Good morning All.
Im new to this group after abit of advice. Abit of history about me first. I am 33 and In 2018 i had CIN3 & VAIN3, I had several treatments which ended up in the end having a full hysterotomy in Nov 2019 but leaving my ovaries in place. Fast forward to Jan 2023 my mum was diagnosed wither ovarian cancer stage 3b, shes had several chemo sessions but is now on stage 4b. I am currently caring for my mother at my house whilst shes having chemo etc. However in december last year (2022) i started to get a bad back and a few of my other symptoms that i had before but thought nothing about it, i didnt think anything would be an issue etc. I have been having hot sweats for a good 6 months as well. My partner told me to get checked out but i was more focused on my mum. I did contact my doctors to explain my concerns but was told i would need a vault smear because of my past history. Went to hospital with my mum (gyne department) so thought i would make one whilst i was there. they then said i had been discharged on outpatients and needed to contact my GP again to be referred. Done just that contacted GP and heard nothing back. However the past month or so i have been not 100% i thought i was tired what with caring for my mum and having 2 boys, one 11 with adhd and one 7 with possible autism. (may i add im a single parent, not my partners children). However over the weekend i have been feeling more discomfort when passing urine and back has got extremely worse, almost to the point where its constant and the pain in my upper tummy. With all this i booked for a doctors appointment yesterday as i thought i had a UTI. Doctor done a dip, no UTI but blood in my urine. With all my history, My symptoms that i have been having they want me to have ovarian cancer bloods on monday and a virginal examination on the tuesday at the doctors. She said if they dont see anything visible and bloods come back ok she is still go to refer me back to hospital and if something shows up then ill be referred again. How is this possible to have VAIN again ? Just need abit of advice from someone that has possibly been in a similar situation etc. Obviously know no one is doctor but some advice would be great as its taken me back a little as i thought it was just a UTI. Thanks
Hi Charlotte2902 and welcome to the group.
I’m sorry to read about the issues you’re having with the added worries of looking after your mum. I can understand why you put everything else first rather than going to the doctor but you have been now, so will be on the way to getting answers.
Can I ask if you had any checks put in place after your hysterectomy? The reason I ask is that unfortunately precancerous conditions like VAIN can recur, and you should normally have a vault smear to check for this. Even without a cervix, the abnormal cells can come back, and that’s why you have a vault smear rather than a “normal” smear. Hopeful this will now be done with another referral.
You say you are having blood tests for ovarian cancer-is this the CA125 test? It is not a definitive test to diagnose ovarian cancer as it can also give a higher figure due to inflammation or other conditions but is one step in the process of figuring out what is going on. It is still a good thing to be referred again with your symptoms to be fully checked.
I hope you will hear something soon and let us know how you get on with the tests.
Sarah xx
It’s not at all selfish to be worried-please don’t think that. It’s perfectly natural, especially given the situation with your mum. You have a lot to deal with in your life, but hopefully the situation for you will be something less serious than cancer.
Sarah xx
