Cervical cancer symptoms

Tell me, can cervical cancer be completely cured at an early stage? Or is it still about 5 years to live?

On 30 December 2007, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I refused surgery and chemotherapy. The doctors were shocked! I took responsibility for my own life. I asked the Virgin Mary for help. Most importantly, I forgave everyone (that wasn't easy for me). I no longer have cancer! I'm preparing to become a mother! Dreams do come true. Believe and take action. Seek and you shall find. Stop being afraid of it. I believe in you. I succeeded, which means you can too! I love you all! I believe you can also overcome cancer!

Hello, I'm in shock; I have all the symptoms. At first, I didn't understand what this cervical smear was, but on Monday, I'm going for an ultrasound, then to the gynaecologist. I'm so scared because I have all the symptoms and no appetite... Wish me luck, I'm 100% sure I have cancer............

Good luck! And I found out yesterday, though I haven't had the biopsy yet. Your symptoms still aren't 100% certain; it could be something entirely different.

The girls had an ultrasound and saw a gynaecologist, everything is fine.
The gynaecologist didn't find anything, but I don't understand then what are these pains in my back? And what were these discharges I had for a week? And the lower pains?
Maybe I should go to another gynaecologist, I'm in a state of confusion!

Today I had an ultrasound in another place, and they found inflammation there. Damn, tomorrow I'm going to get a swab for infections, we'll see. That's the kind of specialists we have doing ultrasounds! Be careful, get it done in two places, otherwise, like me, you'll end up mistaken! Be careful!

Ladies, could you please share if any of you have experienced stomach upset after radiation therapy and how you managed to overcome it?

Today, the gynaecologist gave me a referral to oncology. The smear test showed that I have cancer. Is it really true that I only have five years left to live?

Please tell me, do you have cancer because of erosion?

Did they really leave you without explaining anything? Treatment courses or chemotherapy, I don't know, but why didn't they say anything??????

My hips hurt on the inside, I'm 24 years old, my discharge is normal, and sometimes I have vaginal itching. Could it be cervical cancer at 24?

Elia! Hello! How is your health now? I've been diagnosed with HPV. I have to have a biopsy and I'm really scared! Please share your experience.

Elia, hello. I saw your review regarding the gynaecologist Tatyana Viktorovna Stovbur. I was under her care six years ago. I really liked her. She prepared me for pregnancy. Now I'm calling all the numbers I had, but I can't get through. Could you possibly give me her contact numbers? Thank you very much in advance!!

Natalia, hello! I still have your phone number saved, and if you leave your email, I'll send it to you, but honestly, it's a bit unclear – if you've read my review, why would you want to see such a "doctor" again? I really liked her at first too; we had a wonderful relationship, with personal cash bonuses, gifts, and so on. But after a year and a half of check-ups, tests, and "treatment" (which, as it turned out later, was for illnesses I never had), she missed stage 3 cervical cancer??? (I wrote stage 2, but at the Herzen Institute, they diagnosed it as stage 3). From her last examination (I quote – "good cervix, but slightly inflamed") to when I was diagnosed in the hospital, only 13 days had passed!!! Thirteen!!! Days!!! Part of the cervix was MISSING, already eaten away by cancer, with a tumour measuring 5*6*5cm!!! The oncologists at Herzen said that such doctors should be put on trial! Usually, doctors stick up for each other, but in my case, they were shocked that I had been under observation for so long and the disease had progressed so far... I was even offered to appear in a documentary for NTV to tell everyone to think carefully before going to private clinics, but I didn't; my mental state was too fragile. It took a lot of effort to forgive. And I did forgive. I wrote here so that no one else would repeat my mistake by trusting an incompetent doctor just because she's "nice and kind." Natasha, think carefully before going to her. This isn't personal animosity; it's concern for the health of other women who might end up with Stovbur Tatyana Viktorovna.

