Thursday, September 15, 2011

HPV- I Have it, Do You?

I have always had normal pap smears, so being told that I have HPV after my last yearly visit really shocked me.  I have HPV, a sexually transmitted disease?  Am I going to get cervical cancer?  How did I get it?  My husband and I were virgins when we first started dating, and I know that I didn't cheat, so did he?  What is going to happen next?  Will I be able to have more kids?  What treatment will I have to endure?  All these questions popped in my head and I was scared.  It all started after I got a call from my doctor's nurse, she left a message and told me I needed to call back right away, it was about the results of my pap smear.  Immediate dread filled my mind, this couldn't be good news.  They never call if the results are normal, they just send you a little note in the mail if that is the case, not a phone call.  So I call and talk to the nurse.  She explains that the results showed I have HPV and that abnormal cells were found.  I needed to have them removed and tested to make sure it wasn't anything more serious, but according to the test, it showed  LSIL (Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion). The nurse might has well been speaking french, cause I had no idea what the heck that meant.  I googled it and my fears subsided a little bit, it just meant there were mild changes in the cells, but I needed to to go back to the doctor to confirm this was the case, that it was LSIL.  I went back and had a colposcopy, which is where the doctor did a biopsy of the 3 lesions found on my cervix that had the abnormal cells and the reslts confirmed the LSIL.  Soon after, my doc decided to do a Cryosurgery which is freezing the cervix to destroy any other abnormal cells that might be present.  It wasn't too bad, just felt a little cramping during and afterwards.  I asked the doc a bunch of questions, that included how HPV was transmitted and he told me it isn't always passed through sex, you can be exposed to it by just having genital contact, not necessarily through intercourse.  Ok, well neither my husband or I need to discuss all the details of our sexual explorations before our relationship.  Technically neither one of us actually had sexual intercourse with another person, but that doesn't mean we didn't have close encounters.  End of that discussion!  Also, need to clear something else up, HPV is very common and most women have it, but that does not mean we are the ones passing it all over the place.  There is not a test for men, so there is no way to know who gave it to who, we are just the ones that find out about it usually through an abnormal test.  I have had to go back every 3 months to make sure test results show a normal pap smear, and I have gone back twice and so far, so good.  Just have to go back and keep getting tested, most of the time, the virus will clear up and nothing advances further.  So, if you find out you have HPV and/or have a abnormal pap smear:  1)Don't freak out like I did, 2)ask as many questions as possible so you don't freak out, 3)Don't jump to conclusions like your husband must of cheated on you, 4)realize it is very common and you could have gotten it from what's his name from high school who told you you were the most beautiful girl in class and got all naked with him, was about to play "hide the sausage" then realized his bedroom was dirty and then started to feel dirty, then booked it out of there, 5)get treated, 6)follow up with your doctor, 7) keep getting those darn uncomfortable pap smears, and 8) get the facts from a place like hpv.com.

I just wish that hpv vaccine was available when I was younger, my daughter will get it when she gets older and I am not afraid it will cause mental retardation like that uninformed and hears one thing and presents it as fact lady who is running for office, you know who. Those pap smears are so important and it drives me crazy when I hear from some women that they keep forgetting to go get their annual checkup.  Just do it, it could save your life!

3 comments:

  1. What a great post! HPV is very common... I had a similar experience way back when. Fortunately, it does disappear and doesn't always cause cancer. Those pap smears can make it so they catch it early though!

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  2. Thank you! Yes, it is so common, but alot of people are not aware of that. There is still a stigma behind having it, even though those people who think bad about it probably have it too and just don't know!

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  3. In 2009, I went through exactly what you went through. I carried my Vcard up until I met my husband. He had some relations earlier but always used protection and so we never gave it much thought. I knew something was off when I went for my annual and told my doc it kinda hurts when I have sex and then I bleed after... . I had to have a colposcopy (x2) and then a LEEP procedure. I got the vaccines anyway - just in case. But it was very scary, intense time in life. I am going to make sure my kids get it when the time comes (no babies now). I still get antsy when I go for f/u paps.

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