Hello! My name is Aeryn and I have been diagnosed with Stage 2B Cervical Cancer. This is my story…

It all started in July of 2004. I started my period and it just wouldn’t stop! I went to see my family doctor, Dr. Conway, and for the next few months we tried all sorts of medications and hormone pills but nothing seemed to help. When I started complaining of severe lower back pain she sent me to an OBGYN. Dr. Conrad took all of the usual samples and ran all the usual tests and one of the results came back abnormal and that’s when I was told that I have HPV and signs of Cervical Displasia. I went back in to have a couple biopsies taken from my cervix and then I waited impatiently at home for them to call me with the results. The day they called me is when my world stopped. March 4, 2005 is the day my story REALLY begins.

The OBGYN receptionist called and told that I needed to come into their office and talk to Dr. Conrad ASAP. I didn’t have a car so I called my Grandmother and she came to take me. I was a little worried but thought that it was still going to be no big deal. I thought that maybe they just don’t give test results over the phone for some reason. My Grandmother and I were taken back into a room and the doctor told us to sit down, he had some very bad news to tell me. He told me that the biopsies came back cancerous and that I have Cervical Cancer. I thought I was imagining thing so I asked him to repeat himself! I looked over at my Grandmother and knew I had to keep it together in front of her. We lost my Grandfather to Lung Cancer and I could see the fear in her eyes that she would loose me too. Well, I failed at staying in one piece. I completely broke down and began crying. Dr. Conrad hugged me and told me he was sorry and not to worry, we would fight this thing. He told me he would call me soon with some appointment times for some testing and to see a specialist. I was in complete shock as I walked out of his office and just wanted to go home to my husband and cry my eyes out.

Next I had to call my mother and husband to tell them the bad news. How do you tell someone you love that you have cancer? I did it between sobs while I was curled up on the ground of my OBGYN’s parking lot. My Grandmother took me to my husband and a few hours later Dr. Conrad called me and told me I had an appointment for an MRI, chest x-rays and to see the only Cervical Cancer Specialist in town, Dr. Kelly. My husband and I met with Dr. Kelly and he gave us our options and then went over the “Battle Plan”. I would have a Radical Hysterectomy and one of my pelvic lymph glands will be removed to test and make sure that the cancer hadn’t spread. So, just a little over a week after I was diagnosed I was in the hospital having my surgery and would have to be there for 3 days. I remember when I finally started to wake up later that night I thought that it was all over, that they went in and cut it all out so now I will be fine. I was so wrong. My husband told me that when Dr. Kelly and Dr. Conrad opened me up they found that the cancer had spread to part of my uterus and bladder. This meant that I would have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The next couple days I just focused on getting up and moving around so I could go home and rest before everything went REAL crazy.

A few days later I went for a PET Scan to find out the stage of my cancer was 2B, next I had a Port-a-Cath placed in my upper chest on the left side for my chemotherapy treatments, and finally a CT Scan to help mark exactly where my radiation treatments would be administered on my body. On April 6th I had the first of 6 chemotherapy treatments of Sysplatin by Dr. MgGee, the best looking doctor I think I have EVER seen, and I also had my first of 28 external radiation treatments by Dr. Estopinal. After the 28 radiation treatments I would have to go in for a minor surgery so Dr. Estopinal could place a cervical sleeve in the opening of my cervix so I could be given 5 rod treatments of internal radiation, called Brachytherapy. Just let me tell you, those 5 rod treatments were the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life, even with the nurse administering painkillers IV. Out of everything, that is the one treatment that I hope I NEVER have to go through again.

When all of my treatments were done I had the cervical sleeve removed, the Port-a-Cath removed, and I had to have a bone density test to make sure that my bones weren’t weakened too much from the chemo and radiation. The bone density test showed that I still have good strong bones and wouldn’t have to take any calcium pills. Now I am at home and waiting for the day I go back in for some testing to find out if my cancer is gone or not. A few months sure is a long time to have to wait to find out if you are done with the worst year of your life so far or if you have to start all over. I made it through everything so far so I think I can make it a few more months. You can see some pictures of the treatments on My Flickr page in the “My Cancer” album.