I'm 28 and had a previous smear 3 years ago which was normal. Had my last smear 3 weeks ago which came back with HPV positive and high grade moderate changes. I have such bad health aniexty and I'm so worried that after going for my colposcopy on Friday that I will be told it's worse than first thought or cancer. I've got 2 children and only had my second 5 months ago, I can't sleep or eat properly it's hanging over me.
how long do you normally wait for biopsy results and will they be able to see how bad it is from the colposcopy?
I don't have any advice I'm afraid - but I saw your post and I had to comment because I am in a similar position. Ive just turned 35 , Smears have all been fine up until last year when I was hpv positive with no cell changes . Advised to have another smear within a year . Fast forward and the smear results came back a week or so ago as hpv positive with high grade ( moderate ) dyskaryosis. I have my colposcopy tomorrow .
I too am a nervous wreck . I'm petrified that it's going to be cancer and I seem to have had 'symptoms' suddenly appear since I had my smear ( health anxiety at its finest ! ) I have googled repeatedly for the last few weeks and the amount of times I've seen posts from women who have been in the same situation and been fine is shocking . The amount of posts from women who have not been fine I can count on one hand . I have seen so many articles etc that say this result is not cancer , it's preventative yet my brain just won't allow me to accept that it's like I'm convinced that I will be that one rare case. I have also seen so many posts just like yours and what I'm writing now - so it's completely normal to feel this way !
I think it's scary because it's just something new , something we hear about but happens to other people . I have 4 friends who have been through the exact same thing ( all have been fine ! )
It's common , just doesn't feel like it to us ! I just wanted to let you to know you aren't alone xx
Thank you so much for replying, I too have been constantly googling since I have had my smear and scared myself senseless! I think it is a shock more than anything as like you say you don't imagine having a letter like that after normal previous smears. I am trying to keep positive but have moments where it hits me and I think I will be told the worst.
I'm hoping I may feel a bit better after going for my colposcopy on Friday but the thought of more waiting is awful!
I'm sorry I never saw this reply! I had my colposcopy today . They didn't do any treatment , before she had even looked at me she said that my smear had shown moderate cells , 70% of people with these cells just get rid of them - they just go with no treatment - (now , I was a nervous wreck so it's a bit blurry I actually thought moderate changes had to be treated , and I think my gp mentioned that they had said my changes were high grade moderate to be safe as they weren't sure but I was crying at the time , so I'm not sure if they think they may be a lower grade or not I didn't ask ) she told me there and then that I would be having a biopsy and then they would see what the cells were like and discuss what treatment ( it could be no treatment and monitor , laser treatment or cutting away an area ) . She told me nothing about what she saw during the colposcopy- however I asked for the screen to be turned away as otherwise I would convince myself I saw something bad ( seriously , I would be googling when I got home lol ) . She did stop once she had looked and was about to do the biopsy and said " it all looks good" . Afterwards I directly asked could it be cancer and she said from what she has seen she does not think it is cancer , she does not think that at most it's any more than what the smear suggests. I even asked her if she had to tell me if she had suspicions and she laughed and said yes !
I hope that makes you feel a little better as we are in such a similar situation . I am a super anxious person especially when it comes to health and in all honesty no matter what she said to me today I would still worry until I got confirmation from an actual test ! But - I do feel more positive after today .
Regarding the actual procedure - I actually found it less uncomfortable than a smear , I have a tilted cervix so smears are not the best for me but they had an amazing chair that meant it all went smoothly ! They seemed to take 3 samples for the biopsy ( well , the punch sound happened 3 times ! ) that didn't exactly hurt it was more of a weird sensation ! Now , the have a few cramps and I'm feeling a little pain but nothing major !
