Cervical Cancer

[momin17603]

I am hoping someone on here can explain this better than my gyno and gp. I had many bad pap smear results and had alot of biopsies, all which showed nothing, yet I still got abnormal pap smear. I was having a lot of pain all the time, it was at the point where the gyno was giving me major pain killers just so I could get through the day. I went through a very early menopause ( age 24). After 3 years of battling with gyno they finally relented and agreed to a hysterectomy (sic). On 6 week visit after surgery gyno doctor says it is a good thing we did surgery - you had cancer of the cervical area, which was so high up it wasn't caught by all the other tests. I asked what the next step in my treatment would be and gyno, said oh don't worry we did a total hysterectomy and left nothing, besides since the American Cancer Society changed their ratings a few years ago, what you had as a stage 1 is now considered stage 0, so there is no follow up but yearly pap tests. So my question is should I get a second opinion? I asked my gp and he said the OB/GYN doctor would know best and to follow his advice. If they did a complete hysterec., why do yearly pap tests, what are they testing if they did a total surgery? Did the ACS, really change their cancer ratings?
Thanks

[rotty]

wow, sorry you are going through this. my story is a little similar...same thing on the paps and biopsies. i didn't have a hysto though. my docs missed the fact that cancer could be growing on the top of the cervix b/c they had NEVER had a case of cervical cancer in 25 years. sucks for me, aye? if they would have caught it sooner, i'd be in such a different place in my life.

i would for sure get a second opinion. many years ago my grandmother had a complete hysto. she had terrible stomach pains. they referred her to a psychologist! she kept having pain, nothing mentally wrong with her, she found another doc who told her they left a little piece of her ovaries in her and that she had ovarian cancer hers was actually so far advanced by then it was too late and she died.

did you go through radiation/chemo at all? i would think they would want to kill and stop all cancer growth. a hysto just cuts out the problem, it doesn't necessarily kill or stop it. if you have a tumor it could spread...i'd totally get another opinion.