Should I go to ER?

Elys

So I have not been to my doc in at least 4 years.  I'm 35, healthy and active.  Not overweight.  

I have HPV.  

About 1 1/2 years ago I started having bleeding, like spotting after sex.  It started every once in a while.  Now its everytime.

The last two periods I've had I also had some bleeding, NOT spotting, right in between periods.   Each time it lasted more than 4-5 days.

Within the last two weeks I've had a change in discharge with a not nice odor that I've never smelled before.  It hasn't gone away.  

I did monistat hoping it was a yeast infection.  No such luck.

 

Now I've read and put things together and am wondering if I should wait on getting into my doctor.  From what I've read that means a longer time to get through tests and get diagnosed.

If I go to E.R. things move faster. And I obviously have symptoms.  I'm trying not to freak out.  I probably wouldn't be able to get into my doctors until next week anyway.  Right??

I've also lost twenty pounds in the last 6 months after not budging it more than a few pounds for over five years.  That might be due to new meds.

 

Well?  E.R. tomorrow?

 

Nellasing

Elys

Welcome- sounds like you have some symptoms that need attention.  I know the impulse is to jump to all kinds of conclusions and rush, but now is the time to make sure you are with someone you know and trust and who knows you.  I am imaging that you have a regular Gyn. that takes care of you?  IF this is cancer it has been growing for a while and it isn't going to go crazy overnight.  Many of us have had to wait for several weeks to get an appointment, then do the testing, then get the results back etc. etc.  I don't know if going to an ER will get you to a conclusion any faster and you could end up being exposed to something there to boot.  My 2 cents would be to see your own Dr. 

Breathe and think postive thoughts- call and get an appointment set up and take it one little step at a time.  Waiting is the worst but it is a necessary part of the journey. 

I'm sure others will be along to offer you their opinion and advice- this is the most lovely group of people who are very smart, loving and supportive.  Hang in there!  (((HUGS)))

Jairoldi

Waiting is difficult

Like Nella said, it's tough waiting. It took me a little while to catch my breath and once I did I asked my doc how long he thought the cancer had been growing. His answer was a few years. That helped me put things in perspective. My symptoms were recent so it wasn't that I had ignored things. A few weeks or even a month of waiting wasn't as significant since the cancer, though aggressive, wasn't going to spread while I waited.....waited for chemo, waited for radiation.

Easy for me to say and I understand hard for you to do. As we say, hang in there, take time to reathe, and write down every question you have to take with you to your next appointment. 

TeddyandBears_Mom

Elys,

Elys,

First of all, welcome. You have come to the right place for support, understanding, love and answers. Glad you found us.

I agree with the other ladies. Go see your regular doctor. They will have your best history and can get things moving. None of this goes as fast as we think we need it to. But you will be ok. I'm glad you are taking the symptoms seriously though.

Please come back and let us know how you are doing.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

pinky104

Discharge Smell, Polyps

Before I was found to have cancer, I had polyps removed from my cervix an number of times (maybe 6 times).  They caused bleeding during intercourse at times.  Each time, they were found to be benign (non-cancerous).  Once, I was found to have a polyp in my endometrium and had a hysteroscopy to remove it.  It caused bleeding, too, just after my menopause, but also was found to be benign.  I eventually got a discharge which to me smelled like a fishy smell. Like you,  I also treated mine with Monistat.  It seemed to get a little better each time, but the smell kept coming back.  My gynecologist didn't seem to notice the smell at my exams, so I figured it wasn't anything serious.  Finally, I started bleeding more, which I attributed to an estrogen cream my gynecologist had put me on a couple of months before.  When I told him about it, he said that I wasn't on a high enough dose for it to have caused bleeding.  I had ultrasounds which showed another polyp, and went to the local hospital for a D+C to remove it.  The gynecologist said it would undoubtedly be benign, but it wasn't.  He called me into his office three days later and told me he'd found cancer.  He referred me to a GYN/onc.  I found out from the GYN/onc. that I had a very aggressive cancer called UPSC (uterine papillary serous carcinoma) and after surgery was found to be stage IVb, the highest stage.   That was 7 years ago, and I had a recurrence this year where it wrapped itself around my ascending colon, growing extremely fast. I again had surgery and chemo.  My last chemo is scheduled for this Wed., but I suspect my blood work will be off and I'll probably have to wait another week for it.  I've had delays several times due to my labs. 

I highly recommend getting an appointment asap, although I would say that you shouldn't be surprised if you have to wait three or four weeks or more to get in, depending upon where you live. In some areas, there aren't a lot of GYN/oncs.  By the way, the first time I had UPSC, I just gained weight with it.  I had it in a few places and I think the tumors added to my weight.  I know I was craving sugar all the time, and I had a desk job so I was sedentary most of the time, which is undoubtedly another reason I gained weight (cancer feeds on sugar).  This time, I lost about 8 lbs. 

I hope you're soon able to get a diagnosis and surgery if necessary and get this behind you. We all want to get cancer out of us as soon as possible, even though we may have lived with it for months or years before we knew we had it.   In a few years, you may be giving advice to other people on this site.  I wish you luck.