Thank you for dropping by. Really quickly I will share my diagnosis, which is: Cervical Cancer, Stage 3B, Grade 3. I don't want this to be a fear-based blog, so I'm not going to go into detail about what my diagnosis means. Google is your friend. Feel free to use it to get more information if you wish. But here is a little snippet of my understanding in layman's terms:
- Cervical Cancer can be Stage 1, 2, 3, or 4. Stage has to do with how far the cancer has spread. One is the best in terms of survival because the tumor is contained to only one area, 4 means the tumor has spread to other organs. In my case, Stage 3, the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes.
- The letter next to the staging is either an A or a B. "A" means the tumor cannot be seen with the naked eye, "B" means it can. (My gynecological oncologist said my tumor is somewhere between a golf ball and a basketball. Thanks, doc!)
- Cervical Cancer can be Grade 1, 2, or 3. The grade has to do with how aggressive the cancer cells are. Grade 1 means the cells are reproducing at the slowest rate whereas Grade 3 means they're on a divide and conquer spree.
There you have it, Cervical Cancer 101. You're welcome :)
I was diagnosed December 19, 2012. Some people freak out when they hear the "C" word, but I was just grateful for a diagnosis. I had spent the previous year and a half in and out of doctors' offices, and cutting back my Zumba teaching schedule (cutting back from my life, really) more and more. Fatigue and dizziness kept me either in bed or on the couch the majority of 2012.
Some of you know I also had symptoms of MS to the degree my tremors disabled me from walking. After two brain MRI's the neurologist was convinced my issues were all in my head; he couldn't find anything wrong with me. My husband, Charlie, and I went back to our family physician with a laundry list of possible reasons for my symptoms (including gynecological problems). He shook his head at all our suggestions, said my abnormal pap smear was nothing to worry about, and instead concurred with the neurologist: it was all in my head. I left the appointment feeling like I could have won the World's Record for "Biggest Hypochondriac." I also left the appointment not wanting to return to the doctor for anything because I thought I wouldn't be taken seriously.
That's why, when I awoke from my hysteroscopy (a minor surgery used to take biopsies within the cervix and other areas down "there") December 19, I was grateful for a diagnosis. I wasn't happy to learn I had cancer, but it was incredibly validating to learn I wasn't crazy!
Love and Light,
Laurie
P.S. - If you'd like to leave a comment, it'll be much easier if you go here instead of trying to do it through Blogger. If the link doesn't work, just go to:
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Simply scroll to the bottom of the update you want to comment on and hit "comment." I love hearing from you. You're love keeps me alive!
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