May75
04-02-2008, 09:15 PM
Weird, I am still confused after visiting my doctor after they called me about my pap results. I had a normal pap but at high risk HPV?? Then they mentioned it can go away?? Still confused anyways I got an appt for a colcoscopy? ( is that spelled write? cant even pronounce it) Anyways I have read your body can heal itself of it ( get rid of it?) ANyways info I get is always different. My doc said there are still unanswered questions about it. That 70% of women have it but many never find out because of normal paps and if they get tested for it, sometimes it wont show cus of a cell turnover? Apparently it happens every three months. Anyways can someone on hear who does have it explain what their docs told them when first diagnosed. Curious as to what type of info everyone got on here
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tiggy44
04-03-2008, 07:08 AM
Hi. I know how you feel. I had the same diagnosis. Normal pap High risk hpv. Got a colposcopy done. She did a scraping of my cervix and a biopsy. Both came back normal. Testing is the best thing you can do. Plus take a multivitamin everyday, eat antioxidant foods, and keep yourself healthy. Can the virus go away? That im not convinced of yet. But i know your immune system can fight it. So having a normal pap is good news. Best of luck to you!!!
justcurious123
04-04-2008, 12:04 PM
Hi May75. I am in your same boat, I had a normal pap and am high risk HPV. I just went in on the 31st to get my biopsy done and wont have those results for another couple of weeks when I go in and have the cells freezen off. The best thing to do is to read as much as you can even though each site on the internet states different things, keep the positive stuff you read in mind over what you are unclear of to keep you from stressing. I read that stress can make a pap come back abnormal because of cells and so does smoking. I spent hours researching this HPV thing because I had to find a way to tell my live in boyfriend. After telling him and getting that load off my chest I went in for the biopsy and the doctor said there were hardly any abnormal cells in there.
The key is to accept the condition, hope your body gets rid of the cells and live your life as you were before you got the call. I know it is easier said than done.. Keep your head up and know that this is REALLY common. 70% of Americans have this virus and more than half dont even know they have it. Its nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. I have been HPV positive for a month now and am hopeing for the biopsy to come back okay. If you are dating someone, once you tell them, you will feel so much better.
The key is to accept the condition, hope your body gets rid of the cells and live your life as you were before you got the call. I know it is easier said than done.. Keep your head up and know that this is REALLY common. 70% of Americans have this virus and more than half dont even know they have it. Its nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. I have been HPV positive for a month now and am hopeing for the biopsy to come back okay. If you are dating someone, once you tell them, you will feel so much better.
Bikrbabe
04-06-2008, 02:28 AM
Hi May75
I just went through all this last year......Had an abnormal pap, 18 strains of HPV and 4 of them were high risk......I also had a colposcopy done, scrapping of cervix, then sent out for biopsy......Then I had to back in and have a LEEP done where they cut out an area of the cervix where the bad cells are, and sent that out for biopsy......Needless to say mine didn't come back good and I endend up having a hysterectomy at age 39, the doctor had to remove my cervix and uterus......I just went back for my 6 month check-up in March and got the results of my pap and it's A - OKAY thank god......Good luck to you and keep your chin up.
:angel: Bikrbabe
I just went through all this last year......Had an abnormal pap, 18 strains of HPV and 4 of them were high risk......I also had a colposcopy done, scrapping of cervix, then sent out for biopsy......Then I had to back in and have a LEEP done where they cut out an area of the cervix where the bad cells are, and sent that out for biopsy......Needless to say mine didn't come back good and I endend up having a hysterectomy at age 39, the doctor had to remove my cervix and uterus......I just went back for my 6 month check-up in March and got the results of my pap and it's A - OKAY thank god......Good luck to you and keep your chin up.
