Please share your symptoms before diagnosed , any association with cervical cancer?

concerned22

Hello,

I am 35 years old and mother of 2. In 2014 (3 years ago) i was diagnosed with carcinoma in situ and a cone biopsy was done. Pap smear have been done since with no bad results. I just went to the dr to have my pap done and waiting on results. I am writing bc i am concerned... since the surgery in 2014 i really have not think about it and was happy everything was gone, but about 2-3 weeks ago, pain started and I am just confused and wanted to see if anyone can share their symptoms, what made you go to the dr, what pains you had,  etc. About 2-3 weeks ago i started to have not a constant but persistant most days pain on my left hip that radiates to my tigh, specially if i am walking a bit, it just hurts so much and it feels warm, pressure like pain on my pubic area... is like a pressing pain as if someone is pressing with their hand on top of my hair area on my pelvis, it persist but here and there i get like a stabbing pain, i get super bloated after eating anything as well. I went to my gp but they gave me bactrim for a possible uti, however, they ran the urine exam and it came back with some blood but no bacteria. I went to my obgyn (new one bc i move out of state), he did the pap and pelvic exam, he said everything looks good and added 4 more days to the bactrim that my gp gave me, also checked my breast and said that he can feel some stuff but it could be bc i am not on birth control pills so he prescribed me those to make my periods less painful and to control and be more acurate on breast exams. I explained to them that after the cone biopsy my periods have been terrible in comparision with before. Now they are super painful and getting closer to each other, I think is bc of the surgery but as i said, this is all more new than a normal all the time/life thing. I've no bleeding in between cycles, just very heavy and closer painful periods lately.  Both the gp and gyno didnt really care about the hip/pelvic area pain but think i have a uti. I also been feeling pressure, by my rectum, as if I have to go #2, butt nothing.  Also, i have 2 weird growth on my vulva. One looks like a cauliflower warty looking growth by the clitoris in the inner labia, a bit darker than the rest of the skin, the other one same side is in the inner labia but this one is more like skin color and looks like a little ball by the mid vulva, the dr said is a cyst and it will go away on its own. The obgyn didnt see the darker one, i actually had to point it out to him after he fail like 5 time to see it. He said that it looks like a wart, but my hpv results were negative(just over a year ago i was tested), he wanted to treat it with acid and did so...it hurt so bad...but i asked him if he didnt thought it could be prudent to do a biopsy, as of course my mind is going wild...he said bc of the spot at where it's at and it is so sensitive, to treat it and if it doesnt go away to go back in 2 weeks. I am usually not paranoid or complaint about pains at all... but this constant pains had me thinking, the only thing done after the cone pressedure was paps, no ultrasounds or scans, i am worried that something is going on, i know i dont have a uti bc i had one like 10 years ago and didnt feel nothing like this plus my urine exam came clean only blood was found...i am scared that they will come back and tell me that the pap is fine, and i brush away all this pains and ignore them...even on my way to the dr, i was like... may be is all in my head, i am such a wooze... and i got a sharp pain on my pelvis, and i was like..nope... something is up. My grandma die of colon cancer and when she was told only had 3 months and passed. Please let me know what ur thoughts are and i truly thank you for your time and for sharing your symptoms...sry for the long post

pinky104

Most people who have uterine cancer do not have positive pap smears.  Only when some of the cancerous cells from the uterus have migrated to the cervix does the pap smear show up with positive results.  So don't let a negative pap smear make you think you're in the clear.  You may or may not be.  I used to get a sharp pain in my lower left side once a day.  My uterine cancer had spread to both ovaries and a couple of other places back in 2010.  I think that twinge of pain I was feeling was coming from the cancer in my left ovary.  The pain you're feeling could be something unrelated to uterine cancer, like sciatica, which goes down one side into your leg.  However, the painful periods are worrisome.  Mine were painful from the age of 14 on.  My periods had started when I was 12, but the bad cramps didn't start until a couple of years later.  Have you asked if you can have a colonoscopy because of your family history?  I know it's a bit early for that because you haven't hit 50 yet, but I would want to have one in your situation.  I had sharp pains a few times while getting into bed starting in 2014.  I felt like my hernia was coming back, which it was, but I found out a couple of months ago that I also had a return of my uterine cancer which was wrapping itself right around my ascending colon.  I also had that "something isn't right" feeling of terrible pain, although I complained to various doctors over the years who didn't find anything. My GYN/onc had found a small mass back then, but it was too small to biopsy.  He kept a watch on it for a whole year with scans, but it never grew.  Then he decided it wasn't cancer.  But it really was.  Keep being your own advocate.  See if you can get doctors to order an ultrasound, a CT scan, and a colonoscopy on you after you finish your UTI meds if you still have pain then. You may have a genetic abnormality that has come down through your family.  By the way, before I was diagnosed with my uterine cancer in 2010, I was convinced I had celiac disease.  My mother was diagnosed with that at age 84.  I had myself tested for that twice but both tests were negative.  I had no idea I had anything as serious as stage IVb Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma.  I actually felt pretty healthy except for a few pains occasionally and some bad fatigue at times.  I eventually ended up bleeding and that's what got me diagnosed.  Your problems may not even be cancer.  You could have an ovarian cyst which could be causing you this pain.  Let's hope it's something less serious like that.  Just keep bringing it up to your doctors until they do something to diagnose it for you.  Good luck.  

