How my story begins: I was about 5-6 months pregnant when I began having a lot of watery, foul-smelling discharge. I went to the OB a few times outside of my normal scheduled OB visits for the pregnancy. I was swabbed a few times for yeast and bacterial vaginosis (BV) and most of the time they couldn’t find any reason and just chalked it up to an annoying side-effect of this pregnancy. At one point, my doc did a Pap test and that came back negative. I had a relatively low-risk pregnancy and delivery. I was still experiencing the watery discharge but was having postpartum bleeding also, so it was hard to differentiate the two. At my 6w follow up, my Pap came back abnormal. I was scheduled for a repeat Pap for 3 months. The 3 month Pap was abnormal again. Then I was scheduled for a colposcopy and my GYN ended up doing an endocervical curettage (ECC) at the same time. They came back as adenocarcinoma presumed in-situ.

Life before my diagnosis: Married, mother of two boys working full-time teaching a massage therapy training course and practicing massage.

How I felt after diagnosis: Devastated. I was already struggling with major postpartum depression and anxiety. My newborn had a myriad of food sensitivities/intolerances and I was working a full time job while my husband worked at night. Life was stressful to say the very least.

Telling my family and friends: I'd gotten the phone call from my GYN right before heading into the class i was supposed to teach. I was hysterical and ended up getting a sub for my class and going home. I told my husband first and then my sister.

My treatment: My GYN ONC was amazing and talked me through the whole process. She couldn’t feel the lesion with her finger and felt that a cold knife cone would be the best route and would be diagnostic and possible therapeutic as well. After the CKC my onco suggested a total hysterectomy to be preventative given how quickly my lesion developed and how high it was in my endocervical canal.

How I felt after treatment: Sore. I bled A LOT. I needed a lot of help because I couldn’t lift my baby or my toddler.

What was most difficult for me: I had a fair amount of pelvic floor dysfunction after two vaginal births, a CKC and a vaginal hysterectomy. Learning how to use my pelvic floor correctly and retrain my core was really challenging. I also had some tissues that didn’t heal well that had to be treated/monitored.

What I did to help myself: Pelvic floor PT (physical therapy)! It was awkward but I’d do it a million more times to be able to run around with my boys without being in pain or dealing with incontinence.

My life after cancer: Anxious for every OB visit but every year it gets a little easier.

Where I am today: I’m 5 years NED!!!

What I want other women to know: You need Pap tests even if you aren’t sexually active!!!

How I will try to help others: I advocate for routine Paps, getting checked when things don’t seem right and diligent with gynecological care.