Dana’s Story

By Dana

I was always faithful about keeping my annual exams up to date but in April of 1996 my pap came back abnormal.  I went back for another and it, also, showed a problem.  I was sent to a gynecologist for a biopsy and found that I had pre-cancer of the cervix, but it had advanced too far to freeze the problem areas.  I was shocked that things had moved so quickly in just one year. Imagine had I not gone back regularly?  I can’t stress enough how important it is for women to get regular exams!

I had a procedure called a leep done, where they remove layers of the cervix.  This goes deeper than the surface freezing but not as deep as a cone biopsy.  When I went back for my post-op my doctor sadly told me that he hadn’t gotten all the spots completely but that he wanted to wait and see how things progressed.  He was more than a little hesitant to do a cone biopsy because of the effect it could have on future pregnancies. I drove home a little numb.  I could hardly believe this was happening to me.  My husband and I had only been married a year and a half and we both wanted children.  There was no reassurance that this wasn’t a big deal.

 I was a social smoker at that time and had read that smoking had a negative impact on cervical cancer.  I prayed right then and there and told the Lord that if he would heal me then I would never smoke again.  One month later I went back to the doctor and with a confused look on his face he told me that he could find no trace of those spots and everything looked great, Hallelujah : )

We conceived our first baby in February ’97 but unfortunately had a miscarriage at 9 weeks, the day after seeing the little heart beating via ultrasound, when I was in a car accident.

We waited a few months before trying again but didn’t conceive until October ‘97.  When I went in for my 8 week checkup everything looked perfect and the doctor told me he wanted to see me again at 15 weeks to make sure my cervix was holding up well.  In December I went in and he did a vaginal sonogram.  I had heard from another friend who has IC that an internal sonogram is the only way to see what is truly going on so I was thankful that he was so thorough.  I could tell by his face that something was wrong and, sure enough, I was already 50% effaced, though not yet dilated.  He scheduled me for a McDonald cerclage that evening so I drove myself home, called my office to tell them I wouldn’t be in the next day, threw on a pair of sweats and headed back to the hospital.

The procedure didn’t take very long and I had no pain since they administered an epidural but it was very stressful for me.  I was worried about my baby and the epidural was given just a little too high on my spinal column so my rib cage had gone numb.  I usually concentrate on my breathing when I am going through something like that but I couldn’t feel anything , it made me feel like I was suffocating, even though I knew that I was getting oxygen just fine.  I think at that point my vitals started to go up so they gave me a sedative and I was a little groggy for the rest of the cerclage.

The cramping was quite severe but no contractions and only mild spotting.  The nurse kept pushing me to take the Terbutaline the doctor had prescribed for contractions and I kept telling her that I didn’t want it, that the doctor had told me cramping would be normal and that wasn’t the same as contractions.  I was glad I was able to hold my ground and I encourage others to do the same in such a situation.  I was released several hours later and the rest of the night was pretty uncomfortable but by about 3 a.m. I was resting peacefully and when I awoke in the morning I could hardly tell anything had been done at all.

I was instructed to take it easy for the rest of the weekend and, since I had already given notice at my job for other reasons, the doctor advised me not to go back at all and to take it easy for the rest of the pregnancy.  We moved to another area and I had to switch doctors, which upset me greatly.  I was so thrilled with my doctor in San Diego and felt like he knew me and my whole history.

It seemed like I had the longest term in the world, I was worried about everything and laying on the couch makes the time seem interminable anyway!  I had one scare with what I thought was pre-term labor and ended up at emergency, but the remaining months were largely uneventful.  I went to the new doctor every two weeks just to make sure everything was going smoothly.

The stitches were snipped on May 21 and I had been told to expect labor to kick in right away  but nothing happened. Early on the morning of June 5, 1998, my water broke while I was sleeping. At the hospital we found the baby was breech, so off to OR again for another epidural and C-section.  When she finally came out I was speechless .  She was so perfect and so beautiful, I could hardly believe she was the one we had been praying for and worried about for so long. Sabrina is so much fun and the joy of our lives. Eight weeks later when I had my first period I felt really uncomfortable and something sharp poking me. I reached down and pulled out a stitch! Every since I gave birth my periods had been extremely heavy and I have had one yeast infection after another, very unusual for me.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on, but a whole year later I found the same thing, another stitch.  That really disgusted me, I couldn’t believe they were left in. Since then my periods are almost back to normal and I haven’t had another infection.  We have moved back to San Diego so I will be going back to the doctor I trust so much.  He did say that sometimes that happens and it should not cause serious problems, though they were obviously causing irritation.

 I am excited about having another baby some time soon, although not looking forward so much to going through another cerclage and all the worry.  Still, it isn’t much to endure for the blessing that comes out of it.  I thank God for the option that allows us to carry our children to term in most cases and especially for excellent doctors.  The right doctor is so incredibly important.  I keep reading about women who are having problems so they schedule an ultrasound “for the next week” or the next day .. I just don’t understand waiting that long, especially in special cases like ours.  I urge any woman who isn’t feeling comfortable with the care she is receiving from her current doctor to SWITCH!  Be kind but don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings.  Your top priority is your health and that of your precious child.