Biopsy Results - Early Xmas

I don't think think I can express how happy I am right now. I actually got my biopsy results today (total shock they were only a day late) and I do NOT have cancer! A very Merry Christmas to me!

The results are CIN 2 (moderate abnormal cell changes) and I've been automatically appointed for treatment on Jan 30th. Which let me stress right now - I am not going for! Why? Because this is confirmation that my CIN 3 dyskaryosis (dysplasia) is reversing!

My initial result was CIN 3 and the biopsy says CIN 2. This is amazing! And totally contradicts the specialist I saw during my colposcopy who told me that "there was no way CIN 3 can change" - here we have it. CIN 3 that apparently doesn't revert, has!

*happy dance*

HAPPY DEC 25TH!

I just want to say a very happy season to all that read this blog. I'm not going to say "happy Christmas" not because of political correctness or I worry I may offend anyone but because I know that this is a SEASON that means different things to different people (though similarities and agreeable points to occur often, lol).

So HAPPY SEASON TO YOU AND YOUR KIN! Whatever this time of year means to you I wish you a very happy holiday and I shall raise a glass to you all! And eat lots of cheeses too-preferably the very stinky ones. All organic wine and cheese at that of course!

Next rambling in the new year so take care, be well and love-love-love-love-LOVE your bodies, mind and cervix!

Colposcopy/ Biopsy Advice

This is just a little info about what I did before and after my colposcopy and biopsy. There is a lot of information out there on various websites and in leaflets but what I decided to do was as follows:-

Before the Colposcopy/ Biopsy

- No sex for 3 days before. The leaflets that the NHS will give you will say you’re fine to have sex even 24 hours before provided you use a condom. I don’t believe this. I think this would affect a colposcopy and even a smear test result. With condoms there is lubricant on them and thus, foreign bodies will be present on results. Without one, same goes for sperm. But never mind that – when you have sex your cervix will to some degree receive some amount (even the smallest amount) of bruising. I believe that this would show ‘abnormal cells’.

- No baths for 2 days before. Submerging yourself in bath water will allow water to travel to all your areas. That will include your soap/ bubble bath/ shower gel. I strongly advise too that if you need to shave then best to do that a week before hand as to avoid shaving cream/gel/soap from being present. Showering is better and best to let the water run over you. Don’t direct the shower to that area, just wash the outer lips. I know some women like to douche or use a finger to wash up inside – don’t do that!

- No tampons. Use only towels if you are due your period before the exam. Tampons can affect how your vagina walls and how your cervix looks as they do touch these areas.

After the Biopsy is Taken

- No sex for 4 weeks. A long time to wait I know! Some doctors and leaflets will say you can have sex one week later. I honestly don’t think that’s enough time to fully heal. A scab doesn’t heal in one week so why risk agitating an internal wound such as that? Smokers take longer to heal. I’m a smoker and I waited 4 weeks till I had sex again with my husband.

- No tampons. I think this is pretty self-explanatory as to why you should not use tampons after a biopsy (especially given the above note).

 - No baths or douching for 2 weeks. Again, water and soaps can get in there and you really don’t want anything infecting that sort of wound. You cannot even see that wound so I would say please, be very careful during this sensitive time.

 - No rough intercourse. Slow and gentle for the first time you do it again after the biopsy and try not to have your partner go too deep. I feel that the body needs to re-adjust after the trauma of a biopsy so it’s a good idea to try treat it like a delicate butterfly.

Obviously your doctor/ nurse/ specialist will give you advice on what to do but personally, I altered that advice I was given as to reduce the risk of any complications before and after. Remember – you will need a sanitary towel for your appointment but if you forget one then they do provide you with one.

Once the biopsy is done you should not have bleeding heavier than a period. For me I only ever got a bit of spotting that was brown and silver in colour (blood and the silver nitrate they used to seal things) and I used only panty liners. Everyone is different though and some people are ‘bleeders’. But keep in mind that if any heavy, overly painful and smelly bleeding and/or discharge occur then you need to go to your doctor ASAP! Do not think if you ignore it then it will go away. And definitely don’t think to yourself that you’re over worrying/ being an annoyance in going to see your GP or your Nurse Practioner - it’s a medical professional’s job to look after you and your health. (Plus you really don’t want an infection up there!).

That's my two-sense about it all bloggy-blog! And let me just add that I'm totally fine now *touches wood* and have started having sex with the hubby again, have had a normal period and I feel myself. Still waiting on my biopsy results (as I did mention in an earlier post I did today) so fingers and toes crossed hard it's not coming back as cancer.

Colposcopy After Thoughts

Once the appointment was all done I felt a number of things. Relief for a start that I’d gone and done it. Anger at how “quick to treat” The Specialist’s attitude was and sorrow. Sorrow because I feel for the numbers of women that go for that appointment like me feeling worried, anxious, unsupported and effectively are bullied into treatment that they are told little about it and for others, don’t need.

My advice to anyone is go to the Colposcopy and see for yourself and hear what they have got to say. I would never tell anyone to not get checks as I think we should. We definitely need to keep up-tabbed with our bodies but all I say is make an informed decision for you, about you.

Cancer is scary. Doesn’t matter if you are like me, young, aged 25 or mature and in your 50’s (and plus). It will quite frankly frighten the shit out of you if you have that word dangled over your head.

