​Why should I care?
Stop right now.  Look around you.  Do you have five people around you?  If not picture you and four friends.  Of this group of five individuals four of you will contract at least one strand of HPV during your life.  That is right.  Eighty percent of you will contract HPV.  You could ask those same individuals you are around if they know what HPV is and I’d venture to say no one really knows; they might remember something about a shot, they might have heard something about it jokingly in a television show or movie, but can they describe what it is and why it is an issue?  Mostly likely not.
 
What is it?
So, why don’t we start there and learn about HPV?  HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus.  There are over 150 strands of HPV and some of them are considered high risk strands.  The high risk strands are considered high risk due to the direct link between these strands and cancers in men and women.  HPV-related cancers include cervical, anal, oropharyngeal/oral cancers, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. There are additional high risk strands which are linked to genital warts; all cases of genital warts are caused by HPV.
 
How does it spread?
HPV is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact.  That’s right.  You don’t even have to have intercourse to spread HPV.  Think about those times you have been with a partner and not had penetrative sex, not “added to your number” but you had a lot of intimate touching.  You could have contracted HPV during that interaction.  HPV can also be spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
 
How do I know if I have HPV?
There are typically no symptoms of HPV contraction, this is why it is key for males and females to go for annual doctor visits. All women should be visiting a doctor annually for a wellness exam (including a pelvic exam); starting at the age of 21 the current guidelines indicate that women should start having a Pap test.  The Pap test will determine if there are any abnormalities on the cervix, if there are abnormalities the same sample can be sent for an HPV test to determine if the woman has HPV.  There are guidelines for testing that the doctors should follow.  There is no screening available for men for HPV.
 
How do I prevent contracting HPV?
There are multiple ways to help reduce your risk of contracting HPV, one way is to get the HPV vaccine.  There is currently a vaccine available up to the age of 26 which protects against 9 high risk strands 16, 18, 6, 11, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.  These are the strands which are linked directly to cancer risks and genital warts.  Even if you have potentially already been exposed to HPV it is important to get the HPV vaccine if you are within the age that it is available because it can protect you against additional strands you have not contracted.  If you are above the age of 15 then the HPV vaccine is a series of shots and you must receive three shots.  You can also utilize typical safe sex habits as condoms can help prevent spread of HPV, though it is not 100% effective because HPV lives on areas of the genitals which are not covered by condoms.
 
 Where can I get more information?
If you are interesting in finding more information here are a few great resources for you:

• Cervivor
• National Cancer Institute
• CDC
• I'm also available to answer any questions and you can reach me here.

As we got into the Chris Young section of the concert it was pretty late and Wylee was super tired.  He started out strong standing on the chair as I sat in front of him so his chair didn't flip, as the songs went on he kneeled behind me, then eventually he sat down, then I felt him leaning his head on me and snapped a picture.  He had fallen asleep in the concert!  It was equally adorable and confusing.  I don't think I could sleep in that setting!
​
On the way home from the concert Wylee fell asleep.  I kept it on our country music Pandora station and a song came on that I used to sing as a kid:  Holes in the Floor of Heaven by Steve Wariner.  I know some of you will think it is odd that I was singing along and listening to this song since I am not religious but a lot of the songs I have always listened to have things related to religion; many many songs do.  So, as I am listening to this song I am thinking how I just had this epic experience of taking my son to his first concert and I'm singing along and really trying to take in the words to the song.  I am going to include the lyrics below, but, the part that really hit me is when the kid is getting married at 23 and it starts raining; when it starts to rain they explain it is okay to not be sad because the parent is watching over the wedding from heaven and the dears are coming down in the form of rain.

It just hit me as I was driving and I started to cry.  You never know when the emotion is going to hit you, the reminder that I won't be here forever and I won't be able to see all of the special moments in my son's life.  I hope he remembers that everything will be okay in the end. Now, I think it is time to get started on more letters for Wylee's special times in his life.  I want him to have letters written by me that he can open up as special events happen; if I am here still we can open them together, if I'm not then he will have them.

Today has been a writing day for me, and it feels great! 

I worked on editing and publishing a blog post for Cervivor, it is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month you know! #CCAM I worked on a piece about my story that someone is wanting to use in a project.  I worked on finalizing the book Wylee and I have written.  I also worked on my journal.

I had the idea yesterday while I was in treatment to start a group that focuses on Surviving & Journaling.  At first I thought, just cancer survivors only, then I realized we are all surviving something.  Many of us need the outlet of writing and it gets lost in our year.  It gets lost in my time also I find.

So, I started the group yesterday.  The group goal is a entry per week, so 52 entries.  I have a personal goal of many more than that.  Today I picked the topic that will be our first entry goal, it is going to be released in the group on Friday.  I wrote multiple entries in my journal about the topic I am using.  I wanted to try out a variety of types of journaling and you know what, I learned something new about myself in each of my entries even though they were based off of the same topic.  I have so far used traditional journaling, letter writing (this time to Wylee), and bullet point journaling.  I am hoping to do another entry about this topic as well.  If you are interested in joining here you go!

I think there is something special about writing, although I do most of my writing on a computer it has been cathartic to do some pen to paper writing.  Writing that doesn't have to be perfect or go in the perfect order.  I did however want to share what I wrote about yesterday.  It is a bit of a health update I had been avoiding.

With that update, please know that we are following the protocols and will be doing a follow up scan at the end of this month then we will talk about options moving forward.  I am still on treatment and overall it is working.  The rest of my cancerous areas are not getting worse when you look at them as a whole.