After any info/ advice/ stories/ anything you got!
Will try to cut a long story short.
Went to the GP a few months ago with spotting throughout the month and bleeding after sex. She did an exam and said everything looked healthy apart from a small ectropian. She wasn't worried as all my smears had been normal and I wasn't due another one yet. She made appointment to coloposcopy anyway to be on the safe side.
A month ago I had my colposcopy appointment. She saw the ectropian and treated it and said it was the cause of the bleeding. She also dabbed on all the solutions which highlighted some abnormal cells. She said she thought they were pre cancerous and probably CIN 1/2. Took a biopsy and arranged a phone call appointment for a month later.
Had the call last night which came back as CIN 3 cell chances. She said there was no malignancy found in that sample. She said she'd arrange for the LLETZ procedure to be done and would send me an appointment in the post. That tissue would also be tested and I'd get a call with those results.
So my question is really, could there still be cancer there when a bigger sample is taken? I'm trying to prepare for the worst but be hopeful for the best. I'm assuming it'd be unlikely to be cancer if it wasn't picked up in the biopsy, but I don't know ?♀️.
Hoping that this just sorts out the cells.
I'm really reluctant to tell anyone tbh so that's why I came on here. Husband is awesome. But the only other person I told implied that I'd be sleeping around. Which felt really nice. ?
Im sorry youve had no response to your query, and I hope you don't think its due to a lack of care! I read your post yesterday and didn't want to reply, as yes, I did go from CIN3 at biopsy to CC at LLETZ - but I dont want to cause undue stress - after all, everybodys case is unique to them, and what happened to me has no bearing on what will happen for you!
LLETZ is both a treatment and a diagnostic process that is intended to remove pre-cancerous abnormalities and confirm the findings of the biopsy. A biopsy is only the size of a grain of rice so it gives a snapshot but not the full panorama, if you like.
I totally appreciate that you find yourself in a difficult waiting game at the moment, and it is so hard to be in that position. I would keep a mantra of your reassuring facts and refer back to these when you start to feel anxious: most importantly, you have a good history of clear smears, on visual inspection it was presumed to be only CIN1/2, your ectropion explains your bleeding, there was no malignancy in the biopsy, etc.
I think you have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic that your LLETZ procedure will bring about a reassuring outcome. If the worst came to the worst and it did not, then there are treatments available and plenty of us on this site who have come through treatment and are here to tell the tale!
...and that is where you will inevitably have a somewhat biased response to your question, because overwhelmingly the people posting regularly on this forum either have or have had cervical cancer - so we are not a representative sample. Many people who had treatment for CIN3 and no further problems might just move on with life, rather than revisiting the forum.
Remember every case is unique and just keep referring back to your collection of reassuring facts that are relevant to your specific circumstances :-)
Hi Mrs Trees I have had a lletz I had it done at my first colposcopy and didn't have biopsies before hand. My lletz revealed mild cell changes rather than CIN3 and they kept checking up on me for months because of the discrepancy. They didn't tell me how much of my cervix they took in the lletz but I did hear the consultant tell the nurse they would take a larger chunk to be on the safe side as I think they were quite concerned at the time. I am post menopausal so they didn't need to worry about my fertility so that was not a factor. I preferred not to know or see the chunk as I am quite squeamish. They think the menopause may have made the discrepancy in my results. What I'm saying is touch wood mine turned out not to be as bad as they thought but they are very thorough and so if they do find anything you will get treated fast and from what I understand a lletz often removes it all anyway. Jo's Ask the expert service might be useful to you as a medical practitioner could answer you better. Your own medical team would be even better as they will know exactly where they found the abnormal cells so presumably if they were just in a small area they may take a smaller amount of tissue in the lletz. I hope this is useful. My consultant told me the lletz is 95% successful so it is a preventative treatment but I think sometimes also a cure. I am not medically qualified but I do understand the fear and the worry and the doubts. You have done the right thing in seeking medical help and you are in safe hands. I hope it works out for you.
Hello again have you been assigned a clinical nurse specialist as they may also be able to answer your questions and reassure you. Mine was great. Hope it all works out for you
thanks so much for replying. Very useful to know everyone's experiences and makes me feel calmer. I've left a message with the coloposcopy clinic asking for some one to ring me back, so I can ask a few questions.
I think I feel so overwhelmed as I've already got a chronic health condition which causes lots of pain etc. I was expecting coloposcopy just to be a quick treatment of ectropian, as GP said everything looked healthy. So, when they said they could see pre cancerous cells it was just like 'surely not something else'?! I'm obviously very grateful that it seems to have been caught early enough. Would just rather not have to think about it.
thanks so much for replying. Very useful to know everyone's experiences and makes me feel calmer. I've left a message with the coloposcopy clinic asking for some one to ring me back, so I can ask a few questions.
I think I feel so overwhelmed as I've already got a chronic health condition which causes lots of pain etc. I was expecting coloposcopy just to be a quick treatment of ectropian, as GP said everything looked healthy. So, when they said they could see pre cancerous cells it was just like 'surely not something else'?! I'm obviously very grateful that it seems to have been caught early enough. Would just rather not have to think about it.
Hi Mrs Trees I'm so glad I could help you. I was very shocked and worried when I got the results of my routine screening after decades of normal results. Once you have facts, it is a bit easier. Many people describe the emotional side of things as like a roller coaster. I would advise you to try to stick to facts, phone Jo's helpline if you are feeling overwhelmed or having a wobble, (the Eve Appeal and MacMillan are also excellent sources of support), try to keep busy and in a routine and carry on enjoying your life when you can to keep some normality (whatever that is in these pandemic days!!!). I have also found a really good book called 'The Gynae Geek' which is written by a female gynaecologist and explains all things women's health related very well. You are right to turn to your hospital team first and foremost as they know your case and are therefore best equipped to help you. Of course your GP should also support you and knows your other health issues.
Great advice from 55 to contact your health care team, as i say - everyone is different and someone else's experience isn't necessarily going to reflect yours!
I was told the average cervix length is approx 40mm and the deepest LLETZ removes approx 15mm. It can therefore be performed more than once, if necessary. The width varies dependent on how much of the cervix surface appears abnormal. The biopsy is about 5mm deep and very narrow, like a grain of rice.
Less severe changes are usually treated with a smaller LLETZ of <10mm.
I dont think the depth of the treatment has any bearing on your experience of the procedure itself, or the recovery - which is unique to every woman. Removing >15mm can result in closer monitoring during any subsequent pregnancies and should be mentioned at your first midwife appointment.
