Cervical Dysplasia

I am 28 years old and I was first diagonsed with HPV at age 18. I've had 3 abnormal pap smears since followed by colposcopies, my first 2 came back as CIN 1 and this recent one came back today as CIN 2. My doctor is recommending the LEEP procedure or waiting 6 months for another colposcopy. I am still in shock and completely undecided in which direction I should take. My first 2 abnormals I had no treatment and my immune system took care of it but because I am 'older' now (it's been 7 years since my last abnormal) and it is a 2, I'm not quite sure if I should just leave it up to 'nature.'  The slim possiblity of cervcial issues with the LEEP and pregnancy has me a bit worried, I already have one child and would like another down the road.  If anyone has any insight for me it would be greatly appreciated. I have already made an appointment with my doctor to discuss my options but it helps to hear from people who've 'been there- done that.'

I posted my story previously and would like you to read it, so I copied and pasted it here for you. Please read and good luck with whatever decision you make.

Hi everyone. Im here to tell you my HPV story. I should start by telling you all that I am 33 years old. In January of 2008 I had my yearly pap smear test and my test came back positive for HPV. My doctor then told me I needed to get a Colposcopy test. My results came back positive for CIN II. My doctor then recommended I have a LEEP and some Laser treatment to kill the abnormal cells. I scheduled the procedure but I started to research more about CIN II. I started with one website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus ) and I focused more on the nutrition part. I read about all the different vitamins the body might be significantly deficient. Eventually I came across another website that made me question the procedure even more (http://www.pap101.com ). I realized I didn't need much convincing on NOT wanting to have the procedure done. I read about some doctors prescribing natural ways to deal with CIN II and CIN III. I decided to schedule a consultation with my doctor because now I had many questions. I brough up the article where I read what vitamins I could take that would take away the CIN II. I remember my doctor telling me that if I wanted to try and re-test in 3-4 months that we could, but that it was not reccomended for someone in that stage. She also said she did not believe that it would go away but that it was my decision to make. I decided I would wait and re-test. I followed what the article said. I started taking Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, folic acid and even some CoQ10(I read in the wikipedia that women with CIN had lower levels of CoQ10 in their blood). I wanted to try anything I could to prevent from having to get the LEEP done. I rescheduled my pap and colposcopy for 4 months later. It has been 6 months since this all started and I went to get my results today and everything has come out NEGATIVE. I was so happy I just wanted to get out of the office and start dancing. My doctor said, "Whatever you were doing, keep on doing it". I didn't rub it in her face and I don't even feel is her fault. She was following what doctors use as a guideline on what to do for women who get CIN II. Now I just have to go back in 4 months to retest. My boyfriend was so upset, he told me I need to share this information with other women. So here I am telling you all my story because there may be someone out there that is not ready to get this procedure done, like myself, and wants to try something else. I don't know if it was the vitamins or something else but my tests results are clear and I hope the same happens to someone else who wants to try this out. The thought of having to have the LEEP done was very scary for me and I had it stuck in my head that I would not go through this procedure no matter what my doctor said. I am so glad that I didn't have to go through it. Good luck!

Out of curiosity, did you

1. Look at all of the lab reports, so far?

2. Get a thorough discussion from your doctor about what you have, where it's located, how extensive it is, how many quadrants it's in, if it's in the endocervical canal, and if you have any glandular involvement, especially endocervical glandular involvement? That would determine your treatment options, right there.

3. Get an in-depth discussion of all your treatment options - cryosurgery, laser, LEEP, cold knife cone biopsy - before the doctor recommended LEEP? This is a requirement, according to the medical guides I have read about LEEP.

If you answer "no" to any of those questions, please fire that doctor, immediately. You need a doctor who wants you to be as educated as possible so that you can make an informed decision. Never trust a doctor who tells you only one treatment option is available to you. Your body is too precious; you deserve only the best for your condition! Aside from that, looking at the lab report is the first step that gets you actively involved in what is best for you and removes the mystery. Believe me, it makes all the difference to see for yourself. It makes it all less terrifying.

Something to bear in mind if you choose traditional methods: LEEP is inexpensive, so insurance companies like it. LEEP does provide a live specimen, although the specimen also has burn marks around the margins, which can give a false negative. So, you still have to be diligent about the follow-up appointment to make sure it got all of the abnormal tissue. However, LEEP has the highest risk of infection. LEEP also has the same success rate as the other options. It just depends on what your lab report says, as to whether or not it is appropriate for you. Each case of dysplasia is different; each woman's body is different. Therefore, treatment has to be customized. If you choose traditional means, please weigh the risks and benefits of all the methods available. Do not let what is convenient for the insurance company or your doctor determine what you do. Your doctor needs to decide with you rather than do something to you.

There are women who have cleared up dyspalsia through natural means. Tany and Chemiszt24 are two people. I think it's important for each woman to go over all of her options - traditional, alternative, and a combination of both, and to make sure whatever she chooses to do, it is informed.

