possible cancer. help. - Women's Health Message Board

ce · 02-26-2007, 04:55 PM

I have been experiencing some stange symptoms for about a year and a half... just got up the courage to schedule an appointment with a gynecologist...I pretty much was/a, living in the "what i don't know for sure can't hurt me" mindset...and well, at first I though most of the symptoms were normal, but now that I have done more research it sounds a good bit like cervical cancer... and I am scared to death. I am 22... have been sexually active for 4 years with the same person. And basically...what I am experiencing is a few different things...usually never all at the same time... and only once a month or so... the more "normal" things would be sometimes thick discharge that smells a bit fishy.. but sometimes like nothing at all...always white, no funny colors... sometimes very irregular periods...like i will have normal periods for a few months and then be 3 weeks late the next...never pregnant.. (not on birth control)... and as for the more abnormal things... sometimes i feel like my skin 'down there' not necessarily inside my vagina is about to rip.. and sometimes bleeds the smallest bit when i wipe (so small you can barely see it)... and last but not least, definately the most scary.. something that looked and felt like gum came out of me... white, did not smell, only happened once and never again. never have pelvic pain though like alot of cervical cancer patients.
i'd really appreciate some feedback. i know i should have gone to the doctor at 18 before i even started having sex but.. i didn't and i know i was wrong. i'm just so scared. i just feel like on march 8th when i go to the gynocologist i could recieve devestating news...like if something is terribly wrong, it's too late to fix and it will be all my fault for knowing something wasn't allright and pretending it was not such a big deal. i feel like at any moment i will have to start dying. i'm basically terrified.

luvmy2kids · 02-27-2007, 09:10 AM

Well, if it is cervical cancer just remember that it's very treatable. You are not going to die any time soon! Cervical cancer is a SLOW growing cancer, so it's possible that you could have pre-cancerous cells and stop it before it gets any further. Your symptoms don't scream out abnormal to me at all. Hang in there and don't stress until you have reason to.

blazegirl · 02-27-2007, 11:35 AM

I am proud of you for making a doctor's appointment. There might be nothing wrong with you at all, and even if there is, it won't be as bad as tormenting yourself with worry! I am a worrier, so I know what I'm talking about...
Try to relax in the meantime and take care.

fairydust7 · 02-28-2007, 02:45 PM

Don't beat yourself up for not going in sooner. I did something similar 5 years ago too, and I did beat myself up a lot. But I've learned that we can't change our past, but we can start taking care of ourselves right now and continue to take care of ourselves in the future. So make sure you go to your appointment, make sure to tell your doctor everything that is going on. Write a list if you need to so you don't forget anything. And there's a lot of different things that can be causing these problems. Infact cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer (unless in later stages) often times does not have any symptoms, and it can take 10 years or longer for dysplasia to turn into cancer. Both are very treatable, so please don't worry and stress your body out more. I believe one of the first steps to taking better care of our bodies is reducing the stress we place on it. If you can't stop thinking about it, try spending more time on a hobby you like, or pick up a new hobby, or try doing things that you know helps you to relieve stress and worry. When I was freaking out I took up puzzles, watched a lot more movies, went out more (I live in the sticks, so going out is a good drive), etc to keep my mind off it more.

delstar · 02-28-2007, 07:50 PM

All sounds normal to me. Sounds like normal womens cycle of ovulation and all women get discharge from the vagina.
Get reassurance from the doctor and don't be embarased.