I've been reading here for the last few weeks after having CIN3 diagnosed via colposcopy and 4x biopsy and it's been a massive help in understanding all of it.
I've got my Lletz booked for next Monday and I'm quite nervous about it. At my colposcopy the Dr said about 2/3 to 3/4 of my cervix was affected. I'm anxious about how much they're going to take as I'm also aware that CIN3 means they'll dig deeper too and the recovery from it is scaring me.
Has anyone else had such a large area affected? Is it fairly common? Can someone put my mind at ease that I'm not going to be rushing blood for the next month?! I know I'm probably being ridiculous but any reassurance right now would be really appreciated!
Trust your instincts. You are not being ridiculous. Every medical procedure has risk, but I have found the antidote to fear is to learn as much as I can so you make your decisions from a fully informed place.
Just ask questions, and do your own research as there are some side effects to the LLETZ that women have reported but haven't been researched. So doing your own research is vital, I think. There more I learn about this medical stuff, the less scared I feel. If anything doesn't feel right, then please remember you have a choice about this.
You sound in a similar position to me. I had biopsies at my first colposcopy apoointment and they took 6 of them. Like you they were CIN 3 and also they queried for invasive cancer so they booked me in for a Lletz. I had it under general as the colposcopist said the entire surface area of my cervix was affected and they would need to take a lot and manipulate it to get as much of the bad stuff as possible. After the Lletz the gynae came to talk to me and she said they had taken a 'huge amount' of my cervix! In fact it had to be taken in 3 pieces as they needed to take so much. It sounds bad, but honestly, the recovery has been similar to the biopsies. A bit more bleeding, but not unmanageable and a bit of achey pain. I went into work the next day and was ok.
I'm now waiting for my results proper. I spoke to the clinic and I have an appointment with the consultant on Tuesday. They did say on a quick look at my results it seems they may have caught the CIN 3 in time, but is is not clear that they got clear margins (despite the amount they took away).
So whilst everyone's recovery is different, I have to say mine was manageable. Good luck with your Lletz.