It’s very easy for some to tell you not to worry. It’s hard for me though to tell you not to worry because I have been there! It’s not a switch that you can flip and turn off. No amount of throwing yourself into work will quieten your screaming mind. All I can say is try. Try and not worry, try and not push those close to you during this time away from you. I didn’t realise I was doing it but in spending hours upon hours online and researching information I was alienating my husband. He didn’t say anything as he felt it was something I needed to do. But the day I realised how much I’d been pushing him aside I felt so bad. It’s not just me going through this. This affects him too. He’s scared of so much about it as I am. I woke up to how I was mistreating him and I was (and am) so sorry about it.

You are helpless as there is nothing you can do right now. You are frightened by it all. Some are angry (as I have been and am). Others regretful that they didn’t ‘live better’ or make ‘better choices’. I know. I have been there. The Seven Stages of Grief is the best way I can ever tell you that I’ve felt about it. But just know that you’re normal for feeling all this. You are human! Though you feel alone you’re not. There are voices that want to speak up, that want to yell too about what they have experienced but can’t and I know you can’t. I’ve been there. (It took a right kick up the bum for me to decide to share my finding, thoughts and experiences with the world!)

No matter who you are, how your smear/ colposcopy/ biopsy/ treatment/ after will go/ did go just remember to love cervix! Love yourself! Never hate yourself or your body for any of this.

My Colposcopy Experience

I have been meaning to do an entry detailing how my Colposcopy appointment went but I’m scatter brained and chaos is my order. Getting round to it now and the long and short is that it was terribly stressful and over loaded with pressure. My biopsy results are still not in. This is the week I am meant to get them but I’m not seeing piggies fly out there just yet. I don't want to scare anyone but I rather be totally honest so here it is…

Where to Buy Organic Food-Part Two

Along with shopping around usual grocery supermarkets I also found a few places online that sell organic food, products and free-from foods. I lik the way there is much more selection, different brands and you’re not limited to having to settle for a store brand organic.
 

So where else do you buy organic food? Here is a list of places I found, what they sell along with who I’ve tried. Links to their sites on their name so click the name to view the site:-

Where To Buy Organic Food-Part One

Where do I buy organic food? This was something I asked myself over and over and it’s not as easy as you would like to think! Sure most, if not all, supermarkets do their range of organic food but I had to ask myself “is it really organic?”

The answer that I came upon was yes and no. Supermarket brand organic food is organic insofar as they have gone to every length that they can to assure the product lives up to the title and meets certifiers strict rules and regulations however, side line factors are out of their control. To break it down is like this (let’s use a cow as an example):- cow is reared in an organic and free range environment, eats organic grass every day and is happy. But then winter comes. Uh-oh! How do they feed Ms Cow in very bad weather conditions? Well, it gets given feed as a supplement. Here kicks the ‘side line factor’. Is that feed/ meal organic? It isn’t always. And so Supermarkets say for the most part their organic label is what it says it is but now and again it might be a little less so as they cannot guarantee the contents of the feed/ meal.

So where do you buy organic food? Here is a list of places I found, what they sell along with who I’ve tried:-

How To Know Organic Products

How do you know something is Organic? This is something that I asked myself in making the change to Organic food. I looked around so much, got a headache and finally found what I was looking for! What I was looking for are these two markers:-

These two labels are what you should look for if you live in the UK. BEWARE that your organic product is not just “containing organic ingredients”. I saw that a lot while looking for food and I see it a lot still. Also, keep in mind that "free range" does not necessarily mean organic! If it doesn't say organic on the package and it is not certified then its NOT organic! But what are those labels? What do they mean?

When you see them, what it means is the way that food or ingredients in that product were grown is totally organic. The first one is Soil Association and they are one of the biggest organic certifiers. The second is the EU Organic logo for Europa. There are a number of other organic certifying bodies in the UK so what you also want to look for is their serial number, for example, it will say “UK2” or “UK3” etc. A helpful page to visit is the DEFRA site (Department for Environmental Food and RuralAffairs). You can see a whole list on this page of the certifying bodies and their certified numbers (link in the DEFRA name).

Why Go Organic?

The why for me to change to all organic food is because when I have looked into what could cause cervical changes I've been reading a lot of articles saying that one theory is that the reason for an increase in numbers of cancers in the developing world is because of how our food is grown and what goes in to it. Also how our household and beauty products are made too! More on that later, right now, my fav topic - food!

Seems that the age old saying of "you are what you eat" really applies. If you eat non-organic food, grown with growth hormones and/ or pesticides then well, that is getting in to you and your body is working that crap into your system (to be Blunt but don’t worry, I can be Frank too *see what I did there?*). Bearing in mind, all that we eat isn't just a case of "Nom nom that tastes nice!" and is very much the case of you eat, your body uses the vitamins and minerals for cell repair, growth, blood health etc etc - then its worrying to think about the amount of bad stuff I was taking in on a day-to-day basis. Thus, I have opted to “eat clean”.

Happy December

It's December everyone! Despite the fact I am still waiting on my biopsy results I am not going to let that put a damper on my mood for the festive season. I've bought all the presents and just need to wrap them. "OMG WTF?!?" you say? Well, the way I figure is that if I get them all with October and November wages then my December pay is all mine. So the six inch, platform heel, shiney PVC, black, stilettos that I saw are all mine! MINE! *mwuh ha ha*

But really, try and not get stressed people. This is meant to be a fun time. Just breathe, relax and don't let your day be one you look back on with solemn sighs in the new year.

Peace and love to all! Lots and lots of peace and a swirl of love, ta!