Lena, now I want to reply to you – thank you for asking about my health. First, about HPV – don't be afraid!!! HPV isn't cancer yet, and it doesn't necessarily progress. Competent specialists will prescribe treatment, and with regular monitoring, the virus might even disappear completely; have a look at medical forums on this topic. Even if it's cancer – at stage 0 or the first stage, the chance of recovery after surgery is almost 100%! I wish you good health and favourable biopsy results.

I've undergone two surgeries, one of them extremely complex (they took a risk as my case was considered inoperable), thanks to the doctors at the Herzen Institute. I've had two courses of chemoradiotherapy, removal of the cervix, uterus, one ovary, 19 lymph nodes, and one-third of the vagina. Currently, I'm on chemotherapy with six courses prescribed; I've only completed one so far, but I'm already bald :-). It's been very, very tough – painful and frightening. Before this ordeal, I considered myself a strong person, but there were moments when I thought I couldn't endure any more.

Initially, there was the first surgery – they relocated my ovaries higher to avoid radiation damage (later, one didn't take and was removed during the second surgery). I woke up from anaesthesia paralysed, with only one finger able to move; it was terrifying. It lasted about 15 minutes, but I'll remember it for the rest of my life :).

Then came the radiotherapy, a month in hospital, I lost 9 kg, and even experienced drug withdrawal (ahhhh!!!) when they stopped the narcotic painkillers. I also quit smoking during that time, but as it turns out, I shouldn't have, so I started again. After being discharged, I lay at home, unable to get up, sometimes even carried to the toilet by my husband, all while suffering from terrible cystitis. Eventually, they placed a bucket by the bed. But little by little, I came back to myself, and my first trip to the shop 50 metres from home felt like a celebration :-)!

At the end of April, I had a second operation—I've already listed the body parts I lost above :-). That's when the real horror began. I managed to collect every possible complication: when they inserted the subclavian catheter in intensive care, they scratched my lung, and air got in. Because of that, they had to make a hole in my chest while I was conscious, inserting some kind of straw directly into my lung, all attached to some contraption to suck out the air. I lay there for several days covered in tubes, and then developed an allergy to the medication, with a temperature of 40°C, shaking, feverish and delirious (they told me I was calling for my mum, screaming across the whole ward, scaring everyone, and it was during the May holidays, so no doctors were around, just an on-duty doctor from another department and the nurses, ugh!!!). Later, it turned out my bladder wasn't functioning. No one should ever have to experience catheters in the urethra; mine lasted for 16 days, with urine drained every 3 hours. That's when I truly felt I had died and was in hell.

In June, I went for a second round of radiotherapy. By then, I couldn't even enter the hospital without tears, realizing I had to do something about my mental state. I pulled myself together, convinced myself that I would definitely recover, recover, recover—I have children, I have no right to leave them, to wallow in self-pity; I must go on living!!!

And that's how I live. Last week, I returned to work; the chemotherapy will end in December, and after that—I believe, no, I KNOW—I will hear, "You're healthy, go home!" :-):-), and I wish the same for everyone, everyone who is ill!

Elia! Wishing you strength of spirit and body! Good luck! Good health! Everything will be fine.

Yes - a consequence of untreated erosion. They performed surgery, removed everything, biopsy came back clear. Now I'll be medically literate - I'll get examined quarterly. While I was in the hospital, my friend - so as not to follow my example - had her erosion cauterised. It's painful, but it's better than the consequences.

Hello! I would like to have a conversation with you, please respond via email. Thank you.

Girls, what should I do? I've started doubting the competence of Russian doctors. So, I've had endometriosis for several years, and its symptoms are exactly the same as cervical cancer. Basically, I wasn't in a hurry to see a doctor until my husband got angry—he didn't like the bleeding during sex. This was in Sweden. They found "mild cell changes," did a conization, and explained that it was "not cancer yet," everything's fine. But no one ever told me specifically what these cell changes were or what the diagnosis was! Smear test, biopsy—"mild cell changes"; histology from the conization—"as far as we can see, everything's removed, but we'll check again in a few months." I don't know, is it their tradition not to go into details, or are they hiding something from me?

