Pamela Alexander from Greenock, Scotland said she went for her first cervical screening at the age of 22 and the result was fine. After that, however, “fear of doctors” and “a feeling of embarrassment associated with the procedure itself” stopped her from ever coming for another examination. Pamela admitted that in the following years she regularly received invitation letters from the NHS (British Health System), but they ended up in the bin. She also did this when she noticed worsening menstrual symptoms in her thirties, she reports.
When she was 43 years old, Pamela, who worked as an assistant for children with special needs, she was experiencing irregular periods, bleeding so heavy it was “like a faucet running”, large blood clots, back pain, discomfort during sex, and spotting. Despite this, she did not seek a doctor. It only happened a few months later, in August 2012, when she collapsed at home and had to be taken by ambulance. Doctors discovered a tumor the size of a tennis ball.
Pamele was first diagnosed with stage 2B cervical cancer, which was later reclassified to 3B, meaning it had spread to nearby areas of the body. The specialist then told her that she only had a 35 percent chance of survival with treatment. Today, 14 years after diagnosis and years of grueling treatment, she is in remission. “I am well aware of how lucky I am to be alive,” he says. Although she is now disabled, she urges all women not to ignore unusual symptoms and not be ashamed to talk to a doctor.
“The gynecologist basically said there was nothing they could do. The tumor was too big. It was too ingrown in the bladder, bowel and lymph nodes. It was absolutely horrible,” she recalls. “I was about to go to bed when I got the invitations. It’s embarrassing and I feel so guilty for what I put my family through,” she chides. Smears (Pap tests) are performed on women to check for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and abnormal cells before they develop into cancer.
Cervical cancer is often called the “silent killer” because its symptoms can easily be mistaken for less serious problems, such as heavy periods or exhaustion. If the symptoms are recognized early, the chance of surviving at least five years is roughly 95%. In the later stages, this share drops to 15%. The main symptoms include:
- Stronger menstruation.
- Bleeding after sex, between cycles or after menopause.
- Pain during sex or in the lower abdomen, pelvis and lower back.
The main cause is the HPV virus. About 8 out of 10 people will get it during their lifetime, and the body can usually deal with it. However, 13 types of this virus remain in the body for a long time and account for 99.7% of cervical cancer cases. Pamela postponed the examination because she had a panic attack at the age of 22 during the first collection. Later, she felt too busy with work and taking care of the children. She ignored the symptoms for ten years.
In August 2012, she collapsed in the hallway. After the tumor was discovered, doctors initially told her that neither surgery nor a hysterectomy was possible, and she was in danger of dying during the procedure. “They told me I should go home and spend the rest of my time with the kids,” he mentions. However, her boss encouraged her to seek a second opinion through private health insurance. A private specialist gave her the aforementioned 35 percent chance with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The treatment was brutal, she went into anaphylactic shock from chemotherapy and described brachytherapy (internal radiation) as worse than childbirth. In April 2013, Pamela learned that she was in remission. “It was the best feeling in the world,” he says. Although she has permanent effects such as neuropathy (numbness of the fingers) and premature menopause, today she enjoys her four grandchildren.
