So scared. Cannot eat or sleep. Please help with some advice.

They are just routine tests and procedures, please don't think too much or to goggle it.Probably there is nothing to worry 

Thank you very much for your kind words

Hi Nina78 and welcome to the group

I’m sorry you are feeling so anxious, but that’s natural when we have something as yet unexplained going on. None of us are medical professionals in the group-we are all just patients- so we aren’t able to say what might be going on or give reassurance that it’s nothing to worry about. 

You say bleeding is a sign. Do you mean a sign of cervical cancer? Yes, it can be but bleeding can happen for many other reasons which are not cancer. The most important thing is that you have been referred quickly to see a specialist to find out more.

It is likely that the gynaecologist will want to know more about your symptoms-did you just have an episode of bleeding once for example, and will want to examine you. Depending on the examination they may want to take a punch biopsy which is a tiny tissue sample(wasn’t painful for me) in order to have this tested. 

It’s not reasonable to advise you not to worry, as I know you will, but the level of your worry does concern me if you can’t eat or sleep. You seem to imagining you have something seriously wrong, but you don’t know that until you see a specialist and have tests. Thoughts are not facts is a very important thing I read on the forum, and that’s very true. Please don’t use Google to try and diagnose yourself as that is only likely to fuel your anxiety.

Try to distract yourself so you are not thinking about this obsessively as that won’t be good for you. If, and it’s a big if, you have a cancer diagnosis from this there will be plenty of support in the group from those of us who have been through this before. Please let us know how you get on. Lots of people come into the group panicking and it turns out their worries were unfounded, and I hope that’s the case for you. 

Sarah xx

Thank you Sarah, appreciate your wise words. Tbh I’ve worried since my last smear test (May 22) which was HPV positive but normal cells. Can cells change so quickly in a year? My worrying only increed when I saw the dark blood for a couple of days, outside my normal cycle. That was after vigorous sex. Had sex the following week and noticed a spot of blood on the tissue. Thank you for your kindords of support, you have made me feel better. Funnily enough the dark blood only came exactly a year after my last smear. I’ve always had heavy periods with clots and they are always irregular (havbeen since I was young). I am going out to do some gardening today and enjoy the warm weather. I will let you know how I get on when I’ve seen the specialist.

Hi again Nina

A smear test is not always 100% reliable in picking up abnormal cells so it is possible that they can be missed depending on where they are located-especially higher up in the cervix. Not that I’m suggesting this is what has happened in your case, but it does sometimes happen. But abnormal cells are not cancer, and are usually very successfully treated if they are found. 

I can understand your worry about seeing blood you weren’t expecting, but the vigorous sex might be to blame! However you were right to get this seen to, and I hope you’ll find the visit to the gynaecologist gives you reassurance.

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah,

You are so knowledgeable and valuable to this community. Thank you very much

Hi

1. The 2 week referral is supposed to be standard care if you have any abnormal bleeding etc so don't worry about that! I had the same experience wirh GP but unlike you I didn't get a referral. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer privately a few months later but there are so many things that could be causing the bleeding that are not serious and are easily treated. It's normal to be anxious and we all just have to find our own way to deal with it but once you actually see a specialist  I am sure you will feel a lot better. Chances are that it is something and nothing but either way it is getting dealt with and I am sure that just talking to the specialist  will settle your nerves a bit. If you really can't cope with the waiting the GP can prescribe some short term anxiety meds which definately did help me while I waited for answers. As far complaining my advice would be to just deal with your appointments first and then when less stressed think about complaining xx

Thank you. Great idea re anxiety meds. I will contact my gp tomorrow. I’m not sure I can wait two weeks to see someone though. I’m thinking of going private too. How long does it take to be diagnosed through the private route. I’m working myself up into a mess here. I’m just worried if it is cancer, it might spread. 
MasM, how is your treatment going? Sending you love ️ and well-being ️

Hi Nina78 

Sorry to butt in, I just wanted to make a small point here-you’ve been fast tracked on the 2 week pathway so going private may not get you seen or diagnosed any quicker. Unless you wanted to stay with private treatment if it’s required, you would then go back to the nhs. So you may not see any real benefit in going private.

I think we all assume that cancer can spread very quickly, but the reality is that cervical cancer, if you have cancer, is typically slow growing and two weeks will not make a material difference to the outcome. 

It’s a good idea to see your gp about your anxiety and I did the same. Anxiety meds are not an instant fix as they take time to get into your system, but they definitely helped me when I was first diagnosed. I’d also recommend trying some techniques to try to help yourself with your anxiety-deep breathing and mindfulness are good for this. You are worrying so much without a diagnosis that it must be making life very difficult for you. 

Sarah xx

Thanks Sarah. Advice noted. I will call my gp tomorrow. Xxx sending you love and good health ️️ xxxx