Leep Procedure

I just found out last month that I have HPV....I range in between CIN 1 & 2 I have to have a leep procedure done and I am very unsure and scared.  I try not to think about it....My boyfriend is not very supportive....my siblings don't understand what Im going through and I haven't even told my father.  My doctor has told me that I need to have this done by the end of the month and I am nervous.  On top of all of this I am diabetic.  I've read some of the other postings and I guess every woman is different....

I'm sorry you are going through this! It's such an awful thing to face. Have you given information to your family so that they can understand what you are facing? I have found the more people have information, the more they are able to understand and give the kind of support you need. I do have the following questions.

1. Did you see the lab report?

2. Did your doctor tell you how where the dysplasia is located, how extensive it is, if it's in the endocervical canal, if it's in the endocervical glands, and if you have any infections, such as cervitis? That could change your treatment options, right there.

3. Did your doctor discuss the risks and benefits of all your options before making a recommendation? (cryosurgery, laser, LEEP, cold knife cone biopsy) According the guildbook on LEEP, he is required to do that.

On the one hand, it is wise to act quickly, but on the other hand, there is some time to research the best treatment for you. What I have realized more and more is every case of dysplasia is different and every woman's body is different, so treatment has to be customized for each person rather than one option always use as the default. After that thorough discussion and after you have seen the lab report, you may agree your doctor is right about LEEP. Something to keep in mind is that LEEP is very inexpensive, so insurance companies like it. It's neither the best option nor the worst option. It's just another option with risks, benefits, and the same success rate. It just depends on how extensive the dysplasia is. Something else you might want to consider is having the procedure done in outpatient under general anesthesia if your fear factor is high. Believe me, it helps to not be aware of it. It's the same as taking a nap and then you wake up in recovery, it's all over. Regardless of what you do, bring somebody with you to at least hold your hand. It helps so much to have somebody there with you!

But if you anwer no to any of the above three questions, please fire that doctor and hire one is cares enough and is ethical enough to want you to be educated enough to make an informed decision. Those two words are critical! By being fully educated, it will take away the fearful mystery and get you actively involved in taking care of your body's health. That alone will help calm your nerves!

Hi , I also have high risk HPV . I had to have a cold knife cone which is similar to a leep. I had it done last monday for the most part it was easy. I was scared to death at first but its really not bad. My reading where a cin 3. My results came back NO Cancer found so dont panic. They had to take most of my cervics out during that surgery. She said she was confident she got it all. Im going to repeat my pap in 6 months to make sure it didnt come back! But even if it does its very controllable and as long as I follow up every 3 months we can deal with whatever comes. cause we would catch it early. So dont Panic like I did. Its going to be ok. Modern medicine is amazing. You will be fine. I wish you luck. If you need to talk just write me . Lisa

I have just read your post, please don't worry about the procedure. I had it almost 2 weeks ago. I had a little cramping & duscharge it really is not a big deal if you are put to sleep you don't even know it's done.

 

On 5/19/2008 angel78 wrote:

I just found out last month that I have HPV....I range in between CIN 1 & 2 I have to have a leep procedure done and I am very unsure and scared.  I try not to think about it....My boyfriend is not very supportive....my siblings don't understand what Im going through and I haven't even told my father.  My doctor has told me that I need to have this done by the end of the month and I am nervous.  On top of all of this I am diabetic.  I've read some of the other postings and I guess every woman is different....

Please DO NOT jump into doing this procedure. I had recently been dignosed with HPV with CIN2. My doctor told me that I would need the LEEP done because when you are in stage CIN2 it does not normally revert back. I still decided to get retested in 4 months and I stated to take certain vitamins(A, B6, B12, Folic Acid). After my retest back in May, everything came back normal. If you read around in this site, there have been other women who have chosen to go the natural route and it has worked for them as well. I hope whatever decision you make, everything comes out well for you. As for me, the natural way to go was the best thing to do.

Please let us know what you decided to do and how everything comes out.

Tany01