All Ladies Please Read

All Ladies Please Read
What I am sitting down and blogging about tonight is very serious. It's about something all of us women over look....Our health. And even more so, our female health. Cancer is on the rise and they believe by 2010 it will be the number one killer. Out numbering heart disease deaths,which has been the number one killer for years. I am presently going through my own health scare. After having my routine pap smear following the birth of my baby,they called me last week to tell me that I have precancerous changes. Normally if the numbers are lower they will do nothing and redo the pap in 6 months. The Dr. told me my numbers were to high to wait and that I needed a biopsy of my cervix. Now,cervical cancer has a great cure rate if caught in time. For most people they just need to have the cervix frozen to stop the cancer cell growth. And stay on top of their pap smears to make sure no new cells begin to form. Then some may need to have a hysterectomy if the cells are at risk of spreading. Then for the later stages they may need to follow with chemo and radiation. No matter what the road is, the majority are lucky enough to live long lives. But, if you don't have an annual pap smear you won't be able to catch it in the early curable stages. It is of the upmost importance that everybody gets their paps. I cannot stress this enough. I believe that I am going to either not need anything or I may need to have it frozen. I had a pap when I was first pregnant about 16 months ago and it was clean, so my issues have only recently come about. I am worried, I am scared I would need a hysterectomy and I still want one more baby. So this news would be devestating. If you are a woman over the age of 18 you should be having a pap once a yr. Some Dr's try to say every 3 yrs if your under 30, don't buy it. All insurance cover one pap a year. And if you don't have insurance, the health department will give you one free a yr. And if they find something wrong, they will help you by covering the cost completely or on a sliding scale. Stand up and take care of yourself. Make your appointment if you haven't had one in a while. There is no excuse to not have one. And thinking it won't happen to you won't protect you. It could happen to you. So do all you can to make sure if it does happen that it won't devestate your life or end it. My biopsy is scheduled January 15. U of L Hospital is doing it for me and they are helping me pay for it because I am uninsured. So no matter your financial situation there is a way to cover the cost. It will hurt and cause cramping, but hopefully when they biopsy they will not find anything too bad. Please keep me in your prayers. And please,please, get yourself checked. There is nothing more important than your health, if you don't have that you don't have anything. Good Luck and God Bless.