Possible Vaginal Cancer

Hi @savypaige25. Of course you are scared, nervous - your feelings are real and valid!!! The not knowing, the waiting, are the worse. And it causes us to imagine all kinds of things because it is our nature to want answers. And to want them now! But take a deep breath...you only have what you are used to, what you know about your own body, to go on. If you have had irregular periods your whole life, why wouldn't you consider that normal? Anybody would. You have done nothing wrong. On the contrary, you have done everything right - you paid attention to your body, you are not ignoring what you have found, you contacted your doctor, and you have an upcoming appointment. These are good first steps! If this is difficult for your husband to talk about, is there someone else you can talk to? A close family member or friend? And could that person go with you to your appointment? In the meantime, practice self-care, do what makes you happy and relaxed - get a pedi, go for a walk, watch your favorite funny movie, go out with friends, take a nap....try to distract yourself. Try to eat well and get some extra rest. And keep taking deep breaths!! Practice the 4-7-8. Breathe in through your nose slowly and deeply for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and breathe out through your mouth slowly for 8 seconds. This has been shown to actually slow down heart rate and calm. You are young and probably a lot stronger than you realize and can do this. This is a good place to come when you don't know where else to go. We get it!! And we're here 🙂 Keep us posted. And breathe!!!

Thank you so much.. I needed that. Yes I'm very nervous.

@savypaige25 Of course you are very nervous and scared. Don't try to talk yourself out of your feelings because they are valid and real. Fear and anxiety are there for a reason. Those feelings get us going forward to make sure we take care of ourselves.

Try not to search Dr. Google. You'll turn up all sorts of stuff that probably has very little to do with you and could make you even more scared. You could ask your doctor for some internet resources.

Your appointment with the gynecologist is tomorrow, right? They got you into the schedule quickly which is great. Can you write down all of your questions so you remember what to ask when you're in the exam room? And then come back to Connect and let me know what your gynecologist says?

Nature girl has a good advice. Write your notes of questions and ask them. Do not be rushed. I did what she adviced and so glad I did because I was so emotional during my first visit because Iwas so afraid of what he may tell me my mind we t blank.

@savypaige25 I am a breast cancer survivor and tomorrow I'm going in for a hysterectomy due to masses they found. We already know that some are only benign fibroids but a couple of them they cannot tell so we are removing everything and then doing the biopsy.

The little I do know about cancer in general tells me that cancer does not cause pain until the late stages. More than once I have heard that if cancer caused pain in early stages many more people would survive. Since you are not reporting pain it seems that even if it is cancer you may have caught it early.

The other advice I would give is try to overcome your fear. They know so much about cancer today and how to treat it. Fear can be disabling and that is the one thing you do not want - to be disabled. Have faith in yourself and in your medical team and you can get through this together. You are not alone. May thoughts and prayers be with you. Please keep us updated while on your journey.

@savypaige25, I wanted to check in with you. How did the appointment with your gynecologist go?

They couldn't tell me much... I go back at the end of September for more testing.

@savypaige25 Did the gynecologist say what they think the mass might be? What kind of testing is recommended? I’m hoping that the gynecologist said something reassuring that calmed your worries. The end of September may seem like a long time to wait however you will know more then which will be helpful.

@savypaige25 Just yesterday a mass was also found by my gynocologist. Except for this we dont have a lot in common. I am 60, widowed and not even sexually active. I am waiting on a referal to a gyno-oncologist for a biopsy. I am also embarressed that I have not seen a gyno since I left my home in NY almost 3 years ago. I dont have anyone close here and I dont want to scare the people I love most , my sister has her own struggles with MS, my best bff has been battling stage 4 melanoma and my kids who suffered through the treatment and loss of their Dad over pancreatic cancer 8 years ago.. Maybe since we are starting this journey together we can keep in touch. We can virtually hold hands through this and hug and celebrate when all is fine. My thoughts are with you

@rainyp Thank you so much for coming here to support @savypaige25. You have had so much loss in your life and it's understandable that you don't want to scare the people you are closest to. I felt the same way when I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Is there anyone you can talk to who you feel would hold you emotionally during this time of anxiety and worry? This is a lot to hold in.

I like your image of virtually holding hands and a hug. This is what I offer you too filled with hope that the biopsy is scheduled very soon.

Would you come back to Mayo Clinic Connect and let me know when the biopsy is scheduled? I'd like to send you positive energy on that day.