Post Punk Kitchen Forum

This thread made me go to my gyn again. I slack in these things - People, get your regular exams! this thread needs to be bumped regularly.

And good cervix vibes to everybody!

I agree. Actually, it's time to get my yearly pap...
I've been avoiding it because I hated the way my mom's gyn talked to/treated me. He wasn't super rude, but he said things that made me feel uncomfortable and sad : (
I wonder if a lady gyn would be a better choice for me.

Ok, yeah that is what I do.

Arghhhh my gynecologist, whom I ADORE, is leaving to go to another practice that's a little too far away. I miss her and am slacking on booking another appointment because I don't want to see anyone who's not her (I will, though, soon, I promise).

Definitely ask for a referral to a new gyno. I did that with my ENT, because I really liked her and how she interacted with me. I told her I needed a pelvic exam, and she sent me the name of my NP, who I ended up really, really liking.

You're also going to get different advice from different docs, and different advice based on your age and history. I used to get paps yearly because I was on the pill and they were big on using that to hold you hostage to yearly exams. Around the time the recommendation started to shift to every three years for a pap was when I had my first bad one, so I was back on yearly for awhile. Then, when I should have been cleared to go to every three, I had my second bad pap. So... as long as I have a cervix I suspect that they're going to want me there yearly. Though I just had mine (and was well and stupidly overdue) and it was clean as a whistle. Very relieved since I've had my share of cervical woes.

My Dr. told me to get a pap every other year. It doesn't really bother me to go in so I wonder if they will let me come every year? I had abnormal cells last time (and am still waiting for the results from this round) so I would rather come in more often.

Just back from the clinic. The dr said the first smear just showed mild abnormality. They took a couple of biopsies (a small one and a larger one) from the area, and now I feel crampy and oozy. Other than that, I'm alright. I should get results in 3-4 weeks. Fingers crossed it's something that'll clear itself up or just require a bit of LEEP (which I understand isn't pleasant, but it would be more so than the radiation and chemo I'd undergo if it turns out to be cancer).

Just to keep the ppk up to date on my vag health, I have an appt with a new doc in 2 weeks. He (yikes) was recommended to me. I'm due for a pap anyway but new doc definitely would want it. I'm a little nervous at my first male gyn but we'll see.

I finally had an appointment with my new referred gynecologist, and while I miss my old one, this new one gave me the quickest, most painless pap smear I'd ever had. I didn't even know she'd done it and was surprised when she took out the speculum. SO all my slacking was silly.

Now comes the week where I nervously await my results.

Yearly paps are easy and free -- get them please. I'm celebrating that I only have to get them every three months without full-on biopsies. #highriskHPV

ETA: unless you're a virgin, go back and read that I had just had a child and very regular paps for 5 years and then bam, covered in bad cells. That means it took only a few months after my IUD was inserted (got a pap then) to grow pre-cancer.

And you will never hate your gynecologist more than when they tell you that you have cancer. Paps are practically fun. Pretend you're doing an informative TV show and make jokes -- that's what I do.

I agree that they're easy, but it's only free in certain areas/income levels.

Alright, alright, I had to pay for my own but I'm also 10k in debt now thanks to the HPV detected.

Yeah, definitely MUCH cheaper to get a yearly pap than to deal with something left untreated. :(

Yeah, I'm all for yearly paps. They are covered where I live, so there is no excuse to NOT go. If I had something wrong, I'd rather know within a year of it developing rather than 3.

I don't fully understand how HPV works. i do have a pap scheduled for next week for my yearly checkup, so don't worry I'm going to not slack on that. I was just wondering, how it works, such as, if I had no issues last year and have only had sex with one person who is the same person as was last year when I was fine, is there still a chance that I will have developed something, or not? Wouldn't it be that any HPV either of us have we have already given to eachother? or does it just lay dormant and attack sometimes?

I had only been having sex with one person for 4 years before I developed lesions. HPV is warts, which can come up at any time and is only transmittable through sexual contact. There can be a re-infection cycle between partners.

Those with abnormal paps, do you go get multiple paps a year? I'm supposed to go every 3-4 months but my insurance only pays for one a year and the others are ~$100. My last one was normal so I'm hoping if I have one more normal one I can cut back on them.

Ditto. My first sexual partner gave me HPV, and it didn't appear until we'd been together for over 3 years. The virus lies dormant in your system and can flare up at any time (ie if you're stressed, not eating well etc.).

Its been 22 years since my last bad pap, so the good news is that at some point your risk levels decline (and you can have paps done less often), even if you are going to always have the virus.

So, I'm the worst/best procrastinator ever. I finally had a colposcopy today after having a bad pap nearly a year ago. I had another abnormal pap with my regular doctor last month. When she called with the results, the phone woke me up, so I didn't really register a lot of the things she said. I remember hearing pre-cancerous cells and HPV, but couldn't remember the context. A few days later, I got the results in the mail: "high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion - severe dysplasia/carcinoma in-situ". Great.

I forgot to take any ibuprofen before my appointment, like I was instructed, but the biopsy wasn't too bad. My doctor was really good at explaining everything as we went, and I had a good understanding because of reading this thread. I'm currently Googling the test results, which I put off as long as possible to not worry myself too much, and now I've landed on the Wikipedia article on cervical cancer. I know I shouldn't worry about it until I get more definitive results, but it's pretty impossible to avoid at this stage.

Sending many good thoughts to you.

I thought this was a useful summary of test results - particularly because it points out that the diagnosis you received generally means that the cell damage hasn't escalated to cervical cancer but most likely is just going to involve cryo or a LEEP procedure to remove any problematic cells. The cryo I had wasn't the most fun in the world but it wasn't very painful and I haven't had any issues in the 22 years since.

I hope things go well for you and that you have a quick and complete recovery <3

Since I've been only semi sexually active I'm not sure if I've ever had a full on pap and I'm kind of freaked out... If I've had a speculum inserted in me at some point is that an actual pap smear? (I feel dumb. ._. ) I have a gyno appointment in a week and I think I'll have one then. But something strange is going on with my ladyparts and now I'm super freaked out.

Good healing thoughts to everyone dealing with HPV or any cervical problems. Stay strong!

PS my ex has never heard of HPV and doesn't even know what it is. I feel like bonking him on the head

A speculum might have just been to check your cervix. If some one inserted a swab of some kind and swabbed your cervix and then cultured those cells, you've had a pap.

Good luck with your ladybits!

I've been swabbed, but not sure if they checked for HPV. Either way, I'm kind of relieved that's all it entails. Thank you!!