Moreover, in the last few months, my entire pelvis has started to hurt. The pain keeps changing in character (sometimes burning, sometimes pressing, aching, twitching, etc.) and moves around the whole pelvis, even going into my right leg. But the original location feels like it's to the right of the cervix, in the upper vault, not from the vaginal side but from inside. Sometimes it even feels like there's a fresh wound there. Now, fate has brought me back to my homeland, Moscow. So, I went to the women's clinic, and it's such a mess! One doctor says it's fibroids, uterus tilted to the right (and I saw during the exam how a node was moving around in my lower abdomen!). The ultrasound says it's diffuse-nodular endometriosis. Another doctor says there are no nodes, but there are leukocytes in the smear and I need to use suppositories.

Anyway, I've given up on that whole women's clinic, but I can't afford private care, and my pelvis keeps aching. The discharge, though very slight, has a dirty colour. My leg feels like it's inflamed. I've decided I'll probably have to wait until I return to Sweden—at least they're consistent in their secretive opinion. But I'm scared—what if I shouldn't wait but run? What if they didn't remove everything during the conization, and it's not endometriosis anymore? How can I get the truth from FREE doctors?

And what's more, I've lost 8 kg.

I wish ELE a full recovery; I read chapters 66 and 67 with tears in my eyes. May God grant you good health! Believe that everything will be alright. I myself am under constant monitoring for HPV 16/18, severe cervical dysplasia, multiple ovules, myoma, an ovarian cyst, and my cervix is entirely covered in epithelial layers from untreated erosions that no one mentioned during check-ups—and that's not even the full list... Lately, I've been living in constant fear, dreading to collect the results of my oncocytology tests. The thought that sooner or later the outcome won't be in my favor is always on my mind. It's truly terrifying. I feel like I'm walking on the edge of a cliff.

The symptoms of my precancerous condition are similar to many others: after intercourse, not always but sometimes, there are thin or mucous bright red bloody discharges, lower back pain again not consistently, pain in the lower abdomen, and whenever my feet get slightly cold, there's sharp, shooting pain in the groin and lower abdomen. My menstrual cycle is irregular—one month it can be heavy, the next barely spotting—and the duration has increased from 3 to 7 days...

I want to ask those who have been treated for HPV with Allokin-alpha—did it help anyone? Also, could you share about the delicate issue post-surgery for cervical cancer, naturally after the appropriate recovery time: is a sexual life with a husband possible? What are the sensations? Are there any at all? And how does a man react to the absence of a cervix? What exactly happens to the vagina? As mentioned above, does this operation involve removing part of the vagina? Please respond, those who have been through this.

I'm preparing for another curettage and also my first cervical conization. For those who have had conization, please share if there's any effect from it, especially those with authoritative information.

Please... Tell me, could I have cervical cancer????? I'm only 15... I have strange discharge... With traces of blood or brownish... I rarely have pain in my lower abdomen... I am not sexually active. Please... I really need to know...

December 18th is my second birthday! The test results came in, and my oncologist said—I AM CURED!!!! From stage 3, I AM CURED!!! I still can't process it... the most terrifying year of my life is behind me.
Believe!!! Dear girls, everyone who feels desperate, tired, crying, scared, and howling like a wounded animal—believe—YOU WILL BE HEALTHY!!!!!! I wish you victory, resilience, and recovery!!!!

Yanochka, thank you for your kind words about me :-*

And don't worry about your intimate life - the absence of a cervix is no hindrance at all (in normal cases, part of the vagina isn't removed, only when the tumour spreads to its walls, I'm sure that's definitely not a concern for you). Even with my removed one-third of the vagina, I've wonderfully returned to Great Sex :-) HUSBAND, I ADORE YOU. There are some peculiarities, but they're minor (need to buy lube as natural isn't enough now, but that's no big deal, and it's painful for the first 5-10 seconds for some reason, feels like losing virginity, every time like the first time)))))), but maybe that's just me, it doesn't bother us, I warned my husband and he's careful, but, I repeat, it's only the first 5-10 seconds :-)

And now I always have my friend - vaginal orgasm with me; before, I only experienced clitoral ones, didn't expect such a bonus, honestly :-))) During the treatment, it seemed like a full sex life was a thing of the past, sigh...