Hello, I am the second one on the board to have recent luck in fighting off CIN II (hpv positive) with out surgical intervention...

When I told my doctor that I wanted to avoid a LEEP at all costs she told me to come back in 6 months for a re-test.I used the 6 months to educate myself and help my body fight this off on its own... I like Tany was taking a B complex, vitamin A, CoQ10, and folic acid. I also decided to take a product called Betamannin...6 months later at my re-test my doc was trying to prepare me, that if my results were CIN II again I would need to have the LEEP... I told her I was hoping for a normal result...

Well my hopes came true... I got back my first normal pap result in 2 years... no surgery.... I am going to continue taking the viatims to help my body keep the hpv in check and keep my fingers crossed that in December I get a second normal result...

 As far as age goes, I am 31, and I smoke...two strikes against me but I was able to help my body help its-self.

Before you make a decision either way please look at some of the links in Tany's message and allow yourself to make an informed decision about your health care.

 

 

On 7/29/2008 chemiszt24 wrote:

Hello, I am the second one on the board to have recent luck in fighting off CIN II (hpv positive) with out surgical intervention...

When I told my doctor that I wanted to avoid a LEEP at all costs she told me to come back in 6 months for a re-test.I used the 6 months to educate myself and help my body fight this off on its own... I like Tany was taking a B complex, vitamin A, CoQ10, and folic acid. I also decided to take a product called Betamannin...6 months later at my re-test my doc was trying to prepare me, that if my results were CIN II again I would need to have the LEEP... I told her I was hoping for a normal result...

Well my hopes came true... I got back my first normal pap result in 2 years... no surgery.... I am going to continue taking the viatims to help my body keep the hpv in check and keep my fingers crossed that in December I get a second normal result...

 As far as age goes, I am 31, and I smoke...two strikes against me but I was able to help my body help its-self.

Before you make a decision either way please look at some of the links in Tany's message and allow yourself to make an informed decision about your health care.

 

A LEEP Procedure is not bad at all.  I was scared to get one and it was over within 10 minuted from the time I got on the table. I got my results back and they were clear.  I would rather have a procedure to remove all abnormal cells with a rare chance of them returning, than keep them and hope they dissapear.  Just my opinion though.

 

On 8/4/2008 AustinsMOM7 wrote:

 

On 7/29/2008 chemiszt24 wrote:

Hello, I am the second one on the board to have recent luck in fighting off CIN II (hpv positive) with out surgical intervention...

When I told my doctor that I wanted to avoid a LEEP at all costs she told me to come back in 6 months for a re-test.I used the 6 months to educate myself and help my body fight this off on its own... I like Tany was taking a B complex, vitamin A, CoQ10, and folic acid. I also decided to take a product called Betamannin...6 months later at my re-test my doc was trying to prepare me, that if my results were CIN II again I would need to have the LEEP... I told her I was hoping for a normal result...

Well my hopes came true... I got back my first normal pap result in 2 years... no surgery.... I am going to continue taking the viatims to help my body keep the hpv in check and keep my fingers crossed that in December I get a second normal result...

 As far as age goes, I am 31, and I smoke...two strikes against me but I was able to help my body help its-self.

Before you make a decision either way please look at some of the links in Tany's message and allow yourself to make an informed decision about your health care.

 

A LEEP Procedure is not bad at all.  I was scared to get one and it was over within 10 minuted from the time I got on the table. I got my results back and they were clear.  I would rather have a procedure to remove all abnormal cells with a rare chance of them returning, than keep them and hope they dissapear.  Just my opinion though.

 

 

I can only speak for myself as to why I chose NOT to have the procedure and go alternate route. The fact that my doctor said it can come back EVEN after getting the LEEP done was one reason. Why put myself through this and having the posibility for it to come back and having to do it all over again. Instead I chose to try the vitamins route and it worked just as well as a LEEP might have. Having a LEEP does not alwasy guarantee that they will kill all the cells or that it will not return in the future. My other reason is because I PERSONALLY don't feel that doctors have enough information of the effects of HPV. I understand that if left untreated you are putting yourself at risk for getting cancer but everyone has the make the right choise for themselves and their health. I should at least say that I did not just decided to say "no LEEP for me thanks". I did research and I sat with my doctor with MANY questions about HPV. I was prepared.

Tragically, there is up to a 37% chance of a recurrence, with or without clean margins, within the first five years of diagnosis. I was terribly upset when I learned that. But knowledge is power. Knowing the facts helped me proactively address boosting my immunity. I also insisted on getting Roche's AMPLICOR HPV DNA test because knowing which strain I had would only help me with my health-protection strategy.

Regardless of what treatment a woman chooses - traditional, alternative, or a combination of both - I think the decision has to be informed. When I was first diagnosed with dysplasia, I would rather have researched all of my treatment options, first, before going through with the one that was done.

As a postscript, I want to mention how much hope Tany01's and Chemiszt24's story have given me. Because I did not have an extensive case, I would rather have tried alternative medicne, first. I am currently using alternative means to boost my immunity.