CheeseQueen57

See a urologist

Because of blood in the urine, I would suggest you see a urologist. 

oldbeauty

Symptoms

I am in treatment for my second recurrence of edometroid adenocarcinoma.  When first diagnosed, in 2005, the symptom was post-menopausal bleeding.  I am grateful that an oby-gyn had told me that I had reached full menopause and so no amount of bleeding should be ignored.  Although it was early stage (IC) and low-ish grade (2), and I was declared "cured" after surgery and external radiation, I had a recurrence in 2012.  Then, the symptom was a persistent ached in my lower right spinal area.  Actually, I think the cancer was diagnosable in 2010 when I had two episodes that year of a sudden onset of excruciating pain.  Both times I went to the ER and got a morphine shot that eliminated the pain.  We were going through a lot of family and job turmoil at the time and I did not pursue the issue further.  Then, in 2012, I was being seen by a sports medicine doctor to explore the constant ache.  After conservative measures, NSAIDs and exercises, with no change in the pain and a sense that what I was feeling was visceral pain and an inability to get into the car without lifting my right leg into the footwell, I insisted on a CT.  It showed a mass in the para-aortic node area.  A fine needle biopsy confirmed the recurrence diagnosis and during the procedure the doctor triggered a pain very intense.  Turns out the tumor was pressing on my psoas nerve/muscle complex; so there never was sciatica or any sports-related issue.  Treatment was radiation and hormone therapy that kept me in remission for 5 years.  This latest time, in November 2016, I had no symptoms except one day I passed copious blood in my urine for half a day.  My gyn-onc scheduled a CT and referred me to a urologist.  The urological oncologist did a thorough exam and testing and found nothing but the CT showed scattered nodules in my lungs.  My advice to you is not to ignore any pain.  It would seem to me that you, as a woman with a previous diagnosis of carcinoma in situ, should not have any trouble with a gyn oncologist getting insurance OK to whatever is necessary to rule out a gynecological cancer.  That is what I would say to him/her "I want you to rule out cancer" and take someone with you to the appointment if need be to politely indicate you have a witness to your demand.  Good luck.  After all is said and done, if the proper testing shows no problem, that's great.  But once you have doubts about your health, you probably will find you can't put them out of your mind.  Hence be assertive in your insistence that someone do what's necessary to demonstrate you are cancer free.  Best wishes.  Oldbeauty

derMaus

oldbeauty said:

