Hi everyone,

I'm new to the message boards -- I've been reading over some of the previous threads and I appreciate how supportive and informative you all are. I just got my colpo results today, and I have moderate/severe dysplasia. I have a LEEP scheduled for April 15. My feelings are in a tumult -- it's not cancer, but cancerous; it's not life-threatening, but it must be taken care of. I don't really know how to react, but I am really nervous about the LEEP. I got off the phone with the doc too quickly (was too alarmed to think straight), and his practice has a wall of stern nurses who seem designed to prevent me from actually reaching the doc (although he said I could schedule a 15-minute counseling appt with him if I needed it).

1) Do I need someone to drive me there and back? My boyfriend won't be able to make it there until that evening, so I'd have to ask a friend to do it. I'm not going under -- just the local anaesthetic.

2) What kind of exercise can/can't you do and for how long after? I do aerobic workouts 5 days per week and weight-training 3 days.

3) I saw some of you referred to very specific lab results (6 o'clock, etc.). I only got the general report. Should I ask for a more specific list?

4) He didn't say anything about testing the tissue from the LEEP. Does this routinely get tested or do they sometimes not test it at all?

I think I have a zillion more q's, but I can't think of them right now.

Thanks so much.

It's routine to test the LEEP tissue.

If you're not going under general, you can drive yourself.

The information regarding exercising differs. Some doctors say to take it easy for up to 6 weeks, some say basically for the first week or for a few days till you feel completely normal/no more discharge.

Usually a good indication is when there's no more discharge, but I would ask your doctor. The reason why different "rest times" are quoted may be due to the specifics of individual cases.

I do know that you should not do any heavy lifting (so weights are out) and my doctor also said anything that made my legs kind of chafe against each other were also a bad idea because it could easily cause an infection, so don't do too much vigorous walking either.

Hi-
When I had my colp my doctor was explaining to me what she was doing and she also told me where my cells were. She said 1 o'clock and 3'oclock so the doctor should be able to tell you where the cells are. I had my leep under anesthia so I needed someone to drive me and pick me up. From what I understand if you are going under local you don't need someone to go with you. I had my leep last friday and i was told that i cannot go to the gym or lift anything over 20lbs until my next appointment with the doctor. My next appt is in two weeks from when I got my leep. They said after I meet with the doctor she will let me know when I can start back at the gym. I should also get the lab results back on the leep. It has been a week and I am still having a discharge so I know I can't go now.
Good Luck
Hope this helps

I think the other 2 members described well what to expect. However, I'd like to make an important correction....what you have is NOT cancerous...it's a PRECANCEROUS condition. That's another reason to relax a bit. And it's definitely far from being life-threatening at this point so I think the LEEP is the good way to go here. It will surely take care of everything....best of luck :)

It does help, thanks. I'm surprised at how emotional this is making me. I feel like a pretty level-headed person, and while I was waiting for the colpo results, told myself how this is no big deal. But it does feel like a big deal, and it makes you feel alone. It's nice to have company. Now all I have to do is wait 3 weeks for the procedure :).

Elizabeth

Hey everyone,
wanted to get further clarification on something to see if you were told the same thing as me. I thought that abnormal/atypical cells are cells that have started to change. When dysplasia occurs it is because those celss have changed into cancerous cells. However the condition is considered precancerous because it is the number of cells and location of them that determines whether it is officially cancer. This is how it was explained to me, which in a way makes sense, because atypical cells are categorized and treated differently. Anyway, there seem to be two things that are clear, cervical cancer out of all the potential cancers is one of the most curable (my dr said that if you get your regular paps you just can't die from cervical cancer), and the other thing is that the drs seem to give us all different explainantions of this condition (don't even get me started on HPV).
Anyway, Cat, it is completely normal to be freaked out, but I am sure everything will work out just fine. my leep is scheduled May 17th, so let me know how it goes.

Phaedrus,

My doc told me something similar -- that dysplasia meant cancerous cells, and that severe dysplasia was carcinoma in situ, and technically cancer. Although, as he put it, if you have anything called cancer, this is the one to get, because it's totally treatable.

Best of luck with your LEEP, too, and let us know how it goes!

Yeah, i have severe dysplasia, and back when it was first detected in the pap it was described as carcinoma. That actually is reassuring, this whole time there seemed to be two different terms by two different drs, and it made me feel like I was either hearing things or going loopy. You have made me feel better...Thx

I will keep you posted about my leep too...

I was relieved that I have mild dysplasia. I told my dr , "hey, better than CIN 1. " He told me I DO have CIN1 - so according to him, dysplasia is the same as CIN1.
I'll make sure thats what he said when I go for my leep next week.
I'm wishing ya'll well..

Donna

I was relieved that I have mild dysplasia. I told my dr , "hey, better than CIN 1. " He told me I DO have CIN1 - so according to him, dysplasia is the same as CIN1.
I'll make sure thats what he said when I go for my leep next week.
I'm wishing ya'll well..

Donna

I don't think CIN1 is a mild thing. That's why you need a leep. I am the mild dysplasia kind since my colposcopy came out clean and so far I need no treatment.

actually CIN I is mild dysplasia. CIN II is moderate and CIN III is servere. Why most don't need a leep for CIN I is because it can go away on its own however, your dr will monitor you very closely to see if it progressing to CIN II or CIN III and then they will recommend treatment IE: a leep. I had atyplical cells in October/2004, went back in Jan/2005 for re-pap came back CIN I, had a colp in FEB/2005 and those results came back CIN II and I had my leep March/2005.

yeah since my colpos came out clean the doctor just scheduled me for pap in six months. I'm in the stage of praying it goes on it's own. I'm not worried about it. But what I'm worried is of picking up more HPV strains. I mean I'm single and I'm 32 and there are no virgins at my age so I'm going to keep being exposed. You know condoms doesn't help much. Oh well. For now I'm just taking a folic acid supplement that is addressed to lower the homocysteine which is suppose to help with dysplasia.

What are you talking about 'condoms dont help much'...they do help a lot, though not foolproof.

And tpa is right. cin is mild / cin2 moderate / cin3 severe.

well it is said that condoms doesnt help much because the virus is alive in all the skin in genital area like say scrotum and such which are not covered by the condom and the virus is transmitted skin to skin contact. You know in foreplay and sex there is genital contact with those so that's why it's being said that condom doesn't help much but it is better than nothing.