She first realised something was wrong when she was having more frequent and heavier periods, which were becoming progressively worse. She made an appointment with a locum GP who told her that she was experiencing early menopause. She accepted her doctor’s diagnosis and continued with her life as normal. She eventually found that she was unable to leave the house or attend her smear test due to continuous bleeding. She decided that she needed to do something and made an appointment with her GP who conducted a smear test and referred her to a gynaecologist. At her first gynaecologist appointment they informed her that the smear test had shown abnormalities and they had found pre-cancerous cells. She was grateful that a friend had accompanied her and was able to note all the important information and ask questions, as she had felt too frightened and shell shocked. She underwent investigative treatments – a dilation and curettage, and a biopsy – and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She found information leaflets from Cancerbackup (now merged with Macmillan Cancer Support) were very informative and useful, and helped to answer a lot of her questions about the cancer and its treatment.

She then had 30 sessions of external radiotherapy followed by internal radiotherapy. She feels that they underplayed a lot of the possible side effects of the treatment. Initially, she found radiotherapy was quick, straight-forward and bearable. She eventually started to experience fatigue, diarrhoea and horrendous soreness which she managed with painkillers. She felt short-tempered and found that her sleep patterns were severely affected. She found it very helpful to speak to other women on her treatment regimen that were going through similar experiences and encouraged her to stay positive. Her soreness disappeared when she finished her radiotherapy but she has subsequently had problems with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She believes that this is a small price to pay. She then underwent a radical hysterectomy where both ovaries and some lymph nodes were removed, which meant she was thrown into menopause.

She had found it difficult telling her family. It was not an easy time. In particular, she felt it was important to tell her children, who were 4, 5 and 16 at the time, as she felt it was something the whole family would have to get through together. She was given useful advice from nursing staff on how to break the news to her younger children. She received invaluable support from friends and family but still found it a difficult and isolating experience. It wasn’t always easy to keep things running smoothly but she explained that her eldest daughter had been excellent and a great support throughout the whole experience. She only felt comfortable talking to close friends and family about it. However, she found it difficult to say what was on her mind and felt a sense of responsibility to protect her loved ones. She also explained that there was a lot of stigma attached to cervical cancer and that it held negative connotations of sexual activity and history.

Having cancer was a life changing event and one that allowed her to re-evaluate her priorities. She feels that she is more optimistic and has a lot to be grateful for. She took the chance to slow her life down and now takes time to appreciate the silly little things; in life. Since her diagnosis she has had other health problems, such as lymphoedema. However, she feels fortunate and is able to do most of the things she wants to do. She has also set up a patient support group, which now has a national helpline. She finds great comfort in being able to help others.

Her advice to others is to stay positive and be hopeful. She recommends having a friend present at appointments as you don’t always hear what is being said and it’s helpful to have another viewpoint. She emphasised that it is important to know your own body and don’t be afraid to ask questions. At the time she had felt naïve and uninformed and unquestionably accepted what her doctor said. She now believes that you should feel comfortable challenging your doctor.