Hello everyone,
I've just joined today and feel like I just need a safe space to say how I am feeling and share my worries and concerns if that's ok.
I am 40 and just over a year ago I went to the GP with some concerns over heavy bleeding, bleeding after intercourse, bleeding between periods and lower back and abdominal pain. I was given an examination and a smear was taken and a referral put in to Gynaecology. The GP wasn't overly concerned and said it just looked like a nabothian cyst with a venus blood supply that was likely to be causing the issues.
I was due to attend an appointment with Gynaecology in March this year but due to COVID-19 it was cancelled and I was told it would get rescheduled once they got everything back up and running.
The year continued on and my symptoms got gradually worse and on top of the original ones I have one the last few months lost over a stone in weight and I'm now 8st (I'm 5'6"). I contacted my GP practice last week just to ask if they knew whether appointments at Gynaecology had restarted and did they know when I'd likely be seen. I also advised them of my increased symptoms and weight loss.
The GP called me and asked me to attend the surgery for an examination and blood tests on Tuesday afternoon. After the examination she said that there had been a significant change in the appearance of my cervix and that she would be putting in an urgent 2 week referral to Colposcopy for me.
I got a call on Wednesday morning from the GP again saying that my blood tests showed I was severely anaemic and neutropenic and asking me to go for more blood tests yesterday evening.
I am now waiting on those results and on an appointment for Colposcopy.
What makes this situation more difficult is that my brother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago and since I've been dealing with all of the arrangements on behalf of my parents as they are finding it all too much to cope with. His funeral is next week and I'm grieving deeply for him. Apart from my husband, I feel I can't tell anyone about this situation as everyone close to me is dealing with the loss of my brother.
I also have a complicated medical history and have Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (autoimmune condition and take immunosuppressants daily) and have a rare condition called Variegate Porphyria which among many things means I cannot tolerate certain medicines, pain relief, and female hormones can be dangerous to me. All of this means that should I require treatment such as a Hysterectomy and Chemoradiation it would become very complicated to formulate a suitable plan for this that would ensure I wouldn't be seriously adversely affected long term.
I know I'm completely jumping the gun having not even had my appointment with Colposcopy, but I think it's natural (but rather unhelpful) for your mind to run away from you in these circumstances.
I'm trying to focus on getting through to my brother's funeral at the end of next week and then on having Christmas with my husband and 3 kids, after that we'll just have to take what comes.
It's just so difficult and I feel quite alone, almost trapped with this burden, as my parents and my sister are the people who I would normally take something like this to and at the moment I just can't put that on them as they are barely coping with the loss of my brother as it is, as am I.
