Scared myself into thinking I could have cervical cancer

[mumof2g1rls]

26 female, from Scotland. I have 3 children, first when I was 19 so quite young. Pap smears aren’t done here until 25 so I had my first Pap smear last year which was HPV positive. Had my second smear in June which again was HPV positive but they didn’t have enough of a sample to test for cell changes so I have to go back for another in 3 months. (Only got my results 2 weeks ago)

Here is where I am most likely (probably definitely) overthinking because I don’t usually get health anxiety but I’d never want to assume it’s nothing and leave it and it be something

• got the mirena coil in July as I wanted something more permanent and I bled for 8 weeks quite heavily after placement of the coil. I’ve since had extremely heavy and long lasting bleeding since which is probably the coil still settling but I am now on day 10 of a period which doesn’t seem to be slowing down

• I am absolutely exhausted 24/7, my youngest is 7months and sleeps from about 8-8, give or take half an hour. I sleep from about 10-8 at night and I am napping almost every single day out of exhaustion. (I got put on 50mg of sertraline nearly 2 months ago from docs but this tiredness has been going on way longer). Yesterday I fell asleep at 4pm-5:45pm and I fell asleep at night just before ten and slept through my alarms and woke up at 9.30 this morning and my daughter starts school at 9😭

• I have lower back pain, it’s an aching pain which could probably be excused as carrying kids around I guess but it aches when I try squeeze to pass stools

• I was on a weigh loss journey back in may/June but had to give it up as it was very demanding and I was constantly exhausted I couldn’t actually get myself up and out to classes. I had lost just under 10lbs in this fitness journey and since I’ve stopped I’ve somehow managed to loose nearly 9lbs even though I’ve been no where near active like I was back then

• I have no appetite, I only eat if I’m hungry. I don’t have breakfast, rarely have a lunch but by tea I’m normally hungry so I am eating dinner

I contacted the drs this morning to request from bloods incase I have low iron from bleeding so much from the coil. But I’m now worried that what if this bleeding isn’t solely just the coil. I’ve not had sex in months but in the past yes I have bled after sex, and last time I did foreplay I did bleed from it. I go into the drs Thursday to check bloods but now I’m just stupidly worried

Hi!

just randomly came across your post while browsing and I know how it feels to be worried so I just wanted to reassure you that out of a million things it could be, cancer is a very very slim chance!

its probably more than likely your contraception that’s causing all of these issues. I’m 32 and I’m currently worried about the C word too out of a few weird symptoms and just exhaustion most days but I did have bloods which all came back clear which I’m sure yours will too! It’s good you’ve got an app to check bloods first of all which will hopefully put your mind at rest.

i have actually just had a smear and have to go into have a colposcopy as this is my second HPV positive too but with “borderline cell changes” which I’m crapping myself over but luckily wrote a post on insta and about 25 other women reached out with the same story and all turned out to be absolutely fine!!

we worry ourselves sick but the chances of it like I said, are very slim.

you’re up to date with smears which is good and if last years didn’t show up abnormal cells it’s highly unlikely you’ve got cervical cancer in a year. The cells change slowly over many years and now they have the ability to remove them before they turn in to it which is why we have these smears, so it’s a good thing.

im sure you’ll be just fine just wanted to reply so you feel like someone’s listening & understands :)

Not to be dismissive of your worries, but I had cc when I was 21 and it is really easy to treat if caught soon enough which it would be. Try to put it to the back of your mind or go back to GP sooner.

Why not go and see your GP and tell them what you have told us. They can examine you and put your mind at rest or refer you in to see gynae if they feel it is necessary. Just knowing that you are or are not anaemic doesn’t say anything definite about your cervix.

I'm sorry you're feeling like this, you must be really worried.

Can I just point out something to watch for, if they want to do a smear again? I had a mirena, a year later I had a smear and it dislodged my coil and it slipped into my cervix, where it stopped working. Dd2 is almost 20! She's wonderful and we wouldn't be without her, but it did mean some big changes to our lives!!

I hope you get your issues sorted out sooner rather than later. Wishing you all the best.

Firstly the coil, I had that fitted and it did not agree with me at all. I had the heavy, prolonged bleeding and exhaustion. I had it removed and things improved.

I then had an abnormal smear test which required colposcopy, biopsy and having to have the dodgy cells cauterised. Repeat smears every three months for the next 2 years and then back to regular smears after that.

Fast forward 20 years, during routine smears they began testing for HPV. I tested positive for HPV18. (There is more than one HPV virus)

I went back for colposcopy every single year for 8 years. Every time I tested positive for HPV18 and had biopsy taken. Each time I was told, it’s ok for another year.

I began to think I would never clear this virus because I am immune compromised due to medication I take for a chronic unrelated condition.

So, this year I went for my regular colposcopy appointment. Finally, I tested negative for HPV.

My smear test was clear also.

So, what I’m saying is, you can live with HPV for years and not develop C. However, you must be diligent about keeping your appointments with the gynaecologist to keep everything in check.

Also, most healthy people will clear the HPV virus in the first couple of years and may never be troubled by it again. But, it can also lay dormant (as in my case and revisit you years down the track. For this reason, never, ever neglect to attend regular checkups.

I know how it feels to be walking into the unknown, but, honestly most women come out of this unscathed. If my next smear turns out to be positive, I won’t be phased at all. I will just be going back to the friendly colposcopy clinic where the wonderful staff there will look after me, as they always do.

Good luck to you for Thursday, they may well advise you to take the coil out, so be prepared to choose an alternative contraception if that’s the case.

Hi op

I'm actually in a similar situation to yourself. I just had a baby 6 months ago and also got the mirena put in in July. My smear was done in June however there is a long backlog for results so I'm still waiting. I definitely feel like the mirena is causing me my issues so initially I had extreme tiredness which has passed. I still get lower back pain every so often and random spotting/ longer periods. However they do say it can take up to 6 months for the mirena to settle so it could easily be this aswell. The mirena seems to impact everyone so differently and cause a lot of side effects for some. Some people have lost weight on the mirena whilst I've gained weight and ongoing bloating issues. Could be worth joining the Facebook group where people discuss their mirena symptoms so you can see aswell it might help reassure you.

Please go see your gp as soon as you can. The symptoms may be nothing but best to get checked just in case.

Thank you so much for this! Both my sister and my mum had to get their cells burned off due to change in cells and my mums since had a total hysterectomy due to other issues so she's safe in that department now! I got my bloods done today and they are doing a FBC, checking my thyroid, liver function and for celiac disease as the dr said most of these can cause extreme tiredness but she said most likely it will be from the coil! During my last pregnancy I had high liver function tests which turned out to be pre eclampsia and I had my LFT taken again 10 days after birth and they were starting to go down, although the dr said today it was still high on that test but much lower than it was before giving birth so it is almost entirely likely that is was all pregnancy related! I've spoken to the smear people too who have said I can book in my smear any time as it has been 3 months since I've had it so I have that booked for next week! So hopefully stepping in the right directions for some answers!☺️xx