So don't worry, I wish you love, tenderness, and passion with your husband once everything heals.

Hello! I'm sorry, but I have a question! For which condition, after sexual intercourse, are there foam-like (frothy) discharges?????

Hello, I also have symptoms and it's been detected in me too. I don't know what stage yet, I'm waiting for the results. Were you cured and how? At what age were you diagnosed and how? Thank you so much in advance for your answer. I'm sitting here dying of fear, please help!

Hello Elia, your messages help me to live. You have answered many of my questions that I didn't know who to ask, and there's still so much I'd like to inquire about. I've been discharged for a week now after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, and now I'm at home, needing to move forward with life. Thank you, Elia, for your strength and optimism; I am in great need of them.

Irina, I burst into tears reading your message, which means it's not in vain that I'm writing here. I so deeply wanted to make someone feel better, thank you!

There must be a reason we're given all this to go through, to endure, to bear—perhaps so that we can be doubly, triply happy in the future???? :-)

Hello, Elia. I got so excited reading your response and was overjoyed. I have loved ones around me, but they don't quite understand me—I think you know what I mean. I really miss talking to someone who has been through this nightmare themselves, not just in forum discussions but in private correspondence, if you don't mind, of course. Even if only occasionally, I'd love to exchange messages. There's so much I'd like to ask, and perhaps you might find my experience interesting too. I was treated in Pesochy—you won't believe it, but out of fear, I didn't ask my doctor anything. I know it was silly. After treatment, I had tests, ultrasound, CT scans—the answer was no progression of the disease. But what comes next, I don't know. Time will tell.

Elya sent you a letter 3 weeks ago. Have you received it? Please write to me at my email: lipa22222@rambler.ru.

I am 25 years old.
I have never been to a gynaecologist before.
In September, I had a problem with my leg, as had happened before, so I went to the doctor. They took blood tests and told me I had chlamydia in my blood. I looked up what that meant online and went to a gynaecologist. I spent a long time choosing which one to go to and found a private clinic. I went, got tested for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). The results came back: no chlamydia or gonorrhoea, but I do have HPV types 16 and 58, which are high risk. They also did a Pap test, and the results came back as moderate dysplasia, CIN II. Now, after reading everything online, I'm depressed and blaming myself for everything. On top of that, I have a delayed period... I don't even know what to think anymore. I have stomach pains, as if something is cutting inside... I've booked a colposcopy, but it's only on April 29th because of the waiting lists... What should I think and do?

I had no symptoms; it was detected during a routine check-up—grade 3 dysplasia, then a cone biopsy revealed stage 1 cervical cancer, and now I'm under observation.

I had breast cancer 14 years ago. I was 39 then, and my son was 4.5 years old. It was terrifying. The betrayal by my son's father and the feeling of being completely abandoned. I endured it all, survived, raised a wonderful son, and for the past five years, I've had a very good job. Everything is fine now, but when I recall the time of the disfiguring surgery and the years of treatment, tears come to my eyes again.

Do not betray your loved ones!!!!!!!

Hello! I've written here before - 72, 73. I returned to Sweden, to my husband, just before the New Year, but I only managed to see a doctor in March! By then, all my ailments had disappeared on their own, and the spotting after the conization hadn't returned. The doctor only took smears for cytology, for monitoring, and in response to my stories about my autumn worries, she said it's natural for a woman to have aches and pains here and there, so there's nothing to worry about!

And now, for two months, I haven't been able to get these cytology results. And again - spotting, bleeding! Pain during intercourse! And I'm left wondering again - is it endometriosis or...?