Symptoms

I am in treatment for my second recurrence of edometroid adenocarcinoma.  When first diagnosed, in 2005, the symptom was post-menopausal bleeding.  I am grateful that an oby-gyn had told me that I had reached full menopause and so no amount of bleeding should be ignored.  Although it was early stage (IC) and low-ish grade (2), and I was declared "cured" after surgery and external radiation, I had a recurrence in 2012.  Then, the symptom was a persistent ached in my lower right spinal area.  Actually, I think the cancer was diagnosable in 2010 when I had two episodes that year of a sudden onset of excruciating pain.  Both times I went to the ER and got a morphine shot that eliminated the pain.  We were going through a lot of family and job turmoil at the time and I did not pursue the issue further.  Then, in 2012, I was being seen by a sports medicine doctor to explore the constant ache.  After conservative measures, NSAIDs and exercises, with no change in the pain and a sense that what I was feeling was visceral pain and an inability to get into the car without lifting my right leg into the footwell, I insisted on a CT.  It showed a mass in the para-aortic node area.  A fine needle biopsy confirmed the recurrence diagnosis and during the procedure the doctor triggered a pain very intense.  Turns out the tumor was pressing on my psoas nerve/muscle complex; so there never was sciatica or any sports-related issue.  Treatment was radiation and hormone therapy that kept me in remission for 5 years.  This latest time, in November 2016, I had no symptoms except one day I passed copious blood in my urine for half a day.  My gyn-onc scheduled a CT and referred me to a urologist.  The urological oncologist did a thorough exam and testing and found nothing but the CT showed scattered nodules in my lungs.  My advice to you is not to ignore any pain.  It would seem to me that you, as a woman with a previous diagnosis of carcinoma in situ, should not have any trouble with a gyn oncologist getting insurance OK to whatever is necessary to rule out a gynecological cancer.  That is what I would say to him/her "I want you to rule out cancer" and take someone with you to the appointment if need be to politely indicate you have a witness to your demand.  Good luck.  After all is said and done, if the proper testing shows no problem, that's great.  But once you have doubts about your health, you probably will find you can't put them out of your mind.  Hence be assertive in your insistence that someone do what's necessary to demonstrate you are cancer free.  Best wishes.  Oldbeauty

Appreciate the details

I go Thursday for a needle biopsy on enlarged para-aortic lymph nodes, my recurrence (original occurrence?) that I picked up while chemo was going on.  I've also had sciatica on the right side which isn't responding to my usual 'tricks', although it has been diminishing somewhat through low level use of NSAID's. I asked the doc if the lymph nodes (one is 3 cm) could be impinging on the nerve; he said possibly. Now that I read your post, I again wonder if the two are somehow related in my case as well. Thanks for taking the time to write in detail; I find it quite helpful.

oldbeauty

derMaus said:

Appreciate the details

I go Thursday for a needle biopsy on enlarged para-aortic lymph nodes, my recurrence (original occurrence?) that I picked up while chemo was going on.  I've also had sciatica on the right side which isn't responding to my usual 'tricks', although it has been diminishing somewhat through low level use of NSAID's. I asked the doc if the lymph nodes (one is 3 cm) could be impinging on the nerve; he said possibly. Now that I read your post, I again wonder if the two are somehow related in my case as well. Thanks for taking the time to write in detail; I find it quite helpful.

Good luck, der Maus

I hope you get complete answers and an effective treatment plan after the procedure on Thursday.  I had radiation for the para-aortic node, and, at the same time, they had found scattered lesions in my lungs and a suspicious clavicular node.  Those were left to be the "guinea pigs" for the progesterone treatment.  Everything was effective.  The radiated node has never reappeared and neither has the clavicular node.  That and the lung lesions resolved for 5 years with the hormone therapy.  Now the lung has resurfaced and I am in chemo for the first time.  I don't want to scare you but if the mass is impinging on the nerve, just several days after my fine-needle biopsy when the doctor triggered intense pain, I again suffered a sudden onset of excruciating pain.  This time, I was met at the hospital by my doctor's fellow and I subsequently was admitted for a few days for cancer pain management.  If you are having a Ct-guided FNB, maybe they can take another look at the involvement and I would at least talk to my doctor about what s/he wants me to do if the procedure triggers severe nerve pain.  Best wishes.  Oldbeauty

concerned22

Thank you for writing back!

Thank you for writing back! it means a lot to me i received an email from the dr's office that the pap was normal and i should see them in a year. My dh thinks is in my head... i remember also, when i first was diagnosed a few months earlier i started having issues with my hands, and was diagnosed with granuloma annulare, but the dermatologist thought i had lupus and all sort of stuff that was ruled out, my knucles hurt so bad when doing anything... only on one hand, 2 month after i was going into surgery...about a week ago i started having pain same hand, but no raised spots, first they thought i had chilblind (not sure on spelling), so dh thinks is in my head... it probably is. blood, urine and pap came back normal thank god, i am so scared of being stupid and waiting but at the same time those test came back fine so i shouldnt worry. i saw my granda going thru the burning on her below the belt area it was horrible, she was always complining of pain but everyone always treated as she was making sh!t up... and then was diagned, started treatment and pass away in such a short period... anyway... thank you for listening and sharing. i still will like to hear from more people on their experience and such. thank you again and a big hug to all of u

concerned22

CheeseQueen57 said:

See a urologist

Because of blood in the urine, I would suggest you see a urologist. 

the blood is not visible

the blood is not visible unless when they tested i guess... they did not suggest to follow up with urologist and i am guessing it wasnt alarming quantity to do that...

