In Cervical Screening Awareness Week, Liz Williams, aged 45, from Okehampton, Devon, explains why women should not ignore the invitation to have a cervical cancer screening test. She went only after a friend insisted, and was diagnosed with the disease. Caught early, it was treated and she survived to get married five years later.
Cervical cancer affects almost 3,000 women in the UK each year and yet despite the publicity surrounding Jade Goody's sad encounter with the disease several years ago, there are still thousands of women who do not take advantage of the national screening programme.
I was diagnosed with cervical cancer when I was only 31. I had absolutely no symptoms and had it not been for a routine but belated smear test, I would not have known until much later when treatment may not have been so successful.
It all started in 2000. I'd had a couple of letters asking me to make an appointment for a smear but I had quite a lot going on in my personal life at the time with various other health issues so this routine check just didn't seem a priority. I put the letters to one side thinking I'd get round to it one day. I was talking to my friend who was going through the agonizing wait for further results following an abnormal smear. She's fine now but when she heard that I'd been ignoring the letters she hit the roof and insisted I called there and then for an appointment.
Reluctantly I gave in to pressure and went for screening. When I got a phone call advising that I needed a further test I wasn't too disturbed as I know this happens to a lot of women, but then when I got a phone call from my GP telling me that I needed to be referred to a gynaecological specialist I knew this was something more serious. "Is it cancer?" I asked her. After pressing for an answer she did admit that there seemed to be cancer cells present. I was at work when I heard this news and felt numb. I hadn't yet started a family and all I could think about was if this would affect my ability to have children and how to break the news to my family and friends. I remember telling my work colleagues and one responded that he had never known anyone to beat cancer, now he tells people that he does know someone that has beaten cancer.
In July 2000 the gynaecologist in Exeter saw me on a Tuesday and wanted to operate on the Thursday. This urgency was worrying but as I'd had extensive previous surgery there were complications and the operation was delayed while I was referred to Prof Ian Jacobs, founder of The Eve Appeal at St Barts.
Prof Jacobs was wonderful and helped me to understand my options. I could have minimal surgery on the cervix in the hope that I could still have a child – but this was only delaying the inevitable and in a year or so I would then need a total hysterectomy and there was no guarantee that this procedure would work, plus I would probably need chemotherapy treatment as well. Or I could opt for the hysterectomy straight away and hopefully no further treatment would be needed.
The strange thing was that during all this testing and decision making process, I didn't feel ill at all – there were no outward signs of the tumour and I had no symptoms. I felt fine and it was hard to accept that such a serious condition had taken hold.
It wasn't easy but I did make that decision to have the hysterectomy. I think it was the right one – I was single at the time but have since met my partner who has helped me come to terms with not being able to have children. In 2005 I passed the five year mark clear of cancer - we got married and had a big party to celebrate.
Unfortunately that isn't the end of the story. In February 2011 I felt a lump. Oh not again. My GP referred me back to St Barts and after further investigation and an MRI scan they discovered more pre-cancer cells. I had further surgery but thankfully in March came the 'all clear'.
My advice to all women, whatever their age, is to get over the embarrassment of the smear test. It's not nice for any of us but what's 10 minutes of embarrassment if it could save your life. Don't put it off like I did – I've been through a lot but I'm still here with a wonderful supportive husband and who knows what may have happened if I hadn't listened to my friend?
