How do you get cervical cancer? Survivor issues warning on two early symptoms - The Independent

Joanne Painter, who lives in Northampton, was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer when she was 38 years old after noticing unusual vaginal discharge and then experiencing abnormal, heavy bleeding for several months.

The mother-of-two, who is the founder and managing director of a natural green burial ground and a humanist funeral celebrant, said the bleeding was so severe that, on occasions, it felt like “somebody had just popped a balloon or turned the tap on”.

She was informed she had cervical cancer and, after a biopsy had been taken and she underwent various scans and an MRI, it was revealed she had a 6cm vascular tumour in her cervix, which would require treatment rather than surgery to remove.

She said she experienced severe exhaustion, chronic diarrhoea, and felt “a bit hungover, like (she had) done 20 shots of tequila”, and even though she was “terrified” at times, she knew she had to push through the challenges she faced, especially for her children.

Although Joanne said it took “a long time to recover” and described the after-effects of her treatments, such as going into menopause, as a “train crash”, she stressed the importance of having a good support network, exercising, and “being kind to yourself” during rehabilitation.

Joanne has regular check-ups every few months and although she has had a “few wobbles over the years”, she wants to encourage other women who may have had a cervical cancer diagnosis to “try not to go down that fear tunnel of ‘this is a death sentence’,” adding: “You’ve got everything to live for.”