious that needs to be dealt with but I guess mentally I am not quite ready to accept it. I am going to ask for some relaxation drug and just get the scraping over with....hopefully my instincts are wrong. My heart goes out to you.
Leea
Posted By : ImAnAuntie
Posted On : Aug 09 , 2008
Thank you, Meagan who
Posted On : Jul 12 , 2008
People, mostly women, are \"programmed\" in such a way to believe you HAVE to have babies.
It is unfortunate for us (you & I) and for others who did not choose to have children before this life changing experience took place in our lives.
I can\'t believe the reaction I get when I explain I have been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in situ and I am choosing to have a hysterectomy instead of taking the conservative approach. (How dare I take care of my own health instead of having a baby!! lol) I am 37 years old, been married for 6 years and have been with my husband for 6 years prior to being married. I wanted children, but I really think the thought of being pregnant scared me.
I LOVE kids, and through the years I have been involved with events that HELP needy kids and I have gotten so much fulfillment out of it and I truly feel that is where my compassion is. After my surgery, I am going to use my energy to focus on doing MORE to help kids who NEED someone. It may include adoption, but, fostering might be a good start for me. It saddens me to know there are so many options for me out there. It only means there are many children that need someone.