:angel: Bikrbabe
May75
04-06-2008, 05:32 PM
I am having th colposcopy done APril 28th. Im just stressed about the procedure and the pain factor. Now if they dont see anything abnormal will they still need to scrap cells off or not? Wasnt sure about that part . Also what does the procedure feel like?
horrorshow
04-07-2008, 04:22 PM
I have hpv, high risk. I just got my second pap results back today (the first, when diagnosed, was six months ago) and they said everything was within "normal range". my biopsy and colposcopy came back as "ascus", which is basically having abnormal cells while still being as close to normal as you can get. HPV doesn't go away...and for me, it's currently lying dormant. having it, and then having a clean result come back is the best you can hope for. they don't know much about it....they've only known for about 3-4 years I was told today by the nurse. she said eventually they may come up with a vaccine to wipe out the virus for those who already have it.
best not to worry about it. it's just.....the way life goes. everyone's diseased lol...but really.
<3
edit: it's not bad at all. your vaginal walls will contract...it's like a kind of pap feeling I guess...it's def. not bad. don't worry! :) and it's funny b/c I had it done and I still don't know what they did down there, but I think the colp. is having cells scraped off...or that's the biopsy. who knows? i had them done all in the same visit, so I don't know. but don't worry. seriously, everyone has this at some point.
best not to worry about it. it's just.....the way life goes. everyone's diseased lol...but really.
<3
edit: it's not bad at all. your vaginal walls will contract...it's like a kind of pap feeling I guess...it's def. not bad. don't worry! :) and it's funny b/c I had it done and I still don't know what they did down there, but I think the colp. is having cells scraped off...or that's the biopsy. who knows? i had them done all in the same visit, so I don't know. but don't worry. seriously, everyone has this at some point.
Pickle Eyes
04-07-2008, 10:27 PM
My thoughts are with you May75!
I went in for my annual pap in December ('07) and was called with the results the first week of January. My pap came back fine, as it has for the last 22 years or so, but she also tested for HPV/DNA. That came back high risk HPV. I go to a family doctor for my annuals. I freaked out when she gave me those results. She said we could wait for 3 or 4 months for a follow up pap, or she could send me to an ob/gyh. She sent me go an ob/gyn.
The ob/gyn did the colposcopy. It looked clear. No visible lesions. Because of my age (44), my clear pap, and postive HPV/DNA she did an ECC (endocervical curettage). The ECC came back with atypical glandular cells and adenocarcinoma in situ. She scheduled me for a conization (cold knife cone biopsy). I just had that Friday.
The colposcopy was no different from a regular ol' pap, except she had the big ol' coposcope to look. The ECC was uncomfortable, but only for a minute or two. And honestly, as upset as I am about the results of the ECC it is FAR FAR better to know those results with a little bit of pain than to not know about them until the cells/HPV had a chance to settle in and cause bigger problems. Take some ibuprofen before your appointment. That should help.
The AGCs are more difficult to see/find because they are up in the endocervical canal. From what I understand, the doctors don't usually find them unless they do an ECC. AGCs grow faster then the squamous cells.
I'm actually feeling a whole lot more positive since the biopsy than I did prior to it. I will have my pathology results back by Friday this week, hopefully.
My suggestions to you are to get a copy of your pathology report. Read all you can about what your pathology report says (from reliable medical sources). And ask every question you can think of. Write your questions down before you go on. That way you won't forget any when you get to your doctor's office.
I wish you the best.
I went in for my annual pap in December ('07) and was called with the results the first week of January. My pap came back fine, as it has for the last 22 years or so, but she also tested for HPV/DNA. That came back high risk HPV. I go to a family doctor for my annuals. I freaked out when she gave me those results. She said we could wait for 3 or 4 months for a follow up pap, or she could send me to an ob/gyh. She sent me go an ob/gyn.
The ob/gyn did the colposcopy. It looked clear. No visible lesions. Because of my age (44), my clear pap, and postive HPV/DNA she did an ECC (endocervical curettage). The ECC came back with atypical glandular cells and adenocarcinoma in situ. She scheduled me for a conization (cold knife cone biopsy). I just had that Friday.