Elia, tell me, did I understand correctly that only one year passed after your conization before it reached the third degree?

It's been eight months since my conization, and I don't know what to think. Online, it says the disease develops over years. But my conization was minor. They told me: everything looks so good that we decided to just remove a small edge. And now I'm wondering - can one really be guided by how it "looks"?

Dear Forum Members, please help! I'm 23 years old. In 2007, I gave birth to a child. In November, I started experiencing pain in my lower abdomen and lower back, air began to escape from my vagina spontaneously, and I occasionally felt a pulsating pain in my anus. My periods used to last 6 days but have now shortened to 3 days and are very light. After visiting a gynaecologist and having a colposcopy, I was diagnosed with an eroded ectropion of the cervix, and the cytology results showed reactive changes in squamous epithelial cells due to an inflammatory process. HPV was to be ruled out. I was tested for HPV – all negative! The ultrasound showed no pathology. The only thing noted on the ultrasound was severely dilated veins in the pelvis. An abdominal ultrasound showed no pathology, a pelvic CT scan was normal, and blood tests were normal.

On January 15th, I had a cervical conization at the 31st Hospital! The histology only revealed leukoplakia.

I continued to see the gynaecologist after the conization. The doctors see no pathology. They say everything is normal except for pelvic varicose veins. Last week, I had a cytology test, which showed slight inflammation. In routine flora smears, there is no inflammation! No one listens to me about my pain, saying it's not gynaecological! I don't know what to do next; I'm taking antidepressants to sleep at night and crying all the time! I've asked the doctors to perform a fractional curettage – they say there are NO INDICATIONS!!! Now, my hair is falling out a lot – I don't know why... maybe due to stress???

Dear women, please share how you were diagnosed with cervical cancer? What symptoms did you have? I'm very grateful to you!!! Thank you!!!

And from time to time, I feel what seems like gas bubbles gurgling in my groin (or whatever it's called for girls). But I don't know what it is yet, and I'm not asking either. I'm just surprised—after all, there are no intestines in the groin! And why even mention bubbles when they sent me home with bleeding without even an examination, saying, "It must just be ovulation or something"!

But don't worry, if the tests don't show anything, it means there's no cancer! I'm hoping to get my cytology results next week, and if they're good, I'll calm down and forget about it, because the doctor said, "It's no surprise if a woman has pains." :-)) And we should listen to the doctor. If they say jump, you jump! :-))

And yes, after the conization, I developed hemorrhoids—just four days later! I also had pain in both the anus and the rectum.

Toma, for what reason did you undergo conization, and what were the histology results? During the conization, did they perform curettage of the cervical canal and the uterine cavity?

Do you live in Moscow? Does the doctor who performed your cytology have your phone number? If so, the doctor should call if the smear is abnormal! What worries me is that cytology doesn't always accurately detect atypia! That's what my gynaecologist from Hospital No. 31 told me! The most accurate way to rule out oncology is to have a separate diagnostic curettage!

Another question, Toma, how old are you, and do you have any children? Do you have lower back or abdominal pain along with this bleeding? Is the bleeding heavy or only after sexual intercourse?

My left leg is terribly aching. Oh dear, I'm so scared. The gynaecologist said my test results are good. Also, it seems I have a polyp. I'm afraid of surgery. Another gynaecologist didn't find a polyp. I'm confused.

And how does the human papillomavirus manifest itself? When doctors take smears, do they check for its presence too?

Toma, do you also have hair falling out?

Dreamer, I must reiterate that I do not know whether I have cancer or not, or whether I had it or not.
Regarding the conisation:
I had spotting between periods, both bloody and brown discharge, which intensified during intercourse. It wasn't constant, but it happened frequently. My husband insisted I see a doctor, and first a cytological smear, then a colposcopy with a biopsy, revealed the presence of "altered cells." No one told me what kind of changes they were, and I'm not being treated in Russia but in Sweden. Here, test results and appointment invitations are sent by post. They simply wrote to me that based on the results, conisation was necessary.
During the conisation, nothing was scraped out. The results from the conisation just stated that, in their opinion, the margins were clear and that I would be invited for a follow-up in six months.
After that, I had to go to Moscow for six months, and as I mentioned earlier, it was pointless dealing with the Moscow women's clinic due to all the confusion.

