what is conisation?

I looked for more information on the conisation that was done 2 weeks ago, but could not find any web pages that I liked. Compared to the colposcopy done earlier conisation, also called 'ex-conisation', is more radical because a much larger piece of tissue is taken from the cervix - in fact the entire 'mouth'. Its main objective, in my case, was to see how far the cancer had grown and what type of cells there were (how agressive) to determine whether later a 'simple' hysterectomy would suffice or if a more drastic operation would be needed, removing ovaries and lymph nodes as well. For pre-cancerous cell anomalies or very early stages of cervical cancer, this conisation is the major treatment.

This (me lying fully sedated on a gyneacological operation table) was also a good opportunity for a more detailed inspection of the uterus. This involved a currettage [scraping clean the inside of the uterus] and insertion of a small camera to visually inspect the womb.

All removed tissue samples, from cervix and uterus, were sent to the laboratory for analysis and to grow cell cultures.

All in all this was a rather drastic operation (more so in hindsight), causing fierce pains and continuous excretion of wound fluids, more or less bloody over time. I think I underestimated the impact of full-anesthesia and having large wounds inside my belly, asking for some serious recovery. Looking back, I can see at least three reasons why I may not have taken it seriously enough: 1. I saw it as a small pre-operation, preparing for the big one (removal of uterus as proposed by the gyneacologist); 2. I did not have sufficient information about the full extent of the operation and its after-effects; 3. I always, still, after so many years of self-awareness, have a tendency to think I can handle anything....