(no subject)

[starburstchick.livejournal.com]

This morning one of the ladies from my doctor's office called me and told me that the results from my papsmear were abnormal and that I was being refured to an OBGYN. Of course my reaction was to start crying. I assume that if it was simply an infection my doctor could treat it. So why am I being sent to an OBGYN, this scared the crap out of me. I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday to go over some other things, but I'm sure this will also be discussed. Until then I have a feeling that I am going to be worried about this whole thing.

Anyways, I'm just wonder what you girls did or went through if you got abnormal papsmear resaults. Was it really that bad?

Comments

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

An abnormal pap could mean that you had a yeastie at the time of your pap or some minor change "down there". You are being refered so you can have a biopsy done. Or a Co-Po as it is refered to. I was told last year that the pap test they use now is very sensitive and can pick up the slightest difference in the body. At my local PPH 8 out of 10 girls gets an abnormal pap and has to have a Co-Po done. More times than not the Co-Po comes back normal and you are all set til next year.

I'm not going to scare you with my abnormal pap story(I have a bad medical history).

[macabredelight.livejournal.com]

At almost 18 I went for my first pap and it came back abnormal. I went into my dr's for a biopsy (which hurt) and they determined I had abnormal pre-cancerous cells. I had to have surgery. There's different kinds and I had one called the LEEP surgery where the doctor takes somewhat of a vegetable peeler instrument and scrapes out the walls of my cervix of all the bad cells. They can also do it with a laser and this was a while ago (I am 32 now). I have only had one other abnormal pap since then (about 5 yrs. ago) and that dr. said it was because there was too much blood in the sample. They redid it and it was fine. I had a son 3 1/2 yrs. ago and I'm still fine. Good luck.

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

I didn't want to scare her with the LEEP. I had the LEEP done back in March and have to go back in a month to see if everything is okay. The thing was I had cervical cancer. They are hoping they got it before it started spreading.

The tool used for the LEEP is an electrified metal loop that is used to scrap the top 3mm of tissue from the cervix. If they have to go deeper than 3mm they arrange a different type of surgery. I was lucky they only wanted 3mm. I'm scared to go back for my next pap, co-po and ece.

[macabredelight.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that :( I hope yours turns out fine. I was scared when I had the LEEP but I had absolutely no pain at all afterwards. I was worried it was going to be painful after the surgery.

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

My parents flipped out when I told them. They were out of the country for a month and I found out the day after they left. I waited until I picked them up from the airport to tell them. I didn't want to be the one spoiling their trip(they waited 30 years to go on this trip). Of course the first question my dad asked was if my BF knew and if I could still have kids. My BF was the first person I told and as of right now I don't want kids anyway.

[for-keepsx.livejournal.com]

my mom flipped out because i wasn't going to tell her, because she had so much garbage already to deal with. i'm actually going to get a biopsy done sometime in the middle of june, what kind of questions should i be prepared to ask? eh it's just all a whirl to me, it's kinda scary ;x

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

Ask everything and anything that pops in your head! I spent three days doing research when I found out I had cancer so I knew what to expect. I even kept a running dialoge with the doctor as HE did the procedure. I even went as far as to tell him I was uncomfortable with a male doctor and he understood. I told him I wanted to know when and how he was doing everything since I couldn't see what was happening.

If you want to know what questions to ask start by writing down what you want to know about. Do a bit of research and refine your lists of thoughts as you find answers and form new questions.

[mays-rays.livejournal.com]

I had an abnormal pap back in December. Went to a gyno for a biopsy and colposcopy(sp?). Turns out I have HPV, human papilloma virus, and only having had 2 sex partners at the age of 23. It happens...

As for my experience, it was very emotional for me. I cried a lot. It was not helpful that my ex-fiance, who was very likely the person to give this to me, was being a total asshole to me when I called him to tell him that he most likely has this. He pretty much called me a "bitch-ass liar," his reasoning being that his STD results have always come back negative. I tried to explain to him that there's no way to detect HPV in men, unless they have the warts kind, which I don't, but he wouldn't listen.

Whoops, I'm rambling. In your case you may not have anything as serious as an STD, but that was my experience. Either way, feel what you need to feel, confide in your close friends (mine were much more understanding than I thought they'd be) for support, and you'll find the strength to pick yourself up and keep going.

[clionne.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad he's your ex. ;)

[mays-rays.livejournal.com]

Haha! Same here. Thanks. :)

[finemadness.livejournal.com]

wooooaaah! i want to add something before it gets scary in here.
most abnormal paps turn out to be just fine, so i wouldn't worry too much. if you do have something it is most likley nothing too serious but it is always good to follow through with these appointments.