The colposcopy was no different from a regular ol' pap, except she had the big ol' coposcope to look. The ECC was uncomfortable, but only for a minute or two. And honestly, as upset as I am about the results of the ECC it is FAR FAR better to know those results with a little bit of pain than to not know about them until the cells/HPV had a chance to settle in and cause bigger problems. Take some ibuprofen before your appointment. That should help.
The AGCs are more difficult to see/find because they are up in the endocervical canal. From what I understand, the doctors don't usually find them unless they do an ECC. AGCs grow faster then the squamous cells.
I'm actually feeling a whole lot more positive since the biopsy than I did prior to it. I will have my pathology results back by Friday this week, hopefully.
My suggestions to you are to get a copy of your pathology report. Read all you can about what your pathology report says (from reliable medical sources). And ask every question you can think of. Write your questions down before you go on. That way you won't forget any when you get to your doctor's office.
I wish you the best.
happyhattie
04-08-2008, 05:59 PM
I am having th colposcopy done APril 28th. Im just stressed about the procedure and the pain factor. Now if they dont see anything abnormal will they still need to scrap cells off or not? Wasnt sure about that part . Also what does the procedure feel like?
Hi there
I'm in the UK, our colposcopy investigation is like a pap test but they can also take a tiny piece of tissue for analysis. My gynae said he was going to do this and I may feel a little pin prick, he asked if I wanted to know when he was about to take it but I said no..just do it. I never felt a thing. It was the tiniest little speck and i wondered how the pathologist could work on such a small bit of tissue. But he did and my results came back CIN2, I went in on 19th March for "loop excision" to remove the bad cells. I did a lot of research before I went. I had CIN3 in 1994 and had loop then but i found this latest experience more difficult to deal with. Maybe because of my age I'm 45 years and differing info taking my mind all over the place. If you do find you have to have loop or cone done, take painkillers before you go, so that they are working when you leave. My partner came with me, and held my hand and watched the whole thing on the TV screen, it was traumatic for him too. They took a piece about 1 1/2cm across and 8mm deep, I asked to see it in the pot! Very little pain after, but you MUST take it easy and rest for a week, as doing too much can cause bleeding and more complications. Get your HPV strain too as that is an important factor, research that too.
Good luck and keep checking this site, it has been so helpful to me.
regards
Hattie
Hi there
I'm in the UK, our colposcopy investigation is like a pap test but they can also take a tiny piece of tissue for analysis. My gynae said he was going to do this and I may feel a little pin prick, he asked if I wanted to know when he was about to take it but I said no..just do it. I never felt a thing. It was the tiniest little speck and i wondered how the pathologist could work on such a small bit of tissue. But he did and my results came back CIN2, I went in on 19th March for "loop excision" to remove the bad cells. I did a lot of research before I went. I had CIN3 in 1994 and had loop then but i found this latest experience more difficult to deal with. Maybe because of my age I'm 45 years and differing info taking my mind all over the place. If you do find you have to have loop or cone done, take painkillers before you go, so that they are working when you leave. My partner came with me, and held my hand and watched the whole thing on the TV screen, it was traumatic for him too. They took a piece about 1 1/2cm across and 8mm deep, I asked to see it in the pot! Very little pain after, but you MUST take it easy and rest for a week, as doing too much can cause bleeding and more complications. Get your HPV strain too as that is an important factor, research that too.
Good luck and keep checking this site, it has been so helpful to me.
regards
Hattie
blahblah
04-08-2008, 10:30 PM
Hi - Just read your post, seems we are both having our colposcopies on the same day - April 28th!
I'm a bit freaked out that I am HPV positive - not to mention high risk. I had a normal pap in January 2007, a normal pap in June 2007, and then an abnormal pap (ASCUS) - meaning abnormal squamous cells of unknown origin (if you talk to enough women just about everyone has had an abnormal pap at one time in their life). She told me to return in 6 months for another PAP - which I did, 2 weeks ago.
