In retrospect, I think I failed to mention a significant detail. This sketchy chronicle should have pointed out that almost exactly one year before my cancer diagnosis, I had both my uterus and my cervix removed. This after a couple of years of abnormally heavy bleeding. The plan was to do the surgery laparoscopically--that's how most hysterectomies are done these days. Basically zapping the uterus up into little pieces through little slits in your abdomen and removing it through your vag. Turns out mine was twisted and gnarled beyond hope of doing it the simple way, so the little slits were abandoned for one big giant one.
It wasn't horrible; had a fairly decent hospital experience except for the fact that I was anemic so needed to have a blood transfusion before I could be dismissed. Not at all a big deal at the time; I healed nicely and went back to work less than 5 days later.
The next six months were heavenly--period free and loving it! Then I started having some vaginal bleeding again. What the hell? That's what led me back to the OB/GYN and eventually to the C word.
Is there a direct connection between my surgery and the development of a cancerous tumor at virtually the exact area that had been sliced and stitched? I can't say for sure, but I am convinced that if the surgery hadn't happened, the cancer wouldn't have grown there. Maybe in the body's effort to heal itself, it went a little overboard and those crazy busy cells became cancerous in their quest.
It doesn't really matter now--water under the proverbial dam. What I do know for sure is that if I hadn't had the hysterectomy, I may never had known the tumor was there because the main symptom (bleeding) would have gone unnoticed.
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