Fear
This is something I never thought I’d blog about but I’m going to get it off my chest tonight.
About a year and a half ago, I found a small bump in-between my legs and immediately got myself checked, to be told I had HPV. Mind you, I had sex twice in my life at that time, with the same guy. He also got checked right after, and his results came back clean and the doctor told him he had nothing. Now, I know he can have a small strain of it that doesn’t show up in tests, and maybe with my lack of an immune system with the cancer that was beginning to develop, I got that strain.
Anyways, I got checked last year and everything was normal, and I haven’t talked to my oncologist about it but I feel like i should say something. I’ve gotten so many scans and stuff, that I’m pretty sure something would have shown up if there was something abnormal. I guess I’m just blogging about it today cause I’m actually scared. I don’t want to deal with cancer once more, I want to put this all behind me one day and move on with my life. I know not ever strain of HPV causes cervical cancer, and I know with early detection, it can be prevented.
I’m ranting again! I just can’t get any shut eye. I want to go back to living a normal life, and some days I fear it’s not gonna happen that easily. I can’t deal with this struggle over and over. Props to the people who have dealt with it more then once. I don’t know if I could ever be as strong as you.
There aren’t any approved HPV tests for men yet. Did you get a pap smear? Ask for it and tell them you want to be checked for HPV too. There are high and low risk strains, but the good news is that the wart causing strains usually are not the high risk/cancer causing ones. Stay on top of it and you’ll be fine.
Thanks for putting my head to rest a bit. I actually got rid of what I had, I do a PAP smear annually.. I’m just scared of my future now. After getting Hodgkin’s, I don’t want to deal with cancer once more.
Posted on I know how you feel. I don’t think I could do this a second time around. When I went to my Gyno in Jan I got a pap smear and they called me a couple weeks later and were like “we think you have HPV” and I was kinda confused because I had gotten the Gardisil shots (I know they don’t protect against all strains though)... and apparently what had happened was something confusing about my weakened immune system causing a false positive… point of the story (lolz): It freaked me out because 1) I had managed to get lucky with where my lymphoma was and my fertility wouldn’t be damaged… but cervical cancer.. idk and 2) round 1 with cancer I can do, but round 2
i dont know if any of that made sense, but if it bothers you you should definitely tell your onc… because then they can see if it is a danger and prevent anything from happening and you will feel so much better knowing that something is being done, or that it is nothing to worry about.
stay strong :)
Posted on Okay, do you not think it’s totally weird how similar our lives are? shah
It’s really weird. I read this post today and I was like… no way, how did this happen to both of us?
Sometimes someone would tell me, “Boy I could never do what your doing”. It’s not like you have a choice. You just deal with it and try to be as long as you can to get back to good health. Being sick sucks, but I think my family would want me to try; I enjoy life to much to give it up.
Sunshine
Posted on If it is not effecting you now, get an expert opinion, prioritize, and put it on a back burner if not critical. Many of us can only deal with so much at once. Some day I may explain what else they found with the brain cancer, but it does not effect me, so to heck with it. Life is precious…go for it. I deal with what I can do something about and try to pick the best options conventional and alternative, to deal with it. So far, so good…its a miracle, with stage 4 cancer on one side and a triple stroke on the other. I’m now back home with minimal effects after proton treatment, which was after the reduction by brain surgery. With God’s help, anything can be overcome. Go ahead and rant….get it out of your system:)
Pamela, if your worried about HPV related cancer ask your oncologist if you can still get the Gardasil vaccine. My oncologist at Johns Hopkins recommend it for my sons and I believe it was approved for women years ago. Your still young enough that they may say it is still worth getting. No matter what get the bump checked ASAP.if it’s nothing you will be happy, if it is anything, knowing sooner is much better then later. Good luck and my prayers are with you.
Posted on Cancer really messes with your head..I have more anxiety now than I use to about anything related to my health or closely related to anything connected to cancer and me. I can’t control it. My only rational thinking is that with the petscans, you will see bad, it will light up and there it is, so if your scans are clean, breath a sigh of relief..I think as long as you are keeping up with a regular doctor and having paps, that is a great thing and anything caught early is what matters, but, hopefully nothing will. My oncologist is insistent that I keep up with my annual physical with my primary MD as well and keep up with mammograms, paps, etc. We have entered a scarey different world..God bless those who have had to deal with cancer twice. Keep vigilant in your exams with your doctors..report anything unusal..better to know than not..and keep busy..try not to think about it too much..ha! easier said than done! Hang in there…it will all be alright. Love ya!
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 8:40 AM PDT by I’d get it checked-out, just to help ease your mind. Rather be safe than sorry. Praying for you.
Posted on March 26, 2012 at 4:22 PM PDT by 
You do what you have to do. If your worried about the bump, talk to a Dr about it. You’ll never get to the new “normal” unless you do.
Rant all you want, you’ve deserve to. Blair