Now it has come back the same ASCUS, AND I am now HPV positive - both high and low risk. From what I understand lowrisk can cause things like warts on the cervix but the high risk can (if not caught early enough) cause cervical cancer. So I need the dreaded coloposcopy.
I've decided to see a gynocological oncologist - might be overkill but I'm 42, have had friends with various forms of cancer (gynocologically related) and were way younger then me and I just feel I want a doctor who sees this ALL the time to do the testing and make his recommendations based on the results.
Best of luck to you - I've spoken to a few friends who have all had it done and they say it is nothing!
I'm relieved that this is being caught early - thank goodness for these tests.
Take care -
I'm a bit freaked out that I am HPV positive - not to mention high risk. I had a normal pap in January 2007, a normal pap in June 2007, and then an abnormal pap (ASCUS) - meaning abnormal squamous cells of unknown origin (if you talk to enough women just about everyone has had an abnormal pap at one time in their life). She told me to return in 6 months for another PAP - which I did, 2 weeks ago.
Now it has come back the same ASCUS, AND I am now HPV positive - both high and low risk. From what I understand lowrisk can cause things like warts on the cervix but the high risk can (if not caught early enough) cause cervical cancer. So I need the dreaded coloposcopy.
I've decided to see a gynocological oncologist - might be overkill but I'm 42, have had friends with various forms of cancer (gynocologically related) and were way younger then me and I just feel I want a doctor who sees this ALL the time to do the testing and make his recommendations based on the results.
Best of luck to you - I've spoken to a few friends who have all had it done and they say it is nothing!
I'm relieved that this is being caught early - thank goodness for these tests.
Take care -
May75
04-27-2008, 02:15 AM
This Monday going for my colposcopy. Trying to read on what do expect during the procedure. Would it be ok for me to go back to work the next day?
May75
04-30-2008, 10:37 PM
I had my colposcopy on MOnday. Wasnt as bad as I thought. ONly time it hurt was when she put that speculum ( I think thats what its called) . I guess I wasnt relaxed and my muscles were cramping up on me. ANyways I did get some cramps during the scraping but it wasnt that bad. It just felt weird went she stuffed some funky yellowish brown paste inside. SHe said it would help with the healing and the funky discharge I would get would be from that. Anyways I go back May 12th for the results. wish me luck
May75
05-12-2008, 11:24 PM
Just got my results.. Everything is clear and normal. She just said I just go back to my yearly paps and she'll see me next year. Felt like I just dodged a bullet
tiggy44
05-13-2008, 06:51 AM
Whew Great news! Im happy for you =) I was normal with all tests too, but I have to go back in six months???? Wonder why.
happyhattie
05-14-2008, 05:29 PM
Hi there
i've had leep procedure in march 08, they confirmed CIN2 with the pathologist. I have to go back in 6 months for another pap test, they call this a "test of cure" in the UK. It is to ensure that no abnormal cells remain. At this point they will advise whether or not I am HPV positive or not, but unlike the USA they do not identify the strains.....pretty pointless doing half the job i feel, so if i am HPV positive, I will have to go to a private clinic to have my strains identified....I have had 2 leep's now 1994 and 2008 CIN3 and CIN2. I would like to know my strain so that I may make informed decisions regarding my health in the future. Good luck and best wishes to you for future.
happyhattie
i've had leep procedure in march 08, they confirmed CIN2 with the pathologist. I have to go back in 6 months for another pap test, they call this a "test of cure" in the UK. It is to ensure that no abnormal cells remain. At this point they will advise whether or not I am HPV positive or not, but unlike the USA they do not identify the strains.....pretty pointless doing half the job i feel, so if i am HPV positive, I will have to go to a private clinic to have my strains identified....I have had 2 leep's now 1994 and 2008 CIN3 and CIN2. I would like to know my strain so that I may make informed decisions regarding my health in the future. Good luck and best wishes to you for future.
happyhattie