It's Personal

The annual gyne visit. Mostly dreaded because it can be an uncomfortable exam. I dreaded mine last month because of my result last year. I had an abnormal result last year that resulted in a colposcopy (cervical biopsy). Fortunately, that resulted in CIN1, which is the mildest form of cervical dysplasia. I didn't require any further treatment, and didn't even need a close follow up. Just a strict 1-year pap. Which brought me to the end of April. To be honest, I've been anxious about this appointment since January. 

My appointment came and went, and 2 weeks went by. They told me that it could be up to a month for results because the lab was behind. Great, just what I needed for my anxiety. I went to Long Island to attend the wedding of a friend I've been friends for, for 22 years, not really thinking about the results. I got home on a Sunday, and checked the mail on Monday. I had been waiting for a phone call, since that's what happened last year, while trying to keep in mind "no news is good news". In the mail that Monday, was my result. Everything was normal!! Thankfully!! I was so relieved, like a weight had been lifted. All that worry and anxiety for no reason at all. It again reminded me of what the patients I care for on a daily basis go through when they're anxiously awaiting results. 

So until next year...For my gyne exam, that is. :-)

Colpo Results!

My biopsy results came back CIN1!! I got a call a week ago, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. So that means I need a strict 1 year follow-up Pap exam. No more procedures! I am so happy and relieved. Hopefully my abnormality will heal itself by next year. :::fingers crossed:::

Colposcopy

So I went ahead and had my colposcopy this past Friday. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (gee, where have I heard that before?? Ah yes, the biopsy patients we see on a daily basis at work).

So anyway, despite the constant spotting I had for about 18 days prior to the procedure, the doctor was able to still perform the colposcopy and biopsy. I was really anxious leading up to the procedure. I'll be completely honest. I was more nervous that she wouldn't be able to do the procedure because of the spotting (NuvaRing related since I didn't get a period before I inserted it), and that I'd have to put it off another 2 weeks because I was due for my period the following Monday. 

The vinegar solution she put on my cervix really stung. She said that can happen if the cervix is irritated, and mine looked irritated. She saw hpv changes to my cervix during the colposcopy, so she went ahead with the biopsy. 

{{Back up a little here. This doctor I had for my procedure was awesome. She explained everything to me and it made a lot of sense. I also felt tons better. She explained that the type of abnormality that was on my pap (low grade abnormality) is always caused by hpv. Meaning, I tested positive for hpv. I wasn't thrilled about that, but I felt better after learning that most of the population will get hpv at some point in their life. And also that I could have had it for year, laying dormant, and then something triggered it. There's no way to tell where and when someone got hpv.}}

So moving on. She took a biopsy at 6:00, 12:00 and then an endocervical biopsy. The first 2 biopsies were really painful. It felt like a pinching cramp, and didn't last long. The endocervical biopsy was a little more uncomfortable because they take a sample from inside your cervix. Then one of the biopsy sites wouldn't stop bleeding, so she had to hold pressure on my cervix with a cotton swab to get the bleeding to stop. That was uncomfortable. The whole procedure took about 15-20 minutes maybe, and she said I will get results in 7-10 business days. The results of the biopsy will plan the next course of action - 1 year follow up for CIN1, and a LEEP for CIN2 and 3. 

I ended up having some moderate bleeding with clots over the weekend. I freaked out a little because the doctor said that I would only have a little spotting, probably nothing more than what I've been having. Well, this was definitely more than spotting. So on Saturday I put a call into the on-call doctor just to make sure what was happening was ok. The on-call doctor called me back, and said that moderate bleeding can be normal, as long as I'm not passing large clots. Phew! That's good, but just adds to the annoyance that has been some kind of constant bleeding.

So now I anxiously wait for results...