So worried my mum might have cervical cancer

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My mum was on the contraceptive pill for a few years, and when she reached 50 the doctor made her come off the pill, which was 2 years ago. Ever since then, she has been having very irregular periods, going a few months without menstruating then suddenly menstruating really heavily twice a month, with other symptoms like night sweats, constipation and migraines. She recently went to the doctor and she sent my mum to the hospital to have a sample taken. Now she's waiting for the results to come back, which is a weeks time.

I am hoping and praying that's it's either the menopause, fybroids, or both. But I do tend to assume the worst, and it keeps on going round and round in my head, causing me to be stressed and forgetful.

Are there any older females here who have had fybroids and/or been through menopause? I have heard that fybroids are common in women my mum's age, and menopause symptoms aren't pleasant either.

I'm just worrying because if it is cancer, what if she's had it for some time, and it is now incurable? It panics me.

Those are the symptoms of menopause, and your mother is exactly the right age for it. It's a natural thing. She's going to be OK.

Joe seems to have a real problem with anxiety and likely OCD mixed in. That's common for aspies. I know that the right meds helped a lot with my own anxiety and OCD. The medical system in the UK sucks so I don't know if Joe can get anything out of a psychiatrist except SSRI antidepressants which is not what she needs, she has been on them and she still worries all the time.

Joe,

It really does sound like menopause, potentially with fibroids. I am a younger woman, yet I developed fibroids in my mid to late 20s. The result was various kinds of pain, constipation and extended heavy periods with spotting between them. The fibroids have now been treated and everything is good.

I tend to be a worrier, too, and I know it's hard to stop your fears from running out of control. However, the odds of it being cancer are very low. Your mum's doctor is only being thorough, which is an excellent thing. It's good medical practice to rule out more serious conditions, however unlikely they may be. It's all part of getting a correct diagnosis, which will enable the doctor to treat your mum's problems in the most effective way.

Cervical cancer is checked for regularly at annual visits. Early cancer is very treatable, and cervical cancer develops slowly. So it's likely that it would have been detected, and even if she did have it, it would still be in its early stages and quite treatable. Usually it's precancerous cells that are detected first, so cancer never gets a chance to even develop with proper treatment.

She likely doesn't have cervical cancer--but if she does, like Yigeren stated, it's very curable. A five-year survival rate of at least 95% if caught in Stage 1.

The treatment really sucks, though.

It's much better for her to get the screening/examination than to hold off on it. So, if she happens to have a precancerous condition, they could catch it before it becomes cancer.

Based on my experience with people I knew who had these symptoms, it's at least somewhat likely that she has a fibroid tumour, rather than cancer.

Usually, cervical cancer has no symptoms, unless it's pretty well advanced.

Well apparently it's on her womb, and didn't get detected through smear test, so she had a biopsy, and the gynochologist said he was worried when he pressed on her lower abdomen. That's worrying me.

When will you get the results?

I sorry that your mother and yourself have to go thru this, anxiety is normal in situations like this and I'm similar where when something gets in my head it is very hard to get out so I think I understand the stress you going thru. Just hope and pray for clean bill of health and even if worse to comes to worse I'm sure she'll fight like hell because it is something that can be beat. **** cancer!

How did it all go, Joe?

My mum HAS got a tumour by the way.

She got a phonecall today and heard the devastating news.

The tumour is on her womb, I think. It is a huge tumour what the doctors are worried about and it needs to be removed. They don't know if it is cancerous or not but it still needs to be removed.

She's going to have an operation within the next 2 weeks to have it removed.

Everything will be fine if it isn't cancer, or if it is cancer that it hasn't spread. But if it is, and it has spread, that is the bit that's worrying me.

I feel sick. It's hard to think positive. Just hope it hasn't spread. Nobody knows how long this tumour has been growing and if it's cancerous or not.

I feel like I understand what you're feeling, Joe.

Think it of this way: at least you know.

Also: I have read in a few places that large tumours tend not to be cancerous.

I hope they have done a biopsy on your mother already, and that you get the results soon.

Either way, be brave for your mother. She will need somebody strong to support her over the coming days.

Very sorry to hear that. I truly hope that it is not cancerous, so that it will be removed and then things will be better for you both.

Even if it is cancerous, it doesn't necessarily mean that it has metastasized (spread).

I know waiting is hard, but that's all that can be done at the moment, along with being supportive to your mother.

It's not on the womb actually, it's not on anything, it's just in the pelvic area. But the doctors said it's suspicious or something. I don't like the sound of "suspicious" very much.

I just want this nightmare to end and everything be ok.

When will you get the results?

Well she's got to have an operation first, which will be within the next couple of weeks. Then she will find out after the operation if she will need treatment or not.