Cervical Cancer
Survivorship
Recovery from the physical, emotional and mental aspects of cervical cancer can take more time than you may expect. Be patient as you adjust to this next phase of your life. Moving into survivorship may bring unexpected changes, but you can also look at them as new opportunities. Be prepared to explain to family, friends, employers and coworkers that you have had a life-altering experience and that some things may have changed.
Set realistic expectations about resuming the routine you had before your cancer was diagnosed. What was important to you before your diagnosis may no longer be a priority. You may rethink your career path, or you may need modifications at your current job that will allow you to continue being productive. Your employer is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide reasonable accommodations. Meet with your human resources representative for details about the ADA and how it applies in your workplace.
Follow-up Care
Making and keeping your follow-up appointments is critical because cervical cancer can recur, even after successful treatment. It is important to stay alert to symptoms and share them with your medical team. Early detection may improve prognosis. Additionally, regular preventive medical appointments promote overall health and awareness of other diseases and illnesses.
To help you stay on track with follow-up care and ongoing monitoring, ask your health care provider for a survivorship care plan (SCP). Along with being a record of your cancer history and your treatments, an SCP includes a schedule of follow-up tests, strategies for managing side effects and late effects, and recommendations for healthy living.
Prepare for Recognizing Late Effects
Late effects may show up months or years after treatment. As with side effects, late effects result from certain types of cancer treatment, and your reaction to them can differ greatly from that of another person’s, even when you have the same diagnosis and treatment.
Some late effects are determined by the cancer therapy drugs you take. Surgery and radiation therapy late effects typically involve only the areas of the body that were treated. Although some late effects disappear over time, others may be permanent. Some can even develop without warning years later. Because they can be so hard to predict, being aware of them is a good course of action. Ask your doctor for symptoms to watch for because most late effects can be treated more easily and with a better outcome if they are detected early. That’s why it is so important to stick to the appointment schedule recommended in your survivorship care plan.
Reduce Stigma Through Education
Cervical cancer has multiple layers of stigma that stop many women from having screenings and even understanding why they are necessary. Some of the main reasons are the blaming and shaming of women for having a disease related to sexual contact, the idea that men often are indifferent to the risk because they simply don’t think the infection can harm them, distrust of the health care system and not understanding the causes of cervical cancer.
The stigma due to cervical cancer being caused by the sexually transmitted HPV is widespread. The embarrassment, fear and shame, some religion-based factors, fear of the test and negative past experiences often prevent women from discussing it and bringing attention to such a private area of the body — but they shouldn’t.
The best way to counteract fear is to learn about the topic that scares you. Research has shown that educational interventions offered through social settings, such as community and church groups, may be a good way to encourage discussion about screening, especially among women of color. Finding and interacting with cervical cancer advocacy groups, such as Cervivor, can also offer support and teach women more about it so they feel stronger and more comfortable facing their diagnoses.
Encourage Prevention
Cervical cancer can be eliminated by raising awareness, staying up to date on screenings and getting the HPV vaccine. Protection from the HPV vaccine is long-lasting and can prevent more than 90 percent of HPV-caused cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As a survivor, you are in a unique position to share your knowledge with others and give back to the community. The best education is often shared from woman to woman whether that is in person or online anonymously. You also have the power to help reduce the anxiety around HPV and Pap screenings, including fear of the procedure, pain, modesty concerns, religious or cultural factors, and other stigma-related concerns. Help end cervical cancer by advocating for other women to get screened, so no one must ever experience cervical cancer.
