LisRho-questions for you - Cancer: Breast Message Board

Mom22greatkids · 10-26-2003, 03:05 PM

Hi Lisa. I just read a couple of your posts and I have some questions if you don't mind answering. I have been diagnosed with "mild dysplasia" and I'm still trying to understand it all. If I understand your posts correctly, in 14 months you went from a normal pap to cancer? When you had the biopsies did that also show mild dysplasia, then the leep showed cancer? Did the doctors explain how it happened so quickly? Everything I have read says it takes years for cancer to develop. My doctor won't even see me for another 6 months because he says we won't see any change if I go in earlier. Also, you said that hpv is in your blood, I thought it was in your skin and not your blood? As I said, I'm trying to understand all this and I'm wondering if I should insist on being seen earlier than 6 months.

[This message has been edited by Mom22greatkids (edited 10-26-2003).]

LisRho · 10-26-2003, 08:42 PM

Hi Mom

I would be happy to help you as much as I can. First, yes, in a 14 month period I went from all normal PAPs my entire life (as long as I had been having them at that point) to CIN3/CIS stage 0/1. There is no "set" limit as to when cervical changes are going to happen, each and every woman is different. If you are uncomfortable with going that long between visits, speak with your doctor and ask him/her to do a PAP sooner. All docs are different but mine had me coming back every 3 months for that 3 year period in my life. Why he thinks he wouldn't see changes in that time period is beyond me, but I do personally know people who have been DXd with mild dysplicia that has disappeared on their follow up PAPs. If you are uncomfortable waiting and your doctor will not see you sooner, get your records and go to another doctor. It is your body and your health, and ulitimatly you are a paying customer. I am not a panic person, don't get me wrong. But no one can tell you, in any way shape or form, if dyspilcia will become cancer, or when it may happen, there is no time table at all.
As far as HPV goes, there are actually 100s of different strains, only certian ones will cause say dysplicia/cancer of the cervix and warts in some cases. It is a sexually transmitted condition, carried in your bodily fluids. It manifests itself, given the strain, in cervical changes. HPV is either transmitted sexually, or through the blood (ie transfusions) and it has neither been proven or disproven from mother to child in pregnancy.
But please do not let that make you feel bad or guilty. HPV can lay dormat in your blood for 10 years or more before it rears its ugly head, it is not your fault. I know my 2 best tools when I went through all of this were the wonderful, beautiful supportive women I found online and education (which it sounds like you are doing). I research to death the internet for information on dysplicia and cancer. But you should be forceful in your medical care, even mild dysplicia IS a precancerous condition of the cervix, and no one can tell you if or when it may or may not change.
Please feel free to ask anything you feel you need, I will answer you and support you to the best of my abilities. Good luck.

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Lisa

Mom22greatkids · 10-28-2003, 06:35 AM

Thanks for taking the time to answer me. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I guess I have a couple of months to decide. One of the biggest questions I had is how are they to know how fast it will progress. The doctor told me he has never seen it progress that fast and that's why they don't re-pap sooner. For now I'm trying to get really healthy, taking extra vitamins, exercising, and tryng to reduce the stress in my life. I'm really hoping it will heal itself. Thanks again for sharing your experience. I'm so glad to have found this board.