Should I??

Hi All,
I am 48 yrs old, married, no children. I have HPV and have had abnormal pap tests over the years. 8 yrs ago I had Chryosurgery to remove pre-cancer areas from my cervix & uterus. Went every 3 months for pap test for 2 yrs, then every 6 mo. In 2001, I was put on yearly. Oct. 2002 pap came back abnormal again. Had Coposcopy done, biopsys came back neg. for cancer. Had pap test again this Feb, again came back abnormal. Dr. called and talked to me, wants to do chyrosurgery again on May 8th. He feels is lasted 8 yrs and this was the way to go. My question is should I have a Hysterectomy and get rid of the chance of getting cervical cancer? My Dr. says I don't need one but I am really scared about cancer.

The best thing to do would be to get a second opinion from a doctor. I have never had an abnormal PAP , but in my readings on cervical cancer it appears that precancerous cervical cells are treated as you've described, and a hysterectomy is not warranted. I also doubt your insurance plan (if you have one) would pay for a hysterectomy if the standard of care for pre-cancerous cervical cells is less invasive surgery. Try not to worry too much- keep up with those PAPs just as you have been.

Best wishes.

Thanks for your reply and I agree with you. I should just take a deep breath & relax!! I am going to speak with my internist next week also.

Hi - I understand your dilemma. I too have HPV and have been having abnormal paps for 10 years. Had a LEEP and numerous colpos. When my last pap came back abnormal in March and my dr recommended a hyst, I jumped on it. My biggest fear is that they have biopsied what they can see...what about what they CAN'T see? I'm only 37 and don't want to go through this anymore. I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make.

I share Cindy's story! I'm 38yr old and had six yrs of abnormal paps, cryo's, biopsys, LEEP. When I went in for my LEEP, my doctor said that a LEEP fixes the problem most of the time, but if I had another one, we'd consider hyst. The very next pap was abnormal. By that time, I was bleeding almost all month too (discovered adeno once uterus was removed) My doctor said I could have hyst or wait. I asked what she would do! She said she'd have hyst so that's what I did!

Mostly, I was just tired of the worry & the treatments! Had LAVH 4/4/03. Went for my 2wk ck & pathology found dysplasia in my cervix....which made me SO happy it's now gone!

Holly
LAVH 4/4/03

I have that nastly little virus too.... aren't we the lucky ones! lol! Well, I have been having abnormal paps and surgeries for about 20 years now. About 3 years ago, I started having other bleeding problems too. I have had a couple of Laps for those. Now I am taking BCP 24/7 to control the bleeding which is not working well. My Dr. offered the hystectomy to me and I too jumped on it. I can't wait actually. I have the choice of not removing my cervix, but I want that baby out there (not funny, I know!)

Myself, I have always felt like a walking time bomb waiting for the ball to drop, etc. I know that with a hysterectomy the HPV virus will not disappear, but at least I know I will not be getting cervical cancer. If you have this virus, and do have a hysterectomy, it is a good idea to continue with yearly exams and vaginal scrapes to rule out vaginal cancer. ( What next, right) I guess that if I weren't having all the other problems I have, I wouldn't be wanting a hysterectomy. I will say, the thought of the recovery from this surgery is weighing heavy on my mind.

Make sure you have those regular paps! Don't ever let a Dr. tell you, you can wait more than 1 year between paps!

hugs, val

Nice to know I'm not alone! Sure wish I knew how I got this nasty cootie, but alas, we'll never know. You're right, Val, it never goes away and I had laser surgery a few years ago to remove a spot from my labia - yuck. Never saw/felt any bumps but it itched terribly. They did a biopsy and that came back as dysplasia too. Just had another biopsy done there and fortunately it was ok but that's when my dr found dysplasia in my cervix again. Wednesday is my surgery date and it is much too far away for me. I want it out TODAY!!! I'm afraid of what else they might find in the pathology results I tell everybody I know about the importance of pap tests - can't stress it enough!

Hey Cindi, that itchy spot you were talking about.....did they ever biopsy that or was it just a wart????? I am curious (and worried now) can you get cancer there too. OMG, what else can we remove.........I heard you can get vaginal cancer too..... don't suppose my husband would approve of me removing that too....lol
The wait is killing me too and I only have two weeks left! Good luck, hun.

hugs, val

Hi Val - they did biopsy it and it came back as dysplasia (abnormal cells that may or may not yet be precancerous - mine weren't). They lasered it off and so far so good - that was about 6 years ago. They just did another biopsy because I had itching in the same spot but everything was fine. I didn't have any warts at all. The dr said sometimes you have no symptoms; mine just itched. My advise is if you notice ANYTHING odd or different, mention it. I had to really convince my dr that something was wrong the first time because they hadn't diagnosed the HPV and when I complained of itching, they put me on 2 different types of yeast infection medication before she would even see me. When I say itching, I mean ITCHING - worse than any yeast infection you might have had, and in one central spot. Don't panic; it grows very slowly.

The wait is killing me, too. They just changed my date today from 4/30 to 5/2...hang in there!!

Hey Cindi- thanks, i needed that!

Hugs,val