The doctors never told me that!!!

3 minute read time.

Has anyone not thought that yet?

There are so many times over the last five years where something has happened and I've worried because the docs didn't tell me to expect it, or that it might happen, or the best one - the docs didn't know it could happen!


The reason I bring it up? Well, I'm going personal again folks so you may want to avert your eyes!


I've recently had a hysteroscopy and then a pipelle biopsy - nope, that's not where they stick a bat (pipistrelle) up your vagina to gnaw off a chunk of your womb, it's where a long, thin chomping rod goes up and chews off worm shaped bits as it's dragged down your womb walls. It then sucks them up like spaghetti, before rinsing them of blood etc where they're caught in a sieve to be sent for testing. Usually they only take a couple of worms out for testing, but in my case they stripped the entirety of it away and left it all sparkly new....... Hardly. After that, they inserted a Mirena Coil to stop it all from growing back, and so long as today's MRI doesn't show any spread - theory says that's my womb cancer suppressed. Done and Dusted.


This was done on the 4th of December, and I was told to expect to cramp and bleed for a maximum of 2 weeks while everything healed and the coil found itself a crevice to nestle into.


LOL.


Still bleeding.


Still cramping.


But that's not the thing that made me start this blog post. No. That's just background. As is the following;


I get really bad headaches sometimes from Tom (the meningioma, for those who don't read all of my weird ramblings), and there's really only one thing I've found that will get rid of them and help me to sleep. An orgasm. Yes folks, the female orgasm - it's not a myth/legend! It's real!


So, this is what happened last night. I had a really bad headache and pills weren't touching it. I couldn't sleep for the pain, so there was only one thing for it. Well, it was the first time I'd tried since having the coil fitted. And oh. My. Goodness. NO.


No no no no no no NO!


The leaflet lied to me! It said I could resume normal sexual activity whenever I felt like it and was up to it. HA! No! Right when the whole exercise was coming to fruition, and the muscles clenched - it hurt SO much! It was like the flipping coil had come to life and was being wielded like a tiny Excaliber to stab me repeatedly. And funnily enough, the bloomin bleeding decided to renew it's vigours - though you would too if you'd been stabbed with a sword!


I'm sure a number of you have stopped reading by now, while others are reading on in abject horror, wondering why on earth I'm giving you TMI and totally grossing you out?


Well, it's because if someone doesn't talk about it openly and honestly, and the doctors either don't know or don't warn you - then some other poor woman is going to get to that point, the same thing will happen, and she'll be too embarrassed to mention it to anyone, and so the cycle will continue. I think I've got to the point where so many docs have seen, inserted, sliced, touched, and removed most of my body that I have gone beyond embarrased. If my tales of ew can help someone else with the reality of what they might be facing - then that's awesome, and exactly why we need to be the ones to talk about and share our experiences. Because if not us, who?


So my challenge for you from this post? Share something either; in your own blog, here in the comments, in your group, anywhere on the sit you're comfortable to - that has happened to you on your journey with cancer that you weren't warned might happen. Especially if it is something a little icky that perhaps before now you were too ashamed or embarassed to share. You never know, you might find other people who have experienced the same, or folks about to go through it and because they were forewarned, they were forearmed.


Let's help others learn from our experiences, and break the cycle of silence!


xxx

Anonymous
  • Lass, your account is so lovely. It is just how people should talk about sex, and I'm sure others who have been so far too embarrassed will open up.

    I have had 4 prolapse operations, a hysterectomy, (none of these fir ca) breast cancer with the works, surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, nie. bowel cancer. Had 2 open abd surgeries, and now on chemo.

    Even though I am 73 we have always had an active sex life and want it to continue.

    It was a bit painful after the last prolapse repair but that was sorted with oestrogen cream. This is not absorbed so is OK with the cancer.

    What nobody told me was that vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse would be worse after my bowel resection, and worse again after chemotherapy

    My lovely surgeon became embarrassed when I asked about when sex would be OK, and told me 3 months. I wasn't having that so we started very gently after 6 weeks. No ill effects except for the dryness and friction, which as I said was worse again after chemo. My solution is use oestrogen cream, limited to twice weekly, and loads and loads of olive oil into the vagina. Works well, but messy, but will not cause allergic reaction---last thing you need!

    I use Filipo Berio spray as thus is most convenient. It makes me laugh when I see references to food on the bottle!!

    The other thing is the old saying, use it or lose it. Repetition does improve it.

    Never go anywhere without my Filipo berio!!

    Good luck and take care,

    Seaspirit x

  • Lass, do tell them what happened, the coil may have shifted or got itself in a horrible twist. Don't suffer in silence, and good luck!

    Seaspirit x

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    While I’m not suffering this type of cancer I did have the merina coil in for 7 years (first one for 5, second one taken out after 2 years due to breast cancer diagnosis). My point is this - the first one was pure agony being inserted which I put down to the inexperience of the nurse practitioners who did it, but after a couple of days there was no further pain at any time. I really think you should get the positioning of your coil checked. Good luck!

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Hello there, i’ve Just recently had a hysterectomy on 9th January 2018 and even though it wasn’t a ewww moment, I just thought I would let you know about my reaction to my first ever catheter - ooowww, a proper ouch moment on top of a hysterectomy....but I didn’t know until I was in the ward that the nursing team could provide you with lovely cool anesthetiser cream on your aching lady bits...total relief!

    Thanks for sharing your ewww moment, it just helps so much to be open and talk about these things xxx