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

Thats what I was trying to express with my comment.

[finemadness.livejournal.com]

yea i know. just that i was getting scared and i havnt had an abnormal pap. so i just wanted to make sure the positive comments were equal with the bad experiences. if that makes any sence. hopefully you were not offended.

[shallowgothgirl.livejournal.com]

Not at all! As I said in my original comment I have a bad medical history. Every other girl at the clinic the day I went for my co-po/leep came out with a clean bill of health. I happen to be that oddball that has everything wrong happen to her.

More than likely the OP has nothing to worry about! She'll be fine!

[lady-leonore.livejournal.com]

you're absolutely right. in young women, most abnormal paps aren't anything to worry about. the refferal is probably just following the procedures they have laid out, and, while they probably will do a colposcopy, they may not do a biopsy, and you really shouldn't look much farther ahead than that atm. usually they do not reccomend biopsy until after two abnormals anyway, in case the first was a fluke; they probably want an ob/gyn to handle this just in case. even if it turns out you have to have a biopsy, it is not the end of the world, just take some ibuprofen before your appt (trust me, you want to). they are making great advances atm in procedures used to treat dysplasia and other cervical problems, and especially HPV. if you want, a friend of mine has a group that deals with this more specifically, you can find them at gyn_gals. please do not be afraid because it says "cancer support," they deal with many more things than reproductive cancers and she has a ton of info on abnormal paps, colposcopy, hpv, and beyond.

(sorry, i don't know anything about pap smears, but...)

[peachykini85.livejournal.com]

HEDWIG!!! so sweet :)

i was going to say the same thing, so i'll add to this

[jitteryladybug.livejournal.com]

BEST MOVIE EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: i was going to say the same thing, so i'll add to this

[lady-leonore.livejournal.com]

i have to agree, it is among the best.

[ihatepavel.livejournal.com]

Just to reassure you, I know have at least four friends who've had abnormal pap smears and none of them had anything worse than a minor infection! Of course, it could be anything, but there's really no reason to worry.

[clionne.livejournal.com]

Your doc is probably referring you because they typically don't do the more specialized procedures in their office. You will probably get a colposcopy, which uses a little acetic acid to make the abnormal areas appear. When I had one, the doc removed the abnormal spots right then. I had/have HPV.

I googled it & found:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/6542-1.asp

Also, it's important to remember that if you do have HPV, to get regular Paps. Your doc will tell you what schedule to keep. Oh, and it's not the end of the world, tho it sucks. I've read several studies that say the majority (!!!) of sexually active women have some form of HPV. :(

[constructingme.livejournal.com]

my gyn told me that estimates are 60-80% of sexually active women have some form of hpv.

[constructingme.livejournal.com]

i had my first abnormal pap on march 1st(got the results two weeks later) and have been diagnosed with HPV and moderate cervical dysplasia. it's stressfull, and i cried at each point new information came in that was not great. i switched doctors now and am very comfortable with the new one and the procedure she has scheduled me for(LEEP in july, a procedure where a thin, wire loop with an electric current will remove the abnormal cells). it's scary, but my family and especially my boyfriend have been very supportive. abnomalities/dysplasia are very common in young women, so remember that you're not alone. find out what you are diagnised with specifically, and do some research online- it will help you know what to expect and ask your gyn about, and demystify things a bit.

ob/gyns specialize in this sort of thing, so they can give you the best care. it might just mean monitoring and having frequent pap smears, or it might mean removal of the cells that are abnormal. if you smoke, you should stop- i could kill for a cigarrette but my doctor told me that quitting is the best thing i could have done for my cervix. if you don't already, you might want to look into a multivitamin.

i think i'm over the worst of it, but it still freaks me out. i likely have a strain of hpv that is high risk for cervical cancer, so i'll have to monitor my cervix and guard my health for the rest of my life. and that can be terrifying, but the reason paps are so important is to detect problems before they progress to the point where there is nothing that can be done.

good luck, ask lots of questions, and take care of yourself.

[moochar.livejournal.com]

I've had an abnormal pap a few months ago. I freaked out because there is a history of cervical cancer in my family. My mom, aunt, & grandmother all had it, my mom had it around my age.

I went back in for another pap & things were normal. I also went in a month later for another just to be sure. My gyno told me sometimes mistakes happen, the samples are contaminated, things like that. It could mean something, but it could also mean nothing. So please try not to worry, I've heard several abnormal paps turning out to be nothing.