Leep Procedure - Cancer: Cervical & Ovarian Message Board

zonagirl17 · 07-14-2003, 03:03 PM

Hello!
I found this board two weeks before my Leep procedure. I read every posting for about two hours, which included the good and the bad experiences. I would like to thank each and everyone of you who shared your experience, I was more prepared than ever going into the doctor's office. My Leep was on Thursday, July 10 and I would like to share my experience for those of you needing to go in for one.

My husband and I went to the Air Force Academy hospital and checked in at the Ob/gyn clinic. The nurse took me back and took my blood pressure and asked if I had taken the pregnancy test beforehand. I did and it was negative.

Next my husband and I sat down with the doctor and he explained the procedure to me. I had written down five questions that I had to ask him before I agreed to the procedure. They were as follows:
1. How will this effect my chances of becoming pregnant and carrying to term. He answered this very honestly and said that of course there were risks involved. He was going to take off small slivers instead of a big deep chunk in order to keep the bleeding down and to prevent him from going too deep.
2. How long will I have to wait until I get pregnant. He told me that he would prefer that I wait until after my next pap smear, which is scheduled in 4 months. He'd like to get me in the green from dysplasia before I try for kids.
3. I was told I have a small cervix. Will you be taking more tissue away from my small cervix. Again, he told me that he would be taking 10-12 small slivers so that he doesn't cut too deep, and my cervix should be fine.
4. I didn't get any pain medication after the colposcopy and I needed it because the cramping was unbearable. He prescribed me vicodin.
5. Will I be able to swim on my swim team soon? He told me to wait a month

So I was satisfied with his answers, and he definitely put me at ease in his willingness to talk to me for 30 minutes beforehand!

I had to undress from the waist down and lay on the table with my feet in the stirrups. Relaxing was the biggest thing my nurse told me in order to make it easier on everyone. The speculum was insterted and the large sticky pad was placed on my thigh. He examined me again with the colposcope and told me everything he was about to do. They let me listen to the LEEP machine beforehand, and it sounds just like a dentist's drill. I saw the loop used as well, and it was very small. The first injection of local was the worst of it all. I could feel the pinch, just like a biopsy pinch. After the first injection I couldn't feel anything at all. The medicine went straight to my heart and I started shaking quite a bit, but it only lasted for 1-2 minutes. I only felt the doctor move the speculum. I couldn't feel anything else. He showed me a sliver he took out, and it was about the size of a small paperclip. The procedure took about 20 minutes because he was very thorough and wanted to make sure he didn't go too deep. He cauterized me and then put that mustard type stuff in to stop the bleeding. When he took the speculum out, the mustard stuff had dried on it and it felt like he was ripping it out of me, which hurt for a brief instant. In my opinion, this procedure hurt less than the colposcopy. I had less bleeding, and he took less tissue it seemed.

I laid in bed and watched girlie movies and ate ice cream afterwards and felt just fine the next day after a good night sleep. I think I could finally relax after the whole ordeal was over.

Good luck to those who will be going through a leep-I will be thinking of you.

MrsKramden · 07-24-2003, 08:40 PM

I had the LEEP three weeks ago.

My gynecologist is also a professor who teaches LEEP, so he is basically an expert in the procedure.

In my gynecologist's office, I had the LEEP. This procedure was like a long , extended internal exam.It took 20 minutes. I had the local anasthetic - the needles do pinch. I didn't think I'd feel the needle-thought it would seem more like novacaine needles but it was pinchy.

I didn't feel anything. I was very calm after my cervix was numbed.While he was doing the LEEP,it felt like my cervix was being painted with warm liquid.That's the sensation I felt.

My experience was one in which there was A LOT of smoke in the room afterward. My throat was drying out from it - it smelled like someone was burning paper in the room.

A physician's assistant assisted my gyne with the procedure. She was a doll and she held my hand, talked to me and my gyne spoke some during but more after the procedure.

This was for CIN II. My cervix looked really bad 13 months ago and colposcopys and PAPs were coming back normal than finanlly in May a year and month later)-abnormal cells.

I am so thankful for this procedure !

BabyGirl03 · 07-28-2003, 09:04 AM

i had a leep done about a week ago. i was diagnosed with dyslasia about a week before graduating high school. it was devestating. the colposcopy was very painful to me, i passed out in the middle of it. they put me to sleep for the leep. i am still in slight pain, nothing big enough for pain medication though. i am very dissappointed that my doctor didnt send me home from the leep with any medication though. i realle needed it the first 3 days.

Carrie830 · 08-17-2003, 03:35 PM

Ok everybody My Leep is going to be on August.29th,
and I'm really scared. I'm having it done in the Doctor's office with only a local. Can someone who has had it done like this please explain what happens! I can't even sleep at night, someone please respond!

PaNik5717 · 08-18-2003, 10:55 AM

Hi Carrie

I had the LEEP done in my doctor's office in May. I have heard that they sometimes have you take a painkiller ahead of time or give you something for anxiety. Mine was spur of the moment because I was moving, so I didn't have either. If you are so anxious that you aren't sleeping, maybe you should call your doc and discuss your concerns.

I think the colpo with biopsies hurt more than the LEEP and I bled more with the biopsies. The LEEP starts a lot like the colpo. They put a sticky electrode-like pad on your leg and make you sign some papers about the risks. They use a slightly bigger speculum which hurt me because I am a pretty small girl. They also use the same vinegar solution to change the way your cervix looks under the light and I think that stings a little. Then, they give the local. Mine was lidocaine with epinephrine. The lidocaine (not sure how to spell that) is what the dentists use and the epinephrine slows bleeding. Most women say that the shot hurts the worst, but I didn't really feel it. My nurse was totally shocked. After the shot, you can feel movement outside and around the cervix, but you can't feel them cutting off your cervix. Not sure if it is the same for everyone, but that little disc of tissue that they show on the handouts looks little and mine was not. Mine looked really big when they took it out and put it in the specimen cup. As they cut it out, it burns the edge and the smell of burning flesh can be shocking. Usually, they use something to suck that out.

I was still shaking from the epineprhine so my mom drove me home. I could feel some pressure, but no real pain. I didn't really bleed for the first two weeks. I had some strange fluids coming out. Mostly, it's normal unless it is bright and smelly. It's really a good idea to take it easy and follow the instructions so that you don't have any complications. I felt good enough that it was tough to restrain myself, but I kept remembering how much tissue they took out of me and that it had to grow back.

I had a follow-up at two weeks and the doc rubbed something on the wound and then I started to bleed a little. I have my first follow-up pap today, but the margins of the section they took were clear which is a good sign.

Good luck with yours. We'll be thinking about you on the 29th.

[This message has been edited by PaNik5717 (edited 08-18-2003).]