A single mother of three has revealed how putting her own health at the bottom of her to-do list led her to ignore dangerous warning signs which led to a devastating cancer diagnosis.
In July 2023, 42-year-old Abbey Jane noticed unusual stains on her underwear, but was otherwise fit, healthy and leading a busy daily life.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the Geelong mother said: “I had had an implant for a few years and hadn’t had a period for a long time, so I remember thinking bleeding was strange.”
“It had been three years since I had the rod put in, so I thought I should replace it.”
Abbey checked in to have a new implant installed shortly after, but the bleeding never went away.
“I was bleeding every day and went back to the doctor a few weeks later when it got worse,” she said.
After some scans, Abbey’s doctor revealed that she had tested positive for HPV, a very common sexually transmitted infection that often has no symptoms.
Abbey was then referred to a gynecologist, who discovered a cancerous mass on her cervix.
A single mother of three has revealed how putting her own health at the bottom of her to-do list led her to ignore dangerous warning signs which led to a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Abbey admitted that she had not kept up with Pap smears or cervical screening for a decade because of how “invasive” and “uncomfortable” it had been in the past.
Most cervical cancers result from infection with certain types of HPV.
Four out of five people will be infected with at least one type of HPV in their lifetime. It is usually transmitted during sexual contact with someone who has the virus.
Most people who get HPV will have no symptoms and the immune system will destroy the virus.
In some, the virus remains in the body and can cause changes in the cervix, which can then lead to cancer.
Abbey admitted that she hadn’t kept up with Pap smears or cervical screening for a decade because of how “invasive” and “inconvenient” they had been in the past. The latter contracts HPV within 24 hours.
“In retrospect, I had some cramps in that region, but I attributed it to menstrual pain,” Abbey recalled.
“At the time I had twins aged seven and three; my pain was not low on the list of priorities.”
Abbey said she felt like she was “in emotional free fall” when her gynecologist broke the news to her.
Abbey shared that she relied heavily on her support system during her treatment.
“He couldn’t tell me any more details because we didn’t know anything at the time. Not if it was treatable, how far along, if he was going to survive,” she said.
‘The only thing I could think about was my children; I looked at them and wondered if I was going to die in a few months. The rest of the world disappeared. I couldn’t think about anything but my little children.
‘Still, I had to try to be strong for them. You don’t have time to get discouraged when you’re looking after the little ones.’
It was two weeks before she found out she had stage two cervical cancer, and the good news was that it had not yet spread to her lymph nodes.
The mother received radiation therapy five days a week for five weeks and also received brachytherapy one day a week, in which doctors insert a machine into the vagina to deliver internal radiation.
‘Twenty-four hours after starting treatment, symptoms began. “I had terrible fatigue and nausea,” he said.
‘I went to work for the first three weeks, but then I couldn’t do it.
‘Plus, being a single mother, you don’t really have a day off. I had to wake up and get them dressed for kindergarten every day, but I needed 10 minutes to lie down on the floor before I could do that. The smallest things were very tiring.’
Abbey shared that it was particularly difficult not being able to communicate the seriousness of her situation to her children.
800 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, 70 percent of whom are not up to date with their screening tests
Abbey shared that it was particularly difficult not being able to communicate the seriousness of her situation to her children.
‘They were too young to understand and I didn’t want to worry them. “They knew I wasn’t feeling well and that I had been going to the hospital,” he said.
Not being able to eat also contributed to Abbey’s exhaustion.
‘The treatment changed my taste buds. Everything was horrible, and even if I managed to eat, I would vomit shortly after.
‘The smell of someone cooking was enough to push me over the edge.
“The only thing I ate for so long was simple toast. Sometimes, at night, after putting the children to bed, I drank a little raspberry liqueur.
The mother also watched ‘Glow Up’ on Netflix, a reality show about makeovers.
‘It really lifted my spirits. “It took me away from my reality and took me into the world of glamour,” she said.
Abbey revealed that she was “eternally grateful” for her support system.
“My mother and sister spent a lot of time taking care of my children when I couldn’t,” she says.
“They would accept them if I was stuck in radiotherapy for longer or if I needed time to myself on the weekends.”
Now, Abbey has to have screenings every two months for two more years and then one screening test every year for the rest of her life.
“One of the reasons I postponed the exam is how invasive the procedure is,” Abbey admitted.
“It had been quite painful in the past.”
Around 800 Australian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, 70 per cent of whom are not up to date with their screening.
“I want to encourage women to take their health seriously,” Abbey said.
‘Now you can get home screening tests that are just as invasive as a COVID test. Self-assessments are important: You should always put yourself first because your health should not be at the bottom of your to-do list.
“If you are not healthy, you are of no use to yourself or anyone else.”