AIS Update, Post CKC Pre Hysterectomy
I’ve posted here once before - I had an abnormal pap in Dec, a colposcopy in Feb, cold knife cone (CKC) in March. CKC had clear margins, but I have AIS. I don’t know all the other versions of this, but my understanding is that AIS is the more advanced/aggressive form of pre cancer, and that mine (all?) are past the cervix into the canal as opposed to on the surface/vaginal side.
Recovery from CKC was fine. Minimal pain, just a lot of charcoal looking gunk coming out, which is apparently from the silver nitrate used to cauterize. The biggest issue I had was getting raw skin from wearing a pad for so many days. If you don’t already have period underwear, get some and get more pairs! It saved me from having to wear pads for weeks on end.
Onto next steps - I had my first consult with the gyno oncologist this week, who told me that my CKC didn’t leave enough cervix to do another one if needed down the line, and that she’d recommended the hysterectomy. I have two kids and know that I don’t want to have any more, so that’s lucky, but I don’t want surgery if it isn’t necessary. She described the regular monitoring for years on end, but that there’s risks of skip lesions so it’s possible more AIS is lurking in my uterus now or could show up later. When I asked for stats, she kind of skirted the question so I don’t have a great sense of likelihood of clearing it on my own.
I think I’m leaning towards the hysterectomy, because it seems smart in this case. But is there something I’m not considering? I’m scared of the recovery and the possibility of something getting damaged in the process, but the cancer risk for AIS seems worse.
Similar scenario to anyone else? Thoughts?