Colposcopy after a hysterectomy?

After a well visit appointment with my Dr. which included all the test as well as a ( pap smear ) .. I got a call from the nurse today saying it came back abnormal.. and to come in and have a Colposcopy next Tuesday... I was shocked and confused and what made me even more upset she then said " if you have your period reschedule"... I had a HYSTERECTOMY!... she said ok well I will connect you to the appointment girl.. Im so in need of some advice.. Has anyone every gone through this?.. I thought it would be smooth sailing I do have one ovary but they cant biopst that... confused and scared.

Hi Sugarpie.

I am afraid that the colposcopies don't stop :-( As indicated, your pap has come back abnormal. This may be a "false posivite" or it may actually be abnormal. Even though you have had a hysterectomy, dysplasia may still occur in the vagina. I am not sure what your history is, but if you have HPV one is never rid off it. In rare circumstances it does reoccur in the vagina. Please try not to be worried that it may be cancer. If you are having your regular checkups this will still prbably be early stage dysplasia. My understanding is if it is very early, they will just watch it - there is a chance that it will go away on its own. If it develops further, I believe woman have had cryosurgery to take care of it.

I know this is easier said than done, but please try not too worry about it too much. There is nothing you can do in the meantime and you will probably just drive yourself crazy. Wait until the results come back.

Take care,
Jan

Sugarpie, I don't know your situation but I just this month have gone through the very same thing. I had a pap done and got a call a week later to come back for a biopsy because the pap was abnormal. I just got the call Monday that the biopsy is all clear. I do have to go back in May for another pap though. The gyn/onc said that radiation can cause an abnormal pap as can infection or inflammation. I don't know if you have had radiation or not. The biopsy isn't pleasant but after one little snip it''ll all be over. Hope you get good results like I did.

sugarpie - did the doctor tell you what the pap smear results were, specifically, other than just 'abnormal'? that would be good for you to know. and, yes, we continue to have pap smears to be sure that there are no abnormalities such as dysplasia developing. if they should arise, that's when the colposcopy and biopsy routine is done again. yeah, it definitely stinks. 18 months after my hysterectomy, after having had good paps, i had an abnormal pap, and the colposcopy and biopsies showed i have vain1. i went again 3 months later, and colposcopy and biopsy - and another pap - showed vain1 again/still. my gyn/onc has told me it's unusual but not rare. its very frustrating that even after having had a hysterectomy to deal with recurring cervical dysplasia it has now recurred in the vagina. at vain1, my doctor is not recommending any treatment at this time; we're just watching it to be sure it doesn't progress. i hope that your colposcopy shows that all is ok. let us know how it goes. best wishes.

Hi,

Back in May of 2005, the first Pap I'd had since my hysterectomy three years prior came back abnormal with a finding of ASCUS. I had to have several colposcopies and was diagnosed with moderate and severe dysplasia.

I was scheduled for laser surgery to zap the bad cells, but due to some personal problems I was having at the time (my mom passed away that August and I was dealing with severe depression), I didn't go through with it. My gyn and the gyn oncologist I saw agreed that we could take a "wait and see" attitude. I continued to be monitored with a Pap every three months, and another colposcopy this summer was normal, as was the Pap that followed it. We were hopeful that my body had cleared the HPV and the problems were over.

However, my last Pap test in December came back abnormal again, this time at a level worse than it has before. I'm scheduled for yet another colposcopy on Tuesday. This will be my fourth.

I'm sick and tired of this stuff. I remarried last March, and my husband and I bought and moved into our new home a few months ago. I'm also having an as-yet undiagnosed neurological problem that my doctors think may be MS. The last thing I need right now is to have to deal with dysplasia again (and hopefully, nothing worse!) I just want to live a normal, healthy life with my husband and our family. (We also just had a new granddaughter who was born on my husband's birthday two weeks ago.)

So, yes, as you see, having a hysterectomy is no guarantee that you won't have bad Paps. My gyn told me that dysplasia rarely turns into cancer though,, so I'm counting on that being true.

Good luck with everying and I hope everything works out okay for you. You're not alone.

Big s,

Lisa

Lisa,

I just wanted to ask you a quick question. Quote "My gyn told me that dysplasia rarely turns into cancer though," are you talking about specifically after a hysterectomy? Because quite honestly, if dysplasia rarely turned into cancer, then why would everyone be concerned about it?

Janny, I'm not sure if there is any difference as to whether dysplasia turns into cancer before or after hysterectomy. I'm assuming the incidence would be the same either way since the cells of the cervix and the vagina are virtually identical, so if dysplasia cells were present, they'd have the same chance of turning into cancer whether or not there is a cervix.

I've always wondered about that statement that my gyn made. I don't know if he was just telling me that to calm me down, or if it's actually true. My research on the topic has suggested otherwise, but I assume that he knows what he is talking about. (The gyn oncologist didn't seem too concerned either.)

My colposcopy is scheduled for Tuesday. If I can remember to ask, I'll see if I can get my gyn to verify that info.

Actually, dysplasia may be an indication that cancer may develop. That's why it's treated...so it doesn't progress to cancer. Here's some information that may be helpful:

From the National Cervical Cancer Coalition:
"Dysplasia - In dysplasia, there is an increase in the number of cells formed, which do not mature as expected. This changes the inside of the cell. The higher the grade of dysplasia found on the cervix, the more likely that it will progress to invasive cancer. For this reason, dysplasia is thought as a "pre-cancerous" condition."
http://www.nccc-online.org/patient_9.php

And, yes, the vagina and cervix both have squamous cells. However, when the cervix has dysplasia, the goal of treatments such as LEEP's and hysterectomies is to remove the areas in which the abnormal cells reside. In many (most) cases, this can be done successfully. Dysplasia can re-occur in the cervix if it hasn't been fully removed, or in the vagina. HPV isn't removed with any treatment, and can thus continue to result in dysplasia.

I hope this information is helpful. I'm not a doctor....that's the best place to get your specific questions answered.

Joanne

I am confused. I have cervical cancer/HPV. I am having a hysterectomy on March 30. They are removing everything....uterus, cervix, 1/3 vagina, lymph nodes, and ovaries. I have thought that once all is removed, that I will be cancer free. That I won't need paps(there s nothing left!). From what I am reading, it is still possible to continue to need procedures because of dysplasia, cancer, etc?????? I don't understand. Is this true? It won't be over ?

lisa - i'm sorry to hear that you've been diagnosed with cervical cancer/hpv. i hope the hysterectomy goes smoothly. and, yes, women who have had a hysterectomy for 'non-benign' reasons, need to continue to have regular pap smears. they will take the smear/sampling of the vaginal cuff and/or walls. it's great that your hysterectomy will remove the cancer. and then, the future pap smears and check ups will monitor your health to be sure that dysplasia/cancer does not re-occur. it can recur in the vagina, though it is unusual. i hope this information is helpful for you. if you've got questions, please ask. and, you should ask your doctor what his/her recommendation is for future testing, etc.

joanne