Member-only story
Why You Should Get Those Preventative Screenings You Keep Putting Off
My foolish decision to wait could have cost me my life.
Bleeding and menopause. Not two words that are supposed to go together.
I was terrified.
Immediately, I made an appointment with my gynecologist.
A week later, the pap smear results came back. Highly abnormal cells. The kind where they call you back immediately when the results come in. The kind where they set up a biopsy appointment as soon as possible.
As any woman in my situation would be, I was consumed by anxiety.
I imagined the doctor pausing, apologizing, and then saying those words no woman wants to hear.
Cervical cancer. Stage four. Radiation. Chemo. Radical hysterectomy.
I pictured myself telling my family, the words of encouragement they would offer as they tried to keep the tears at bay.
I pictured myself writing letters for my children to read on special occasions, occasions I would never live to see.
And as powerful as these painful images were, another emotion came with my situation.
Anger.
