I had an experience within the last few years that was rather traumatic. In 2010 while my husband was deployed I had a cervical cancer scare. And was also told there was a high chance I would not be able to get pregnant on my own. (Since childhood I have been taking steroids for my asthma so this has always caused issues with my cycle). On top of all of this my parents were traveling through China to teach English when my step father suffered a stroke. (Let me tell you in less than a 24 hour period this is a lot of information to process at once.) My step father was able to return to the US and receive the medical care that he desperately needed and is doing quite well today (thank goodness). As for my experience it was a bit different. I was told that I needed to have a biopsy completed to clear out any potential of cancerous tissue. I had never had a biopsy so this was a bit scary and overwhelming at the time. During the procedure I will admit it was uncomfortable and painful. Not to be overly graphic but it literally felt like I had scrapped the crap out of my lady parts. It’s an odd thing to suddenly realize what touches what inside your body when you walk, sit, etc… Anyway, the point of this extremely personal post is I want to make others aware of the knowledge that has come to light for me within the last few months. After having the biopsy completed I was sent home and told to wait for the results. The results were “clean” of cancer but that I was not out of the woods yet. I needed to come back every 3 months for a year to be examined. I did this…fearful of what they might find each time. The doctor had told me before we started the regular screens that I had a choice. I could either see if my body would fight off the infection or they could freeze it. I choose to let my body do whatever it could before we went with the frost option. Luckily for me I was able to fight off the infection and have been in the clear for almost 3 years now. However, in the middle of all of this I learned something very valuable. And that is, you should always get a second opinion. The same doctor who preformed the biopsy also decided to change my birth control 3 times in less than a year! The last set of pills being the worst option- my hormones were so out of whack someone could say “hello” and smile at me and I would want to hurt them. (This is by far not the normal, cheerful, and happy go-lucky self , I and everyone else for that matter was used too) So at this point I decided I needed someone new and a second opinion. I found a doctor and was informed the following:
-The suggested visits for a cancer screening pap smear is every 6 months. If you still test clean after one year you can return to your regular schedule of screen annually.
- 50% of the population is infected with the virus that can cause cervical cancer- that’s pretty freaking scary! Men who carry it show no symptoms and have no cancer related illness, only women are at risk.
What I also realized:
- Birth control options are in abundance. If something is working just fine…don’t change it. And if your doctor suggests you switch methods ask why and if you don’t want to it’s ok to say no. Your body, your homones, your choice.
-That I probably can get pregnant on my own, I’ve been on birth control since my mid-teen years to help regulate my cycle. This means tons of homorones being pumped into my system for over 15 years! I have a feeling if I were to give my body ample time to cycle out I will be ok. And if not, my husband and I have no quams about adopting. 
-Sadly, not all health practioners are not honest and looking out for thier patients best interest. I realized the first doctor that I saw was only in it to bill the insurance company and help new drugs get onto the market.
-Lastly, you can do something about it. You can file a complaint against the doctor with your state medical board. If you are unsure on how to do this you can always use a search engine and there should be a government funded website to provide steps to take action.
*If you have a question or would like to submit a topic please email me at honestgoodadvice@gmail.com
I don’t know about the rest of you but I get so annoyed by the different stickers “Sell By” “Use By” dates. I prefer the “Use By” because otherwise I just use the plain old fashioned sniff test to ensure the safety of an item before comsuming. It’s pretty fool proof but at the same time a lot of people suffer from self induced food poisoning because they are unsure of when it’s ok to eat and when it should be tossed. So please, by all means print this out and put it on your fridge (I know I will!). Enjoy!
