Had LEEP last week-questions... - Cancer: Cervical & Ovarian Message Board

birdie74 · 05-24-2003, 03:07 AM

Hello, I have been reading the posts on this board and they have been helpful to me.
I am 28 years old with a boyfriend of over 2 years. I had my first abnormal PAP in April. I then had HPV typing which showed high risk HPV- not sure what strain- or strand.. I then had the ECC, Colposcopy and Biopsy. One Biopsy turned out negative and one showed CIN2 with high grade lesion- so my doctor told me this was considered moderate dysplasia- another said moderate to severe. I had a LEEP done last Wednesday and now I was told that the sample did indeed show high grade lesion and there was some abnormal cells possibly in the border of the sample. My doctor said that since they cauterize the borders and it is possible that it did indeed destroy the cells. I am supposed to go back in 3 months for a PAP. It makes me really nervous and anxious to think that maybe they did not get it all? The waiting is terrible. I can't sleep and am worried that perhaps it will progress even further in the 3 months between the LEEP and the PAP. What would they then have to do if cells still remain? Can they do a more comprehensive LEEP? have yet to have children and this scares me the thought of all these procedures. I think that I am driving my boyfriend crazy- though he has been wonderful and taken me to all of my appointments. Has someone been in this situation? Any advice is appreciated..Thank you

Kari7171 · 05-24-2003, 04:12 PM

I had moderate dysplasia and the doctor purposely left a few bad cells in and then burned them. I did not know he was going to do this. All I knew is I wanted to have a baby someday and he said he would not take as much of the cervix then. When I heard he had not taken all of it out and burned what was left in I was really worried. Well that was two years ago and all of my paps have come back normal since then and I have gone in every 4 months since then.

birdie74 · 05-26-2003, 07:42 PM

Hi Kari- thank you- you made me feel better- I am just concerned that they did not leave these cells in on purpose...I am hoping that they were indeed burnt off. Have you ever heard of people having multiple LEEPs?

Thanks-Birdie

Kari7171 · 05-27-2003, 10:29 PM

Birdie,
I have read about people having to have another leep before mainly in the message boards online. I know it's possible but I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. I know that's easier said then done. I felt the same thing when I heard they had not cleared the margins and that he burned them. I worried all the way until my next pap. I worried up until the one after that also. Once I got two good paps back I felt better. I read someone elses post here talking about vitamin suppliments to help. I take Vitamin C and B vitamins. I have also read alot about how smoking can weaken your immune system and cause the dysplasia to show up again. When the Nurse practitioner called me and told me I had it she said smoking is a big contributer to this. Someone who doesn't smoke might be able to fight it off but a smoker's immune system gets weak and they can't. I totally cut out any nicotine use also. That was two year ago. I don't know if you smoke or not I just thought I would mention it. Yeah when my doctor left those cells in there and he seemed so relaxed about it I wondered if he knew what he was doing just like you probably are about your doctor. I didn't want for there to be any chance at all that it could come back because of that. Well two years later I have alot of faith in my doctor now. You know some people only have it burned out and don't even have the leep done. I know of two people who have done that before the leep was popular and there's never came back.