Last February (2010), on a routine trip to the OB/GYN, my doctor had more concerns than normal with my health. My cervix was discolored and seemed to be not in the condition it should have been. She made the decision to do some tests to check what might be going on. I wasn't due for any tests until June but she said it was urgent we find out what may be causing the change. I was so nervous for what might come of these tests. I sat up night after night wondering what my body could possibly be doing to me and researching every possible outcome I may have. Many of you know that I am absolutely a doctor's best friend and always find a way to have something wrong with me. However, this time more than any, I was open I would have a clean slate. One week later, I got a phone call with a voice on the other side telling me something I would have never expected to here.
Cancer cells on my cervix! Definitely not the result I was looking for! In order to understand how scary this situation was, I need to explain to you how this diagnosis works. Most average women have cancer cells on their cervix that exist with no action or multiplication. It may show up during their annual tests or may not, depending on their activity level. When cancer cells do show up on the test, they grade the amount in levels. These levels are non-existant, mild, moderate, high, pre-cancerous, and cancer. When my diagnosis came last year, I was ranked at the pre-cancerous level! Thoughts of how this would affect my life rushed through my head in one giant blur. What was I going to do now?
The doctor said it could be treated a few different ways and we would schedule a cryo-freeze for our first try. With the cryo-freeze, the doctor would go in and freeze the outer layers of my cervix and then pull those layers off in attempt to remove the cells. Because I was headed to South Korea for the summer, we scheduled my surgery for the week I got back. This was important for me to treat ASAP so that it did not advance any further.
Although I was having an amazing time in Korea, it was always in the back of my mind what could happen. Did we catch it too late? Would this affect my ability to be a mother later in life? WHO KNOWS!!! That week leading up to my surgery, I couldn't help but think of the worse. The morning of, I sat in my bed and prayed for the best. When reading the description of the procedure, you probably thought of how painful that it could possibly be and it absolutely was the most painful thing I have ever been through. The doctors told me to take some aspirin beforehand but it definitely did not stop me from feeling completely sick to my stomach and having to make my grandma pull off the freeway on the ride home because of my nausea. I laid in bed the whole rest fo the day hoping that this was all my body needed.
In January, I went back for my check-up. More tests to see if the treatment had worked. Another week passed and my results came back as still pre-cancer. We scheduled another, less painful form of treatment during one of my routine visits to see if maybe my body just needed a little bit further of a push. Definitely no pain this time! Again, I prayed that my body and health would be in my favor this time around.
July rolled around and presented me with my yearly check-up tests. The few weeks before, I explained my health situation to Corey thinking that he would support me like always, and of course he did. We both were concerned about the future but hoped for the best. The morning of my tests, he texted me saying "I know today is going to work in your favor. I'm here for you no matter what the outcome is and I always will be." What a sweetheart!! I walked into that doctor's office with the confidence that I was going to be just fine.
Corey and I both anxious waited for a phone call from the doctor letting me know whether or not I was okay. I was told only a few days and when I hadn't heard anything, I decided to make the phone call to the office on my way to class, just in case the results had come back and they hadn't gotten around to calling me yet. The nurse was busy and had to call me back. I finally got a phone call the next morning. I was at my internship site and had to wait until break to listen to her voicemail.
After hearing her speak, all I could do was cry.... in tears of HAPPINESS!! COMPLETELY CANCER FREE BABY!!!! My test came back at the non-existent level!!!! I was completely speechless! I called Corey to let him know that my health was completely in control. The emotion behind the words coming from him painted a picture of an extremely happy man with a smile ear to ear. I think he was almost more excited than I was! The next phone call was to my mom, who was more than happy as well to hear the AMAZING news. My dad was home when I got there so I got to tell him in person. He could see from the tears in my eyes that I was on cloud nine.
All throughout the day, Corey kept texting me, telling me how much he loved me and how nothing could bring either of us down from our high horse at that moment. Hearing him as happy as he was made me even more excited than I already was.
So I sit here today, writing this blog, completely cancer-free, knowing that my future will not be controlled by some stupid cells! I kicked cancer's @$$! I also sit here today, asking all of you to make sure you check your body out daily! You never know when something unexpected might turn up and it'll be the decisions you make that will either turn that something into a speed bump in the road or a complete detour! I'll tell you one thing... this is just a speed bump in my road because I am writing my own story!
“If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.”
-- Lance Armstrong
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