going in for colo in couple of hours - Cancer: Breast Message Board

amandajane450 · 10-15-2003, 06:35 AM

Recently I just had a pap smear come back abnormal. I now have a coloscopy scheduled, it will be in a couple of hours. I really don't know at all what to expect, and I don't know too much about the abnormal pap besides she told me I have 'mild cervical dysplasia'. I know somehow this is connected with HPV, but what are my risks? Should I be concerned? I've been so anxious up to this point, and it's just going to be worse after today until I get the results.

PaNik5717 · 10-15-2003, 07:34 AM

The anxiety is probably the worst part of all of it. Tell your doctor how anxious you are and take a list of your questions. Usually, when they know about the anxiety, they call quicker after.

According to everyone else (I'm the big baby of the board) the colpo is no big deal. Your doctor will probably use a slightly larger speculum to get to your cervix. Then, they will spray you witha vinegar solution. The healthy cells stay clear, but the unhealthy ones look white when the vinegar is there. They use a high powered microscope, usually witha warm light, to get a better look at the possible dysplasia. If they see anything, they use a device that will take out small chunks of tissue to send to the lab. The samples look like little half-moons like when you clip your fingernails. If they do the biopsies, you will probably have a little bleeding. You may want to take your own pad with you since theirs are usually pretty gross.

Did your doc already tell you that you have HPV? They usually don't conclude that from the first abnormal pap. If you do have it, your odds are still really good. It takes a very long time for most cases to go from mild dysplasia to cancer. You are doing the right thing by getting your exams taken care of. You can also try to minimize stress in your life and improve your diet so that you can be one of the ones who doesn't have to have surgery after the colpo. The majority of cases like yours correct themselves on their own. Also, if you smoke, the risks are much higher - so quit.

Please, check back in later today and let us know how it goes. It seems to be the season. I had mine last week and don't get the results for one more week.

Nik

amandajane450 · 10-15-2003, 11:47 PM

Actually, when I came in today, they had told me that I didn't have an appt, which I KNOW I did. Test results for the pap came back on 8-8-03, and the first appt, I had to wait two months for, I missed that one (we had the wrong times) then I rescheduled it right away, had to wait another month (this was the one today), and now they say I'm not scheduled at all. So I rescheduled again and they said I had to wait another month to get in. Well, I told my boyfriend about it, and he got very mad (he's been waiting, too) and called them back. He's like "don't you guys care, this is a matter of her health!?". So now I'm in in another two weeks. uugggg more waiting
My doctor didn't say I had HPV, she just said most that have cervical dysplasia have that...I should really look up on this more on the net, do you know of any good sites?
I'm just really scared, when my mom was 16 doctors found a benign lump in her breast, and cancer runs in my family heavily. I'm only 20 yrs old!
And yes, I used to smoke like a pack a day, but the past month I've gone down to 5-6 a day.
Thank you so much for your help!

PaNik5717 · 10-16-2003, 07:42 AM

There is a really good site that I found very recently. I posted it on our other long string. Let me see if I can find it. [url="http://www.baymoon.com/~hpvinfo/index.html."]http://www.baymoon.com/~hpvinfo/index.html.[/url]

I am so sorry about what happened to you. I had a similar problem recently. A nurse called me with an appointment so I drove the two hours to get there and got so excited about meeting this new doc. When I got there, the woman was nowhere to be found and the appointment didn't exist. It can be so frustrating and I am very sorry. I am glad your guy called and got you in sooner. I was lucky - since I lived so far away and my symptoms were so disruptive, they fit me in right then.

amandajane450 · 11-07-2003, 11:47 PM

Well, went in for the colposcopy!!! That was fun, I bled a lot. She asked me if I normally bleed a lot, and I said I don't know, I've never bled from a wound down there before!!! haha anyways, the top of my cervix turned white, so she took two biopsies. The results came back yesterday and she said that the had found dysplasia and they would have to do the LEEP procedure. Appt is scheduled for the 2nd, so I'm patiently waiting.
The weird thing is I found out today my boyfriend's old friend has her colposcopy scheduled for the 24th! It was nice to talk to her tonight, I told her what they would do, and it's nice to have somebody to talk to. It makes ya feel not so alone!