Pap Test, Low Grade Dysplasia

My sister had the same problem. They did a biopsy and everything was fine.It was a very stressful wait though.

Best of luck and please keep me posted.

K., I had that when I was 22 & what they did back then was a freezing and I've never had a bad pap since.
It should be ok , try not to be too worried.

Regards,
D.

My 28 year old sister has gone through this twice. I'm not sure about the exact name it was given but it is pre-cancerous cells from most likely an HPV virus. After her pap is abnormal, a scrape of the cells is performed. The doctor sctually scrapes the are where the abnormal cells are located to remove them. At one point, she had a punch biopsy done. I think that was more painful than the scrape. Anyhow, the 'scrape' causes her to bleed for about a week or two and it's more annoying than painful. The doctor is keeping an eye on it and making sure that it doesn't progress. I think pre-cancerous cells are more common than once believed and just because the cells are pre-cancerous doesn't mean that they are or will be cancer.

I am 56 and went through the same experience as Molly. Now, after 1 yr of repeated pap smears, a biopsy and then the LEEP which was NOT at all that uncomfortable because you are numb. I thought the biopsy was more uncomfortable but my OB/GYN was thoroughly taking biopsy of multiple areas. I have had my first clear pap smear following the LEEP 6 mos ago. From what I understand, it's not uncommon for women our age. I also use alternative medicine, accupuncture, eat mostly raw organic foods and am vegetarian. You can contact me personally if you want. You can always consult another OB/GYN if you're not satisfied. Best wishes to you.

my pap didn't come back abnormal, but I was having some issues with my periods, I am 48, but the uterine biopsy came back positive for pre-cancerous tissue, they put me on hormones and the second test (after three months) came back normal so don't worry so much. and cervical cancer is not as bad as uterine.

I will keep you in my thoughts

Both myself and my daughter-in-law had this. I elected to have a hysterectomy right away because I knew I didn't want any more children. My daughter-in-law chose the procedure whereby they freeze the pre-cancerous cells so they won't continue to mutate. That lasts a couple of years and gives you time to have more children, but, to my knowledge, eventually a hysterectomy will have to be performed because the freezing won't last forever and the cells will continue to mutate after they "thaw."

Hi K.,
I had the same diagnosis 20 years ago. My doctor did a cone biopsy and removed the area with abnormal cells. It was an in office procedure and wasn't much worse than a pap, and didn't take very long. I have had normal paps ever since! Good luck!

Mild dysplasia often clears up on its own, and I personally would do increased check ups before I went with more aggressive treatment. At one time they were doing leeps (not sure of spelling) on anyone and everyone who had dysplasia, but I believe the standard of care of mild dysplasia is more of a "wait and see" type of thing. As I am NOT a MD, this is just what *I* would do. If you do have a MD who is looking at taking things more aggressively, make sure you get a second opinion as well.

The good news is, regardless of treatement or "wait and see", mild dyplasia is VERY common and many, many women have had it at one point.

Hi K., I went through this exactly, about 6 years ago. I had a LEEP done, which took care of the cells. After that procedure, I had to get a Pap test after three months, then after six months, and then back to yearly. It does sound scary when you start reading about this, and I too was scared. I was really upset that they weren't dealing with it as swiftly as I wished. I called my good friend who is a physician, and she said that it's really common, that she herself had the same thing. She said that it is not likely to progress to cancer as it was caught very early, and that even if it did, it progresses extremely slowly so that you have time to treat it.

The LEEP I had done simultaneously with fibroid surgery, so I was knocked out, but I think it's normally an outpatient surgery. I haven't had an abnormal Pap test since then. I have another friend who had the same thing many years ago when she was a teenager, and she's also fine now.

I know you want it all taken care of yesterday, I did too, but just know that it's totally fine to wait three weeks. Once they confirm, they can go from there and you'll be fine. Hugs, it's not an easy thing to wait for.

