Snapshot - Nathalie's cervical cancer diagnosis

In the Spring 2006, while being a student at San Jose State University and being overworked with school assignments, I became to be constantly tired. Even weekend breaks didn't solve the constant fatigue. A short trip to my family doctor resulted in a diagnosis of cervical pre-cancer. 

Cervical cancer cell

For the next 3 1/2 years, I was at the doctor's office or hospital for surgery every 4 months. Finally, in September 2009, I decided to have a hysterectomy to end the problem. A pathology report following the surgery resulted in finding cancer in my removed cervix. Four days later, I was back in surgery for removal of multiple lymph nodes and tissues. Fortunately, the cancer hadn't spread.

I had one year of full health until late September 2010 where a routine PET scan found that I had cancer in a lymph node and the tip of my vaginal canal. I went through another surgery and 6 weeks of cancer treatments (chemo and radiation) while working almost full-time. The next step is another round of chemotherapy as a prevention for cancer development. This will start in late January 2010. 

Nathalie S. Roths