LEEP Scheduled this Wednesday

Hi, 

Thank you to all who post and respond on this board. It is so helpful to me, reading other people's posts, helps me be more educated. 

I do have two "more" questions. Is a LEEP a cone biopsy or is a cone biopsy done after LEEP if LEEP doesn't work?  Are these terms interchangable at all?  I vascillate from being scared to death and kind of "let's just take care of this".  

Also, what do I expect in terms of recovering from this?  I planned to work the next day (surgery is at 2:30) and the lady thought I was crazy. So now I'm going to take off but then what should I expect.  I guess I was taking this in stride until my intake interview. 

Thanks in advance.  I meet with my dr Tue for pre op but that seems far away! 

Hi

I had a cold knife/ cone biopsy in March.  It depends on how you handle the procedure, how quickly you come out of the anesthesia, and if your vitals are steady after the surgery.  I was back home (and I had to ride an hour and a half from the hospital) in 4 and a half hours after my surgery.

I actually took almost 3 weeks off to recover.  Glad I did, because in the first week, I had this "techno colored" discharge.  Followed by some light bleeding, and stuff that looked like coffee grounds, for the next three weeks.  I was sleepy and achy....so don't push yourself into returning to work too soon!!

Plus, I teach school, and my room is on the 3rd floor, and no elevator.  I just didn't want to take a chance to putting a strain on myself, by bounding up and down 3 flights of stairs many times per day!!

Good luck........I know it sucks right now - ya gotta believe it'll get better!!

 

I had a cone biopsy done a year ago and a leep done 5 years ago.  I think that the leep is the first preventative, and then you get the cone biopsy as the next resort.  This was my case.  With the leep I was back at work the next day.  I had a mild sedative while the procedure was done and had the gross coffee ground looking discharge, bleeding subsided a few weeks later.  With the cone biopsy..it was a little more intense.  I was under general anesthia just like if you went in for surgery.  The whole thing took about 5 hours, and then I was in the comfort of my own home.  I had lots of bleeding and the coffee ground stuff for about 6 weeks, but I went back to work 2 days later.  This was accompanied by long and irregular periods, and now with I have the current issue of weeks of bleeding after intercourse.  I work as a restaurant manager, so I am constantly on my feet.  I do not feel that such a long recovery time is needed.  Even though I have had complications I do not feel that it is due to my profession or lack of time off.  If at all I think it helped me.  Wish you best of luck!

Hi, 

I just got back and the first place I came was here!  Turns out the leep that I had was also a cone biopsy or that the words are basically interchangable...according to the nurse. I am a little sore and I guess I get the results back in about a week.  I will be praying for that to be the end of it for this go round. 

Thank you again for posting and your thoughtful stories.  I will be thinking of you all too!

I'm glad this went smoothly for you, and I hope your have clean margins..

In answer to your questions, both LEEP and cone biopsies are very invasive. But with a LEEP/cone biopsy, the  doctors does a standard LEEP by removing the transformation zone of the ectocervix. Then a "top hat" conization is done to remove tissue from the endocervical canal.

Secondly, the doctor should not do a LEEP, first, and then a cone biopsy, later. The goal is to use the correct surgical option to remove all the abnormal tissue. 

Insofar as recovery is concerned, it heals within three weeks.

Your doctor should have explained this to you, per regulations. I really think you might want to consider getting a new doctor.