In November 2022 I had a routine smear which came back as HPV+ but normal cells. I needed a repeat smear test in 12 months time, which I attended in November 2023. Those results came back at Christmas in a letter saying still HPV + and mild cell changes. I have a colposcopy tomorrow 15th Jan. I’m very nervous obviously. I think I’m also perimenopausal as my periods have been haywire and heavy since I came off the pill in the summer of 2022. Feeling pretty rubbish and low as I had an awful heavy period over Christmas which lasted 11 days and I only had a 9 day break before another one came along. I think I’m at the end of it today, but would it matter if I was lightly bleeding tomorrow during the colposcopy? I didn’t want to cancel as I didn’t want to wait any longer for it.
Update **
I went to my colposcopy appointment today, the doctor was lovely and kind. She looked at my cervix and said the patchy areas are “just HPV virus” … she then put on some clear liquid and pointed out some pale discolouration which she said didn’t look anything to worry about. She then applied some iodine to the area and once absorbed turning most of the tissue dark brown, it left a small white patch which she said is the bit containing the low grade changes which the smear test had indicated. She then took 2 painless biopsies and put them in a small jar containing clear liquid. During all of this, a nurse was taking pictures on the monitor and another nurse was standing beside me for reassurance. The doctor then applied some silver liquid which stopped any bleeding from the biopsy site.
The doctor was very lovely and relaxed and said she will write to me in about 3 weeks, but that she hadn’t seen anything to worry about other then the low grade changes and would be surprised if the biopsies showed otherwise. She gave me some information including her email if I needed to ask anything or info was worried while waiting. I also asked what the biopsies could show other than what we are expecting… and she said “just higher grade changes” in which case she would have me back in for some treatment which would be absolutely fine… but she doesn’t expect that… but obviously she cannot promise 100%.
I came away feeling like I’m in good hands… and less worried than I’ve been for weeks.
Just wanted to share incase anyone else is going through similar xx
Sounds like you had a positive experience today and I’m sure this will be reassuring to people about to have similar if they find this. I’ve found lots of old posts so useful this week as using the forum for the first time and just reading anything remotely relevant to my case.
Hope they come back all clear for you when you hear in three weeks. X
Thank you for reading and replying! Are you in a similar boat? It was a scary/upsetting situation made easier by lovely nurses and colposcopist… I felt very lucky that I felt in safe hands. Hoping for reassuring news but glad to have got today done.
I hope you’re okay with wherever you’re at xx
@Carli unfortunately, my first biopsy confirmed I have CGIN Adenocarcinoma in Situ and it didn’t have clear margins.
I went back today for what I thought was going to be a second LLETZ but instead I’ve been put on the list for an urgent hysterectomy.
Between my last appointment, on 28/12, and today my case had been taken to an MDT and following that they’d requested my biopsy be looked at again in more depth. Because of the margins being unusual and then an examination today confirming whatever that meant, a hysterectomy is the safest option for me.
I’m grateful I’d been pre-warned by info on here and a couple of research papers I’d found that hysterectomy was a common treatment plan for CGIN or I’m sure I’d have been more shocked and wouldn’t have had all my questions ready to ask.
Apparently CGIN has a lot of risk factors and if it develops further can be very aggressive. I figured I’d rather eliminate that risk now whilst it’s an option rather than wait and have something much harder to treat. I also learnt that on here based on some much older threads. I’m not really a forum user for anything else in life so it’s been a bit weird having this be the most useful source of information I’ve found!!
I’m hoping to get a letter/call with a date soon so I can plan things.
I also really hope they don’t find anything else after the op as they do a lot of testing on what they take out. Mostly I’m just grateful it’s been caught and they’ve seen me so quickly.
PS please don’t let my reply worry you. Your biopsy process sounds different to mine. They could see from my smear I had CGIN and that’s not the same thing they’ve told you!! X
xx
