Lletz treatment with no biopsy first

I recently had an appointment for a colposcopy from an abnormal smear result, the hospital were quite urgent to get me in and seen to (even giving up their lunch time to fit me in asap) and when I got there I was offered LLETZ treatment immediately with no biopsy ever having been taken… Can someone help me to understand why this was? And am I waiting for results after this treatment or is it just done with now? I’m so confused!!!

Hi Tillie. When I was called for my colposcopy they offered an LLETZ straight away too. The consultant felt she could remove all the cells there and then.

They’ll send the removed cells away to be checked and then they’ll be able to confirm what happens next for you.

They’ll be looking for what they call ‘clear margins’ i.e a clear line of healthy cells meaning they got all the abnormal ones within the bit they removed. The cells will also be checked to confirm what level of abnormal cells you had too.

Depending what they find will dictate what happens next - you may get invited back for more treatment or you may be all done and dusted.

Waiting for results is one of the hardest parts.

My advice is to try not to go down the Google rabbit hole. And if you have questions, write them down so if you’re contacted over the phone or you feel you need to call the clinic, you have a list to work through.

Be kind to yourself after the LLETZ too and take it easy for a little while.

Xx

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As above, I experienced the same, a quick chat before the procedure I was told they’d do the lletz there and then which I had prepared for as I have severe dykariosis diagnosed through smear test. They said to wait for 4-6 weeks, it’s been only a week and I’m wishing time away like never before so I can think about something else :rofl: hope you are healing well from your lletz xx

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Thank you for your reply, it has been so confusing, I have a friend who went through a similar situation, but her abnormal cells were picked up due to a previous issue and not because of a smear, she said she was told the cin level of her abnormal cells as soon as she saw her colposcopist but I am still in the dark regarding the severity of the cells, all I know is that they were worried about my results and needed to see me urgently (they called me the day before and invited me in ASAP) so I my anxiety has gone through the roof worrying that there is something up. Thank you for your reassurance xx

Thank you for your reply, I am only a week infront of you so I’m still very much in the waiting stages too, I just need to know whether it is over now as I haven’t slept properly in weeks for worry… they had me in so quick, with no biopsy, no colposcopy first, just lletz immediately after my smear results. Nobody said that I would need the LLETZ until I got in to the room with the consultant (this was my first smear so I don’t know how it usually works) I’m just really worried and don’t know what to do, my doctors are all really vague and don’t help me to understand they just go about their treatment and leave me in the dark about it all! I hope you are feeling ok after LLETZ I know it can be pretty grim xx

Also feeling grim eith it too :worried: but I’m thankful it’s done, on the letter with your smear results it should state cell change. From what I’ve rea, if it’s moderate to severe they like to remove them with lletz, if they’re left to grow they could grow cancerous-but it’s only a possibility. During the lletz they take samples to be sent for diagnosis and you should then get a letter stating the severity of the cells and if they cleared them with a clear margin it means that there are only healthy cells left and you’ll go for another check in 6 months.
Any other result will be looked at by a team of specialists who will decide the best course of treatment to get us better so there are excellent systems in place it would just be even more helpful if this was all spelled out from the beginning as I found the questioning every stage or outcome really stressful. Google scared me senseless but reading through others experiences has really helped understand the process and the different levels it can go through. Xxx

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Hi @Tillie

They seem to be being as vigilant as they can, generally they do state the grade of cells found but sometimes, the type of letter you have received usually means they have found severe cell changes… not all smears are definitive, they are more of a guideline in some cases they can come back low but a biopsy states high or the opposite high smear but a low biopsy so them doing a treatment before the actual biopsy will be them being thorough taking more tissue to work with rather than scraped cells, a LLETZ although a treatment is also a type of biopsy… there has been alot of woman in your situation that have still had a good outcome there is still a light at the end of the tunnel :slight_smile:

the ladies above me ^ have already explained what happens next so i wont bore you with my explanation lol x

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Thanks again for replying, and I hope you are feeling ok. I have had a phone call this morning saying the consultant wants to see me tomorrow regarding my results. I’m trying not to worry too much but I’m also aware that I wouldn’t be called in (especially so soon) if it was good news so fingers crossed for tomorrow I guess? I have been worried sick as they haven’t been very clear and it reassures me to know what is happening step by step, it’s my body at the end of the day I just want to feel in control of it!

Hi tinkerbelle29

Thanks for your response, I have had a phone call staying the consultant wants to see me regarding my results tomorrow so hopefully should be a bit clearer about what is going on, it doesn’t reassure me that my GP seems to have no clue why I’m worrying, I tried getting them to clear up all my problems (I have a few gynae and non gynae problems at present) and he honestly just went on to tell me what I already knew, no clarification, no reassurance, nothing. Hopefully I can get some of that tomorrow. The fear of the unknown is horrible xx