Wendy Clarke, a 46-year-old woman from Fairfield (England), mother of two, received devastating news 8 months ago: she is suffering from end-stage cervical cancer.
The doctors told the woman that she had two options: either she is not treated and she lives a maximum of 6 months, or she follows the treatment and will live for a year. The woman chose to be treated and currently goes to the hospital regularly for chemotherapy sessions, he writes BBC.
If I had gone to the gynecologist earlier…
After the first round of chemotherapy, the size of the tumor was reduced by 11%, but the second was not as effective. The woman’s cervical tumor is now the size of a lime.
The woman confesses that she kept putting off going to the gynecologist for the Babeș-Pap test.
“I was constantly getting notifications that I needed to go to the doctor, but I ignored them out of fear,” she says.
Although the woman did a few more Babeș-Pap tests after giving birth, she gave up this habit over time, fearing and being embarrassed at the same time.
“It’s the most private part of the body and I didn’t want to show that to anyone else. I felt somehow violated,” adds Wendy.
She had to give up her job as a meditative math and English teacher because of her health.
“If I had gone to the gynecologist earlier there was a high probability that I would have caught the cancer in the early stages and not ended up in the difficult situation I am in now,” she says.
Read also: The method that can detect cervical cancer in its early stages. It takes 1-2 minutes and the result is obtained immediately
Losing the battle with cervical cancer
Wendy wants to be an example of “not like that” and convince other women to go to the gynecologist regularly to get a Babeș Pap test, just so they don’t end up like her.
On her Twitter page, she describes herself as a “cervical cancer loser” and frequently posts pictures of herself in the hospital during chemotherapy sessions.
The most recent photo is from August 23, when he celebrated his birthday at the hospital.
“Not quite the way I was hoping to spend my last birthday. #Testyourself,” Wendy captioned the photo.
Not quite how I’d hoped to spend my final birthday… #GetTested pic.twitter.com/e9EoA82Rwv
— Wendy Clarke (@wend7) August 23, 2023
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is 100% curable if detected at a very early stage. Unfortunately, many women postpone the check-up visit to the gynecologist for years because “nothing bothers them”. Or they suffer in silence and do not seek help, even if they have worrying symptoms.
Romania is the leader in terms of mortality caused by gynecological cancers. And that’s because we still consider the gynecologist “that doctor who deals with childbirth” and that’s it. More than half of cervical cancer cases in our country are detected very late, in advanced stages, when the disease has already spread to other tissues and organs, thus drastically reducing the survival rate.
In the early stages of cervical cancer, there are often no obvious symptoms or they can be easily confused with other common conditions. However, there are some early symptoms that women should be aware of:
Abnormal bleeding, and this includes intermenstrual bleeding, bleeding during or after intercourse, postmenopausal bleeding or unexpected bleeding Pelvic pain or discomfort Changes in vaginal secretions – changes in consistency, smell or quantity Urinary symptoms: frequent urination, urinary urgency or difficulty urinating
Also read: How cervical cancer can be detected BEFORE it becomes cancer
Pap test – when, why and how often it is done
Regular screening tests, such as Pap tests, can help detect precancerous changes in cervical cells and cervical cancer early, even before symptoms appear.
In general, it is recommended that women start getting Pap smears starting at age 21 or at the beginning of their sexual life, regardless of age.
Testing should be repeated at regular intervals, usually every 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the country where the screening program is applied. A precancerous lesion can turn into disease in 1-3 years, so testing at 1 year is best.
The screening can detect abnormal cellular changes early, thus allowing prompt interventions and treatment to prevent progression to cervical cancer.
In addition, the Pap test can also help detect cervical cancer early in its early stages, when the chances of cure are higher. But this test does not provide an absolute guarantee and there may be rare cases where false negative or false positive results may occur.
That is why it is recommended to complete the Pap test with HPV identification and colposcopy.
2023-09-03 17:18:14
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