Anyone who knows me knows I practically grew up in a hospital. Not because I was ever sick, my mother has had several hernia surgeries, almost died from a tooth infection, had a full hysterectomy due to cervical cancer, the hormone replacement therapy gave her pancreatitis which has her in the hospital every couple years, and just won a battle with Leukemia. And I am always there to hold her hand.
Just before my mother’s leukemia diagnosis I had just started the journey to fix my teeth. I’d had 6 cavities filled and was scheduled for my 7th and missed it because I was with her in the hospital. I put my teeth out of my mind and fought to focus on school putting my teeth on the back burner. Almost a year later I got a call from my doctor letting me know I was due for a pap. Yay, so I went ahead and scheduled it, got it out of the way and put it out of my mind. A week later I got a letter on the mail saying the results from the pap were abnormal and I needed to make an appointment to have my cervix biopsied. I tried hard to focus on school with this news, which to an average person is upsetting, but because of my mother’s history this news sent me spiraling down into a pit of anxiety.
Two weeks later I was back at the doctor. For those that haven’t had the wonderful experience a colposcopy is even more offensive than a pap. Because they take 2-5 clippings of your cervix. No numbing. It’s just a little syringe like device that collects the cells. It feels like pinching. They send the clippings off for further testing. A week later I got results that I had moderate dysplasia and I needed a leep procedure.
I decided to try and enjoy the rest of my summer break before scheduling my appointment. Of course then it took 2 months to get an appointment because of health insurance. While I was battling to get the appointment I started suffering with an intense tooth ache. Half way through my second day with the toothache I decided I needed to visit my dentist.
My dentist informed me that the infection in my tooth was so bad she thought I may need to visit the ER for IV antibiotics, but that we may have caught it in time to just get on pill antibiotics. By the time I got the pills I was in so much pain I almost went to the ER anyway. After 3x the pain killers they suggested, a joint, and a cup of weed tea the pain finally subsided and I got to sleep. A few days later I had 2 wisdom teeth and a molar removed.
On the X-ray that my dentist took the year previous she noticed a mass in my sinus that had her a little concerned. She did a current X-ray to see if the mass was still present. It was and she suggested that I go see an ENT to have it checked. Because she’s a dentist she was not allowed to tell me what she thought of it, I go in today to find out what it is.
Once I was over my teeth I finally got the appointment for my LEEP settled. A Leep is an electrical loop procedure. A loop with electricity pumping through it cuts and cauterizes at the same time. Used to scrape 5-8mm of tissue off the cervix.
Worst 5 minutes of my life. Starts as any normal pap would with the speculum. They numb the cervix with 4 injections, which not only numbed the area but made my face tingle and made me super loopy. Once the area was numb she made 3-4 passes with the loop to get the effected area to send off to pathology. 3 weeks no sex with clear to slightly bloody discharge. The scrapings she took were sent to pathology and it will be determined if she got all the bad cells or if more drastic measures need to be taken. Will update when I get the results. An added layer of anxiety was added when my mother told me that she had a similar procedure at my age(cold knife conization) and she almost bled to death. So I was a little panicked. But thankful when I was done.
It’s been tough to keep my spirits high when it feels like everything is falling out from beneath me. But I keep my chin held high and smile every chance I get. It’s almost over, once the mass in my sinus is identified I’m done with doctors. The struggles I have been having are proof that you can eat right, exercise regularly, live a healthy lifestyle and still get sick. Rather than diving head first off the wagon I remind myself that my healthy lifestyle is so important for how I recover from the procedures that I’m having done. Keep me in your thoughts! Thank you!
Lyfe of Laci 