Regarding the bleeding:

It's been two months since the Swedish smear test. I haven't received any results, but my husband made me go back to them because the spotting started again, just like before – for two days, then after one instance of intercourse, there was an unusually large amount of blood for intermenstrual bleeding – three days in a row, three pads a day, followed by a week of a little dark blood at the end of urination. Throughout all these days of bleeding, there was a feeling of aching in the pelvis and even a sensation of a wound somewhere around the cervix, along with a mild feeling of cystitis. And when we tried to have sex again, besides the usual pain I've had during intercourse for the last three months, there was an additional feeling as if my bladder had been injured. Yesterday, my lower back hurt as if it had been struck with a shovel handle. And now my period has come, and everything has eased up – no pain at all!

Well, when I get to the bottom of it, I'll write the diagnosis here. As much as I dislike endometriosis, right now I'd be glad to hear it's just that.

I'm 38 years old and have two teenagers.

About the hair: I was on birth control pills for a long time, and they started causing breast pain. I stopped taking them, and a month later, my hair began to fall out. After two months, my hair became thin, but I couldn't stand how greasy it got every day without the pills, so I resumed taking them, and within a month, the hair loss stopped. There could be various reasons for this in different people.

Hello girls. If anyone is from Moscow, please recommend a good lab for tests, besides Gemotest, DNA diagnostics, and Invitro. I don't trust them; it's all a scam. My doctor referred me for a quantitative HPV cell test at Gemotest, but they took the smear on a couch and put zeros instead of actual values. Doctors seem to be connected with these labs somehow, and I've already spent so much money on tests.

I have high-risk HPV, and I'm terrified of a cancer diagnosis.

I'd really like to hear recommendations for a good lab. Please help.

Toma, here's how it went for me:

Summer 2007 - first consultation

February 2008 - conization

June or July 2008 - pain and bleeding returned, I was told tales about "inflammation"

January 2009 - stage three cancer

Apparently, she performed the conization on what were already cancerous tissues, as proper, sensible doctors later told me - the ones who actually cured me.

Эля, а у Вас какая гистология была после конизации? Почему делали конизацию? Цитология, что показывала? Какие боли были? Как определили, что РАК? По выскабливанию или по анализам?

А волосы вылезали у Вас просто так без химии и облучения?

Простите, что столько вопросов... просто у меня боли и межменструальные выделения, а врачи руками разводят - говорят ВОСПАЛЕНИЕ!!! Уже полгода с этим мучаюсь!!! (((

Здравствуйте, зашла посоветоваться. У меня на УЗИ обнаружили признаки начинающегося воспалительного процесса в шейке матки, сдала анализы нашли ВПЧ 16типа, гинеколог назначила лечение: Изопринозин. 2т- 3 раза в день 10 дней пить, 10 дней перерыв и так 3 курса, Свечи "Макмирор" 8 штук и потом обработка шейки препаратом "Солкодерм", она сказала, что наличие этого вируса в организме является предраковым состоянием, по большому счёту, надо обязательно его лечить, так же в наличии эндометриоз 1 степени и хронический сальпингоофорит, после выкидыша с выскабливанием 3 года назад, увеличены фалопиевы трубы. НО не каких анализов на Рак не назначила, я что то стала волноваться, о том что необходимо сдать аналиs на Онкологию, по крайней мере так было бы спокойней. Девушки и женщины посоветуйте, какие необходимо сдать анализы, через неделю пойду к врачу,хочу просить направление. Страшно очень, но лучше провериться. Заранее спасибо ответившим.