It was a cold mid-January day and I was at the office working as usual. Suddenly the phone rings. It was a private number. I didn't want to answer at first but thought it might be important so picked up the phone. It was the doctor calling about my most recent smear test..
As it turned out the smear had detected abnormal cells on my cervix. This sent me in to panic at first as my immediate thought was 'cancer'. However the doctor re-assured me that they most likely just needed to do some more tests and would then send me home without doing any further procedures to remove the cells. They booked me in for a hospital appointment the following week.
I turned up at hospital feeling quite relaxed about it all. However that was relatively short-lived as when they did the first test (called Colposcopy) it became clear that the abnormal cells were severe. It was recommended to do a procedure called Lletz which involves using a thin heated wire loop with an electric current to remove the abnormal cells. These are then sent off to a lab for further examination.
The doctor was able to perform the procedure straight away (which I was really grateful for especially in the middle of a pandemic). I got told it was a minor procedure without any severe side-effects, even training the next day should be fine!
I took the rest of the day off work and training but was determined to get back in to it the next day. But when I woke up it felt like I'd been hit by about 10 buses. I was exhausted. The next three weeks waiting for the lab results were proven to be some of the toughest of my life. I took two weeks off work and training which the body needed to recover. But mentally I was not in a good place. I could barely speak to anyone because I felt so anxious about the results. Can't thank the people who supported my during this time enough.
When the results finally came I was thrilled to find out that all the abnormal cells had been removed. It turned out the cells were cancerous but the procedure was successful and no further treatment deemed necessary. Finally I could go back to normal life again!
However now six months later I can say that I'm suffering from side-effects of the Lletz which have greatly impacted my life. About two weeks before my period I have horrible episodes of PMS with head aches, bloating and cramps sometimes so bad I can't even sit. These are not constant but come and go in waves. I also lose my appetite for about a week and struggle to function normally. I seem to get saddle sores more easily on the bike and sometimes my cervix just hurts without me really knowing why.
I've seen my doctor a few times without much luck but my GP is in the process of booking an internal examination which I hope will give me answers. I do believe though that when a crucial part of your body is cut off it takes a long time to repair itself. I've still got hope that this won't be forever and eventually I'll find a solution to my ongoing problems.
If you've made it this far thanks for reading my story. I'm hoping that sharing it will help other women in the same situation and also highlight the importance of more research being done in this area so that in the future women going through this can get the treatment they need.
Gabby
