How a Trip to the Dermatologist Made Me Question My Childhood

This is not a menopause related problem, but this is where I speak so here it is:

I just went to the dermatologist this past Monday December 12, 2022, and walked away questioning my childhood.

In 2007, there was a squamous cell skin cancer mole removed from my ass, about a quarter inch from my anus. I was 40 years old. This was when we were still living in Pennsylvania, in fact, I had only just moved there after marrying my hubby.

The mole had appeared a couple of years before, when I lived in California, and I saw a female doctor about it who said, “don’t worry about it until it bothers you.” That’s all she said.

Well, when it started to bother me, I went to a male dermatologist in PA. He said he had never seen squamous cell skin cancer “there”, meaning so close to my anus. My mole and I became a teaching case. So many doctors looking at my ass. Thank the heavens it still looked amazing back then.

When skin cancer is removed, you do tend to check the spot out, frequently it seems, for signs of a re-occurrence. You even ask your spouse to check it out and sometimes a picture is required.

Go ahead and laugh, I do.

Fifteen years later, I think I see a dark spot and if the cancer is back, lets get it early this time, huh? So off to a female dermatologist.

She opened a bit of a can of worms in my life.

Back in 2007, the studies had not yet concluded on HPV. The full name is human papillomavirus. Here is something you should read about HPV, not finalized until 2008: http://www.vch.ca/Documents/public-health-nobel-winning-hpv.pdf

This doctor looked at my ass and asked if I had ever had HPV. My answer was no but I had cervical cancer when I was 18. She said cervical cancer is caused by HPV, which I knew, but does she realize that HPV typically takes 10-20 years to develop?

I had cervical cancer when I was 18.

My sister saw a shrink awhile back that convinced her we were molested by a family member as kids. I do not recall that. What I recall is a babysitter’s creepy son and his German Shepard dog.

But do I remember being molested. Nope.

I checked out other cervical cancers. This is what I find:

This is a quote from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cervicalscreening/about-the-test/what-about-non-hpv-related-cervical-cancers

“Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV.”

This is from: https://www.obermair.info/latest-news/blog/how-common-is-non-hpv-cervical-cancer/

“Each year about 604,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide. Globally, it is estimated that approximately 5.5–11% of cervical cancers are HPV-negative.”

ONLY 5.5-11%?

Yet something the doctor said stuck in my head. This ass cancer I have appears to be caused by HPV, very unlikely to be anything otherwise. I did the internet research; it seems to be true.

That means I was having sex before I was eight (8) years old. I truly do not recall that.

So, does this mean I was raped or molested as a young girl? If so, I have definitively put it out of my mind or are the doctors talking out of their respective asses?

I did try to call this last female doctor back to ask a question: Are you sure? I received 2 call backs from possibly receptionists with no understanding of my question (it had more detail then “are you sure”.)

So, I know you doctors are out there. Here’s my question:

Was I molested or did HPV grow in me in less than 4 years? I first knowingly had sex when I was 14 and 10ish months, call it age 15. Did HPV cause cervical cancer in my body at age 18 and ass cancer at age 40?

Do you have a similar experience. Please, speak up and talk to me.