Help! I am in total panic - I am convinced I have cervical cancer although results are not back yet

[BarbaraX]

I am sick with worry although the gynec did not bring it up. I know I should no blowing things out of proportion but the wait is killing me and I cannot think/find anything else that I may have. I dont know why I am posting this as noone would really be able to give me the answers. I am clinging with hope at the clear smear test result I had 1 1/2 year ago. has any of you been through this scare?
I had painful intercourse already at that time (which I know only now it is a symptom)although got worse with time. I mentioned to my GP few times in the past, but she did not alert me to something serious so having gone through horrific divorse, I put it at the back of my mind. I have an internal last week and they referred me to the top guy in 2 weeks time (pending further test results - they taken swabs - did not say for what - forgot to ask) as gynec could not make sense of my pain (very painful)as she could not see any sign of infections or anything else. she said cervix very tender. now I have done some reading and I got recognised that my back pain i have been having is a symptom of advance stages. no other obvious symptoms either such as bleeding , if anything I have been missing periods. is it possible to develop cerv cancer within a year after a negative smear?

[BarbaraX]

I know too delicate/tricky subject to get a posting - I just have to wait and suffer the anguish - I dont really want to tell anyone well I dont have anyone to tell really to get some support

[sweetmonkey]

nothing i can say to help im afraid but here if you wanna chat or vent.
x x

[HappyHuggy]

The boards just move really quickly on a week day hun.

i have no idea about cervical cancer but am bumping this for you.



take care
xxx

[RTKangaMummy]

I don't know anything about CC but wanted to send you cyberhugs {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}

and say that hope someone else will be along who knows more about this

[Marina]

Barbara, I've got no experience of this whatsoever I am afraid but I do know what it is to be scared witless waiting for test results which are likely to be fine.

I hope someone who has been through something similar will see your posts and be able to offer concrete advice and reassurance.

FWIW I would have thought that if you had a clear negative result six months ago, it would be very unlikely that you have developed advanced cervical cancer in that time. My understanding is that cervical cancer is slow-growing and easily detectable and treatable provided you have your smears done promptly.

Surely also if the gynae did a visual exam of your cervix, the sort of cancer you are worried about might have been visible in some way?

Back pain and painful sex in women can so easily be caused by ovarian cysts or endometriosis. Neither of them lovely conditions but not as worrying as a cancer diagnosis.

I hope this helps a tiny bit at least. Lots of luck and positive vibes for your next appointment.

[Bugsy2]

Think it is unlikely to develop so quickly in just a year.
I had CIN3/borderline carcinoma a few years back and it was treated and I'm fine now.
If they think it is cell changes on your cervix you will have a smear taken (not swabs) and if anything unusual shows up then you will probably be referred for a colposcopy and then, if necessary treated to remove the changed cells.
Please don't panic - it won't do you any good. Have a big glass of wine & force yourself to put it to the back of your mind, until you get the results through.
Big hugs

[Xena]

I think that my gyne (don't quote me on this) told me that it takes 7 years to develop full blown cervical cancer, which is why smears are only done every 3? years. I had to have soem cells removed down there and it was fine.

[Chocol8]

After I had CIN3 a few years ago and was successfully treated (with complications afterwards), I was told I needed a smear every year for a while.

I now tend to have them either every other or every year as there is always some sort of problem in that department. It is very worrying waiting for results - and tbh I worry myself sick every time. I was told that had my abnormal cells, although advanced, not been treated, I would have had another 20 years or so.

Worrying will not alter the results BarbaraX, but is TOTALLY understandable. Do you have a date for the results?

[BarbaraX]

finally i got the chance to read this thread!! can you believe it. as if this was not enough to worry my ex-h has turned up at the nursery demanding to see dd,lying about having my consent. he is finding loop-holes in the injunctions. well,because of my healh worry, i decided that whatever happens with ex, the most important thing is that i am fit enough to look after her. i dread to think that i will need heavy treatment for anything, i have no one to look after her so she may need to into care, i suspect.

but thank you for all your support and responses, at least i know that it does not have to be CC, every time i tried to find an alternative of what my symptons could be. I also have lower back pain and my period is late, could the back pain be due to the missing periods? but pain in my back has been coming and going for a while though. i put it down to tiredness but maybe it happens too often now. by the way i have missed 3 periods during the summer but GP again did some blood test and nothing was up. i think something is wrong in my reproductive systems for sure. there i just hope it is not too bad and not heavy treatment.

there is a chance that my smear was wrong, it says in the smear leaflet that abnormal cells can be missed, i had the painful cervix back then but only mildly. some of you have suggested that if the test is correct, it is too soon to be advanced if so i am less worried if i have something like that down there. and maybe the gynea would have done a smear there and then if this was a chance. i wonder if CC can be seen/felt. gynea said, there was no sign of infections and she did not know what what wrong at all.

i know thoughts going around and round my head with this and i should not let this happen. why didnt i do anything sooner rather than assuming it was something not to worry about (GP did not seem worried) and anyway i had no intention to have sex for a while so easily put at the back of my mind. at least i am not sh*ing my self as much thinking that i should make arrangemetns like solicitors/wills etc, which i should do anyway

if anyone has more reassuring ideas, please come forward. i needed to get all this out , i have been trying to stop my tears all day. nothing seems to be going very well at the moment. but as long as i can look after my dd, everything is not too bad to cope with

[BarbaraX]

chocol8, i have been asked to go back a week on thursday to see the consultant. they said that if the results are coming back with bad news, they'd let me know sooner. i am not sure that have redone the smear, gynea said 'i will take some swabs'

i have read this article on the papers of this woman in the leicester smear blunders in 2001, who died as the cancer spread while undetected, and she had hysterectomy and everything, but was not enough to save her.
i think that did it, i was not too bad before reading that. it made it look like it spread quickly

i am going to bed now and i think i will manage to sleeep tonight. i will check again tomorrow.

[Bugsy2]

BarbaraX please try not to get yourself worked up about this. I was one of those people caught up in a CC detection blunder - whole big news story about it (not featuring me specifically).
I'm fine and it is more than likely you will be too. Please don't frighten the life out of yourself by reading scare stories.
Best wishes to you.

[bonniej]

oh, please try not to worry. I've had CIN3 too which was detected after I hadn't had a smear for over 10 years and I'm fine now, just go for regular checks. There are a MILLION other things that could be going on (majority of which are minor) but you sound just like me and convince yourself that nothing else would give these symptoms. I thought the main symptom is bleeding a lot and you don't have that. It could be an infection of some sort as they use swabs to check for these. PLEASE try not to worry although I know how hard it can be. Take care and good luck although i am sure you will be fine xxxx

[Bugsy2]

BarbaraX - how are you? Any news?