As promised, I thought I would share with you all the details of my recent doctor's appointment.
You may recall that I had surgery this past July. I never disclosed the reason for my surgery because of my own embarrassment; however, as time has passed, I have become less ashamed of my issue. This is something many women deal with, unfortunately.
Anyway, about 3 years ago, my doctor discovered abnormal cells on my cervix during a yearly exam. It was not considered serious at the time. I was simply provided some pills to take and was scheduled a follow-up to make sure that everything was clearing up. My yearly exams turned semi-yearly to make sure all continued to get better. And it seemed to do just that. Two years passed and I was told each time that everything looked great. It was not until my final appointment (before I turned back into a yearly exam girl) that some serious abnormalities reappeared.
I received a colposcopy and they had to take biopsies of my cervix for testing. What they came back with showed that precancerous cells had rented out my cervix. To prevent these cells from turning cancerous, I was required to get what's called a LEEP procedure. This is a surgery that involves burning off a portion of your cervix that contains the affected cells. Once this was complete, I returned to the doctor and was told they got the area of concern. I was good to go! As a precaution, however, I was required to attend follow-up appointments every 3 months.
On my very first follow-up, my results returned with abnormalities, so I was asked to return for yet another colposcopy just this past Monday. The doctor took several biopsies and was very thorough in this examination. She informed me that in the best case scenario, the biopsies would come back, show abnormalities, but not high-grade precancerous cells. As a result, I would only need to continue the follow-up appointments. The worst case scenarios would be a) the results would show high-grade precancerous cells and require another LEEP procedure OR b) the cells would have progressed into cancer.
The test results were just delivered to me today. Thankfully, I do NOT have cancer, but I do require to another surgery. The doctor informed me that they are going to remove a decent portion of my cervix to avoid any further spreading of cells. This surgery will be scheduled in March, following the Rock n Roll Marathon. I made sure it was okay to wait until then and the dr said it was fine.
So here I am, on the brink of a New Year and already being dealt my cards. I am not trying to be pessimistic, but I am pretty bummed it had to come to this. I was hoping that this part of my life was behind me, but, it looks like the powers-that-be think I am up for the challenge.
...and I am.