StrongerthanIthought

Symptoms

My only symptom was some bleeding.  If I hadn't noticed a drop on my underware about the size of a nickle, I wouldn't have known there was a problem.   I made a gyn appt - and while waiting it happened a couple of more times.  Biopsy confirmed cancer.  It was already at stage 3.     Surgery, chemo, radiation & I'm 2 1/2 years NED

Hope & prayers,  Barb

TeddyandBears_Mom

Hey Concerned - Good news on

Hey Concerned - Good news on your tests! Have you had an MRI on your hip?  If there is a problem with it, much of the time it will cause a pain in your pelvic area. I'm wondering if a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic doctor would be your next stop? It doesn't sound like any of this is 'in your head' to me! I hope you find answers soon. Please come back and let us know if you do.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

SandyD

Sciatica

Hadn't thought about sciatica as a symptom preceding a uterine cancer diagnosis but I was treated for sciatica (had several months of physical therapy) just a few months prior to my diagnosis. Could be a coincidence but interesting. For me it was the bleeding that was the tip-off although I also had severe anemia and unexplained weight loss around the same time. I may be unusual but in my case I did have a positive PAP. I think the array of symptoms can vary considerably from woman to woman, but pain and any bleeding (whether pre-menopausal or post-menopausal) that is unusual for you are of particular importance.  

I don't think you're at all paranoid. Given your previous diagnosis it is very reasonable to be persistent. Sounds like from your recent post some of the issues may relate to an orthopedic issue but if you do have concerns about gyno issues in the future a consult with a gyn oncologist would make sense. 

concerned22

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

Hey Concerned - Good news on

Hey Concerned - Good news on your tests! Have you had an MRI on your hip?  If there is a problem with it, much of the time it will cause a pain in your pelvic area. I'm wondering if a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic doctor would be your next stop? It doesn't sound like any of this is 'in your head' to me! I hope you find answers soon. Please come back and let us know if you do.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

Thank you Cindi. I'll wait

Thank you Cindi. I'll wait another week... and I'll call the gp and tell her I'm still feeling the same and what she recommends...i'll keep posting here and thank u for being there...it means so much, hugs

concerned22

SandyD said:

Sciatica

Hadn't thought about sciatica as a symptom preceding a uterine cancer diagnosis but I was treated for sciatica (had several months of physical therapy) just a few months prior to my diagnosis. Could be a coincidence but interesting. For me it was the bleeding that was the tip-off although I also had severe anemia and unexplained weight loss around the same time. I may be unusual but in my case I did have a positive PAP. I think the array of symptoms can vary considerably from woman to woman, but pain and any bleeding (whether pre-menopausal or post-menopausal) that is unusual for you are of particular importance.  

I don't think you're at all paranoid. Given your previous diagnosis it is very reasonable to be persistent. Sounds like from your recent post some of the issues may relate to an orthopedic issue but if you do have concerns about gyno issues in the future a consult with a gyn oncologist would make sense. 

Sandy, thank you...i was

Sandy, thank you...i was never refer to one,  I had the same gyno that deliver both my kids for 15 years... he also did the surgery...its crappy the feeling of being disregarded at the dr, it really sucks... the only thing I know, is that I don't feel myself, thank you for writing...i'll follow up when I get more info

concerned22

StrongerthanIthought said:

Symptoms

My only symptom was some bleeding.  If I hadn't noticed a drop on my underware about the size of a nickle, I wouldn't have known there was a problem.   I made a gyn appt - and while waiting it happened a couple of more times.  Biopsy confirmed cancer.  It was already at stage 3.     Surgery, chemo, radiation & I'm 2 1/2 years NED

Hope & prayers,  Barb

Barb, how old were u when

Barb, how old were u when diagnosed? Yoyr description of bleeding would not have taken me to the dr...i guess we r stuburn creatures that everything is normal...ive had weird periods lately, it will b here, or look like its starting and then...be gone completely for 2 days and start full force again... never complaint of having my periods before but lately I've to lay down not all the times but had some occurrences bc the pain was bad. I looked at the growth that the dr burnt with acud, it looks the same...of course my head it's going to vulva cancer...and I just don't know what to do...or think . i send u a big hug