How my story begins: I began having noticeable symptoms in September 2015. I had just began a new job in a workplace with many new women and I attributed my irregular cycles to our cycles "Syncing Up." I was still having these irregular cycles in November. Being a busy, working mom, however, I continued to put off appointments to go get checked out. (In reality, I just hated going to the OBGYN!) At the end of December, I began having a new symptom, an extremely watery discharge. I was very worried at this point. We were on vacation in Alabama when this symptom came up. So right when we returned to North Carolina, I made an appointment with a new OBGYN.
I was worried going into the OBGYN office. I had WebMD'd my symptoms and there were so many possible issues that it really didn't give me any peace of mind. (In retrospect, the Internet is not the best tool for self-diagnosing!) During my appointment, my OBGYN did a mammogram and then my pelvic exam. Shortly after my pelvic exam started, the feeling in the room changed. The doctor asked his nurse for a larger speculum and a biopsy kit. He rolled his chair to where he could see my face and said "There is either a tumor or a fibroid on your cervix. We are going to biopsy it." I was shocked and stayed in shock through the rest of the pelvic exam. After he was finished, I took my sweet time getting ready before I had to meet him in his office. When I finally made it to his office, he told me that he felt it was always better to be honest and upfront about all issues and then said the words I will never forget. "I am 99.99% positive you have cervical cancer." That is how this journey started.
How I felt after diagnosis: Immediately, I felt like I was in a dream. This couldn't be real. I couldn't have cancer.
My treatment: I was fortunate to have my treatments at the Duke University Cancer Center. After meeting with my GYN Oncologist and my Radiology Oncologist, the course of treatment was laid out. I went in for my 1st PET scan on February 2nd, 2016. The PET scan showed that my tumor was quite large (7-8 cm) and that the cancer had spread to 2 nearby lymph nodes. It was then confirmed that I would not have surgery but I would go through 25 external radiations, 5 chemotherapy rounds and 5 internal radiations.
My first two radiation rounds were awful. I got horribly sick and the worst part is that the oncologist on call, who I later found out was a resident, told me that I was not getting sick from the radiation and refused to prescribe me anything. After talking to my RadOnc, however, he did prescribe me Zofran and that took care of my sickness. I did well the first 2 1/2 weeks of treatments!
As a part of a study I elected to be in, I had another PET scan after 11 external radiations and 2 rounds of Cisplatin. I was told not to expect any change in the tumor size but what came back from the scan shocked even my oncologists. The tumor had SHRUNK by 50%! That good feeling of knowing the tumor had shrunk so much helped carry me through the rest of week 3.
By the weekend, however, the radiation and chemo started messing with my body. I lost my appetite, got sick more times than I could count and my blood numbers started to drop rapidly, which eventually required me to get a blood transfusion. When I wasn't in treatments, I just wanted to sleep and my muscles, especially in my legs, quickly went into atrophy. By the end of my external radiations and chemos, I was ready to be done. I felt horrible and just wanted to sleep, ALL THE TIME. I had a week off treatments and then I started my brachytherapy (internal radiation). I had 5 'High Dose' internal radiations. Before my first internal, my RadOnc put me into an MRI while I was sedated but did not tell me my results that day. All the internals went very well and my body started to feel semi-normal again by rounds 4 and 5. On round 4, my RadOnc finally told me that the MRI showed, No Visible Tumor and the CT scans showed the same. He said he was confident that the cancer was gone. I finished round 5 the next week and was optimistic for the future!
What was most difficult for me: I lost my fertility and was thrown into menopause. My husband and I already have 2 kids but it's hard to know that we will never have another one and it has been difficult going through menopause at a younger age. Both of these issues really made me feel like I wasn't a woman anymore and I cried because of this many times during and after treatments.
What I did to help myself: I used humor to help me deal with cancer and get through my treatments. A friend named my tumor "Timmie," which made it easier to talk about. Instead of saying "The Cancer" or "The Tumor," we just said "Timmie."
Where I am today: I had a PET scan on July 20th, 2016 which showed No Evidence of Disease. I have worked hard to get my strength back, even though I still get tired VERY easily.
What I want other women to know: Go to the OBGYN - GET SCREENED- Get your Pap AND HPV tests!