Dear K.,
I've been through this as well. It was before my daughter was born, so I believe I was around 22. It is kind of scary, but I had cryo surgery (freezing) and a pap test every 3 months for the first year, every six months for the second year and then just back to the annual tests. I never had an irregular pap after that. The procedure was done in the office and I did have some cramping, but it wasn't bad.
Try to relax and see what the next pap test says, then you can go from there. Dysplasia is more common than you'd think and is easily and successfully treated. I'm sure you'll be fine. Try not to worry too much about it for now.
Best of wishes!

Hi K.,
I also had an abnormal pap result and was diagnosed with type 4 dysplasia when I was in my early twenties. The doctor did a LEEP procedure to remove the affected area. I'm now in my late 30's and perfectly healthy... the dysplasia never came back after the procedure. It sounds as though your doctor has detected the abnormal cells much earlier, so hopefully there is nothing to worry about.
Take care,
D.

If it's low grade, don't freak out about it. Did they give you a number? For low grade, they usually just freeze off or remove the abnormal surface cells in some fashion.

Don't worry.

Hi K.,

I don't know about dysplasia. But I do know that some cancers are due to fungus, virus, bacteria and parasites.

I did recent research on vaginal infections, including the kind that cause vaginitis due to a protozoa or a fungus that won't be cured by normal prescription medicine. There was evidience that these infections would clear up by using boric acid, in a 00 caplet, inserted every night for 6 months. (boric acid is anti fungal, anti bacterial.) Just an idea to try until you go back for a second opinion.

Try not to worry, God is with you.

You must be very frightened. The best thing to do is for you to call your doctor immediately and ask him/her the questions. He/she knows just a little bit more about it than the Mamasource readership.

Hi K.
it's low grade which means no alarms.. don't let them talk you into a cone or leep treatment BEFORE you try going an alternative route such as changing your diet (if need be) get your body more alkaline (most people are acidic due to eating too much processed and cooked food) try getting more green leafy veggies into your diet. there is a TON of info on the net with regard to cancer (although this isn't cancer) but you can attack it as though it is ... From all that I have read, I truly believe you can help turn this around simply by changing your diet. again, the docs might say, oh get a biopsy , cone or leep.. I would try and really do some research before you let someone cut into you...
oh and yes, I have had dysplasia .. and high grade for which they did both a cone treatment (which didn't get all) therefore, they ended up doing the leep procedure .. which wasn't fun as it's a wire with an electrical current.. the current can jump and ZING your skin...
anyway.... if I knew then when I know now.. I'd have tried a much more naturpathic approach..

best of luck to you in whatever you decide..

Irregular pap smears can be caused by all sorts of things (sex the night before is one of the most common), that's why they need to re-do the pap. It could literally be nothing.

But because they (and you) need to be sure, they'll re-do it.

Don't get freaked out until you get a confirmation and you know that you need to be upset. Even then, you may have caught it soon enough not to be worried. Cancer is a very scary word, but it doesn't always mean chemo and other nastiness.

Last summer the dermatologist found a melanoma on my lower back. I was starting to get very worried (skin cancer?!!) when I found out that it was classified as stage 0 and that in most cases, when caught that early (and removed) there was such low re-occurance that I didn't need to do anything more than annual mole checks.

Hang in there and hope for the best.

I had the same thing about two years ago. i went in and they did a colpo they also did a biopsy. The next step was taking the cells. Which they did with a wond kind of scraping it out. That part didn't hurt because they gave me a local. I had to go back more often to make sure i was fine. Now everything is clear. But i do make sure i get my yearly check up for sure now.

K.,

RELAX. It doesn't mean cervical cancer now-- it just means the cells could turn into cancer down the line without treatment. Most times they will do a simple biopsy of the tissue and then if needed do a LEEP or cone biopsy. This gets all of the abnormal cells out. Then you have a pap every 3 mos for a year to make sure everything is ok. Its really good that you got a pap-- undiagnosed is the most risk..so try not to worry. I know its hard to not know, but worrying won't help. I went through it and now my paps are back to normal. Good luck to you!~

Molly