Had a pap done in may. came back abnormal they didn't notify me till months later said come back in 6 months. SO i thought it can't be that serious. I got it done last week. Came back abnormal again. The doctor did not use medical terms and was not specific but said it was "severe", i assume this means severe displaysia? She said "no cancer". Then said schedule a colposcopy which is monday. I'm not clear what they are looking for? more cells to test for cancer? I asked can this be fixed, she said yes through removal of the cervix.
Due to the fact that she said my pap was severe abnormal, is there a chance nothing will have to be done after the colopo? she said due to HPV? that i tested positive for hpv...what does all this mean
Hi sweetie -- sorry you are in this position, but welcome just the same!
A colposcopy is really nothing to be afraid of. Your doc will examine you closely, and probably take a biopsy, which is really just a little pinch and doesn't really hurt. Depending on what is seen, you may have more than one sample taken. They will probably do an ECC (endocervical curettage) which takes a sample of tissue from farther up in the canal; this does pinch, but only for a second or two, but it is soooo important because that's the only way they can see what's going on farther up the canal.
Your doc is looking to see the degree of dysplasia and how deep in the cells may be affected. It is really nothing to panic about at this point, although I would be upset that they took so long to tell you your results.
High risk HPV is responsible for 99% of all cervical cancers, so that's why your doc mentioned that (and why they test for it).
How they "fix" you will depend on what they find as a result of the colpo. It is certainly entirely possible that you will need no other treatment after the colpo!! If they find mild changes, it will probably be nothing more than monitoring you more closely, like every 3-6 months; if it's something your doctor wants to get a better look at or feels is more severe, they might order a LEEP or a cone, which takes a small portion of the cervix, and is a relatively minor, outpatient procedure. I know that sounds scary, but honestly, these procedures are not bad at all, and are themselves often both diagnostic and the only treatment necessary.
Removal of the cervix would only be necessary if you have invasive cancer, or sometimes if you have recurrent problems....but right now, you sound like you are a LONG way from that.
I know this process is scary, and we will all try to address any questions or concerns you may have!!!
thank you so much! i'm kinda peeved the doctor would use the word "remove part of cervix" when i asked her if it can be fixed, considering i haven't even had a biopsy yet.
Okay, I must've misread part of your previous post. There is a big difference between "removing the cervix" and "removing PART of the cervix." A LEEP or cone does remove "part" of the cervix -- but it is a small part, usually taking anywhere between 3-6mm of the cervix (which is anywhere from 2.5cm - 4.0cm on average). So while those procedures may result in a compromised cervix to some degree (for pregnancy purposes), they are pretty routine procedures.
A removal of the cervix is called a trachelectomy, and is used generally as treatment for an early invasive cervical cancer. Even with that treatment, with careful monitoring, pregnancy can still be sustained, although there is a higher risk for pre-term labor and miscarriage.
A lot of docs are not all that artful in their delivery of info....and it can be quite aggravating and frightening!!!
I just wanted to poke my head in and say HI. I'm sorry you are dealing with this. Zoe has given some great information, though.
My only suggestion is to go to the appointment armed with questions (preferably written down). If you go in informed with various options and details, then your doctor ought to clue in that you are open and willing to discuss the situation using medical terms, not layman terms.
thank GOD. so had the poscopy it was beyond not a big deal. I have no cramping no pain, no bleeding, i see some dye on my pad that's it. I had HSIL however the poscopy she said she saw only mild dysplasia, took 2 biopsies, but she said with HSIl usually it's worse, so we're hopeful biopsy comes back mild, in that case we just keep an eye on it. I had been meditating on this result and the word "mild" and i think what helped was two months ago (before knowing about HSIL) i happened to switch to a macrobiotic diet, i have been PUMPING my body filled with kale, broccoli, i gave up dairy and only have meat occassionally, i'm eating whole grains, and berries, etc. green smoothies i make myself packed with parsley, broccoli sprouts, romaine, i take omega 369, vitamin c, and a daily vitamin every day, since getting an abnormal pap i've been taking INDOLE 3 CARBINOL daily, i will only take it for another month or so then just rely on the veggies...anyhow, i truly believe that my diet is what cleared it up so that the poscopy only revealed mild.
So much stress is relieved, thanks you guys!
The Following User Says Thank You to blasian For This Useful Post: britishlass (10-17-2011)
I did research on any clinical trials or studies done on reducing dysplasia and fighting HPV induced cancer and found peer reviewed results for Indole-3-Carbino, Beta Glucan, and Folic Acid. Most of these were placebo controlled which is good because some people are lucky enough to have this go away on it's own. All three show very positive results for cervical issues caused by HPV. I'm taking a multi, 200mg of Indole-3-Carbinol, and 500mg of Beta Glucan a day. I only hope that it works on AIS as well as dysplasia. I have my appt. with the oncologist next Wednesday and plan on bringing all of the info and supplements with me. I'll post back when I see what she says.
When I visited my new Dr yesterday she asked about folic acid. Told her I was on a multi-vitamin and her immediate response was "No!!! You need MORE!!!"
I'm on 400mcg a day in my multi-vitamin and she wanted me to at least triple that.
Pretty far cry from the response I got two months ago from my old ob/gyn that stated that there was no evidence of vitamins or supplements being used to support health and healing after a dysplasia diagnosis.
OK, I'm headed out to get some more folic acid, my supplement has 800mcg's sounds like a little more might be in order
Actually I think its recommended to not exceed 1000mcg daily. Considering you get a good dose of folic acid (folate) in anything made with enriched flour (used in almost everything processed that contains flour in the US - folate is in there), I'm guessing 800 might want to be where you stop.
Apparently excess folate can actually mask deffiencies of other b-vitamins, and the little supplement pamphlet I have from the place i get my vitamins states not to exceed 1000.
As far as I can tell from the journal articles I found the supplements work in the following ways
indole-3-carbinol- causes a reduction in one of the compounds cancer and dysplasia sells need to proliferate, this reduces the rate of progression and can give your body more time to fight abnormal cell growth
beta glucan- this is really cool! It works by stimulating your immune system, a certain type of white blood cell needs "priming" to go on alert, the beta glucan primes these cells and they become super alert. It also binds to cancer cells and the body is more able to see them as foreign. There are a ton of human trials going on right now with this.
folic-acid- I had a harder time finding the mechanism for this documented but from what I gather it regulates cell division and having too little of it can cause conditions that make it easier for cells to go rouge
The fact that they all work on a different area makes me think it's ok to take them all together.
