A mum who put night sweats, aching joints and unusual bleeding down to the menopause had just been given the all clear after a smear test - so was shocked to be told she had cervical cancer. Michelle Griggs, 50, who works as a social club manager, had attended regular smear tests and been told everything was clear.
But as her condition deteriorated, she decided to speak to her GP, and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. “It must have developed really quickly, and I’m very lucky that it was stage one, so it was caught at a very early stage,” Michelle said. “When you look online and see all your symptoms, it’s really easy to assume it’s nothing.
“I really thought it was the menopause, because everything matched what I had read online.”
However, Michelle’s symptoms soon worsened, prompting her to seek help from a doctor. “I felt really drained, and I thought I’d better get it checked out, and thankfully I did,” she said. “I had a scan, and when I called the next day to see if the results were back they asked me to pop in, so immediately I knew it wasn’t going to be good news.
“I remember leaving that appointment feeling really dazed, it didn’t really sink in. But everything happened really quickly, and I had a treatment plan in place within two weeks of being diagnosed.”
Michelle faced a gruelling regime of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy, which involves small rods containing radiation were placed near her cervix. It included two months of radiotherapy treatment, five days a week at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
As a non-driver, she relied on friends and family to take her to appointments. She continued working when she felt able to, with the support of her colleagues and club members. “I needed something to keep me busy, and something that meant I wasn’t sitting at home thinking,” she said.
“It helped me to have a positive attitude and mindset, and I was so lucky to have a really supportive network around me. Two really good friends came to my appointments and treatments with me, and the whole experience would have been a lot worse without them.”
Michelle was given the all-clear in September and will have regular check-ups to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned. “The hospital teams were fantastic, they were always there when I needed them and I can’t fault them at all,” she said. “The Macmillan nurses were brilliant, and really helped with what support is available. It is just me and my daughter so it was really useful, particularly with the transport to London for the brachytherapy.”
Michelle is now urging others to speak up if they notice any changes, and is supporting Cervical Cancer Awareness Month this month. “My message to others would be get anything suspicious checked out straight away, or you may not be as lucky as I was, and don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she said.