I wish you all the luck for Friday , you will be fine ❤️
I'm sorry I never saw this reply! I had my colposcopy today . They didn't do any treatment , before she had even looked at me she said that my smear had shown moderate cells , 70% of people with these cells just get rid of them - they just go with no treatment - (now , I was a nervous wreck so it's a bit blurry I actually thought moderate changes had to be treated , and I think my gp mentioned that they had said my changes were high grade moderate to be safe as they weren't sure but I was crying at the time , so I'm not sure if they think they may be a lower grade or not I didn't ask ) she told me there and then that I would be having a biopsy and then they would see what the cells were like and discuss what treatment ( it could be no treatment and monitor , laser treatment or cutting away an area ) . She told me nothing about what she saw during the colposcopy- however I asked for the screen to be turned away as otherwise I would convince myself I saw something bad ( seriously , I would be googling when I got home lol ) . She did stop once she had looked and was about to do the biopsy and said " it all looks good" . Afterwards I directly asked could it be cancer and she said from what she has seen she does not think it is cancer , she does not think that at most it's any more than what the smear suggests. I even asked her if she had to tell me if she had suspicions and she laughed and said yes !
I hope that makes you feel a little better as we are in such a similar situation . I am a super anxious person especially when it comes to health and in all honesty no matter what she said to me today I would still worry until I got confirmation from an actual test ! But - I do feel more positive after today .
Regarding the actual procedure - I actually found it less uncomfortable than a smear , I have a tilted cervix so smears are not the best for me but they had an amazing chair that meant it all went smoothly ! They seemed to take 3 samples for the biopsy ( well , the punch sound happened 3 times ! ) that didn't exactly hurt it was more of a weird sensation ! Now , the have a few cramps and I'm feeling a little pain but nothing major !
I wish you all the luck for Friday , you will be fine ❤️
I'm glad it went better for you today! And wasn't as uncomfortable as you thought it would be, I am exactly the same I know I will have to ask for the screen to be turned as I would convince myself I had seen something.
im hoping I will fee a bit better on Friday but equally will know that I won't be able to relax until I have the results letter. Im really hoping they will do any treatment there and then if thry can see that I need it as I can't deal with the waiting it's making me ill!
im so sorry to hear you're going through this. I'm in a similar situation. I'm 28 and my first smear test was fine. I had my little boy January 2020 and the day I came home from hospital a letter was waiting for me to book my 2nd smear.
obviously I couldn't book it straight away and as time went on I forgot about it. I booked it for august 2020 and it came back high grade hpv with not enough cells to check for abnormalities. I then had to wait another 3 months for my cells to grow and had my next smear done in December 2020. My results came back end of January 2021 and I hade high grade cells too. I was booked in fir a colposcopy and the nurse noticed my cervix was tilted which was giving me quite a bit of pain when having the examination. She dyed my cervix and said that I will definitely need my cells removed as they were CIN3! I was petrified too. With 2 children in constantly thinking the worst. She booked me in for LLETZ treatment and a biopsy under general anaesthetic on Tuesday just gone (2 days ago) they put me to sleep then woke me up after 10 mins to stay the operation couldn't go ahead as I came on my period ?. Something is always postponing this and I can't wait to just get these cells removed.
I just wanted to say as hard as it is stay so strong and positive. If you fancied a chat im here. You're not alone xxxxx
Hi there, I am in exactly the same position as you and the same age. (I actually just posted today). Totally terrified. My original letter said HPV/ low grade however when I went for my Colponoscopy she said it looked high grade and covered a large area. She then said we will see if it's CIN 1 or CIN 2 but I am panicking it's more than that. I was also given a leaflet for treatment which suggested that will definitely be happening. I have been waiting for my results for 2 weeks.
i was in such a state before I went in but they were all the lovely and reassuring I also asked for the screen to be turned as I couldnt bare to look! I also kept asking if she thought it was cancer but she said the same that she didn't think it was and expected it fo
be the same as what my smear said. But I know I won't totally relax until I have my results.
I asked her To do treatment there and then as I couldn't stand to go back so she did lletz treatment on the area and took a biopsy.
feeling achey now and tired as I think I've drained myself by all the stress and worrying!
thank you for your help, let me know what your results say xx
