Thank You All

Cervical screening results
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Hello everybody.

I just wanted to come on here and let you know my journey over the last 6 months. If it helps one person it will be worth it.

P L E A S E D O N ’ T G O O G L E . . .

If you need support or have a question then this is the place to be. Lots of lovely ladies going through the same as you.

Catastrophise everything you probably will but going on Dr Google will only make those worries worse. I know … I have doom scrolled and scrolled and been completely convinced that I was going to have an outcome that I couldn’t bare to deal with.

I have suffered Health Anxiety for years. The death of my parents and grandparents added to my fear of my own mortality. I have two little boys and that just added to my fear of leaving them without their Mum.

I had a Cervical Screen in August and waited for my results knowing I had tested positive for HPV for the last 2 screens. Sure enough I received the results that told me I had no abnormal cells but was HPV positive.

I had a date for Colposcopy and I went along and had biopsies taken. I had Cin 2 and 3 and my results were discussed at an MDT. I then had Lletz (which was painless and fine for me) but after the Lletz I had to wait a very very long 8 weeks for my results. It was in those 8 weeks that I decided I would be told worse case scenario, it was those weeks that I phoned Colposcopy asking for any news, it was those weeks that I tried everything to bring it up into conversations with friends so that they could reassure me, it was those weeks that I Googled and Googled and Googled stealing precious time from my life and filling me with fear.

Yesterday I received a letter to say I had been discussed at MDT again and the biopsies confirmed Cin 2 and 3. The team were happy with the outcome and want to do a Test Of Cure in 6 months time.

I know my story isn’t over yet but in the next chapter I know Im staying away from Dr Google.

You wonderful people helped me and I’m so grateful that I had this forum especially after Id frightened myself half to death on Google filled with Psycho Sues with scary stories!!!

Some ladies do have to fight the fight and to those ladies I want to show my love and respect to them for their strength and bravery.

Please remember that we have cervical screens for a reason and the wonderful people who work at Colposcopy want to help to keep us healthy. We are lucky that we are looked after in this way. So so lucky.

You are awesome for going through this and being brave enough to attend appointments. Please remember that.

Much love to all going through this too. :yellow_heart:

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I have nearly written a similar post several times. I think for many of us, we attend for our smear tests completely ,and naturally, expecting a normal result. The nurse or smear taker will have explained what’s being looked for, about how common HPV is, what will happen if we get a HPV positive result, or an abnormal result. Despite this, when our results come back as HPV positive, or abnormal, it’s a shock, a disappointment almost. Even though we could phone our nurse for advice, or a chat, we instinctively head towards google, and even though we read again about how common HPV is, and so on, I think most of us will have jumped the gun, and self diagnosed, gone through possible treatment scenarios, and we dwell on our results, and worry ourselves stupid. I live in Wales - cervical screening wales has a clear protocol for cervical screening, colposcopy referrals, and timescales for those referrals, and I’d imagine this to be the same in most places. However, because we have self diagnosed ourselves, based on the huge amount of information available online, we get frustrated and panicked when we have to wait for appointments for colposcopy - why do they not see us with the same urgency that we perceive they should be??
I am 50. I had lletz treatment 10years ago for CIN 2, and have had HPV on and off since, and had another lletz treatment last year for CIN 3. I was disappointed that I had CIN 3 last year, and a little shocked in truth, because I’d had HPV with no abnormal cells the previous years. I did the whole google thing, despite rationally knowing that colposcopy would deal with it accordingly.I say rationally, because I am also a smear taker. I’m sorry to have railroaded the original message, but I guess what I’d like to stress is that when you have an abnormal or HPV positive result, please do go and speak to your smear taker for advice, and you never know, she may well be able to offer advice from experience also xx

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I am really struggling with this at the moment.

I’m 41. Smears normal (pre HPV testing). 3 yearly one was last year, HPV and borderline changes. Colposcopy showed nothing so told to go back in 12 months.

12 months has just gone. HPV and low grade changes. Went for colposcopy and told her that due to my severe cancer phobia the waiting is having a severe effect on mental health. She said if she saw anything on colposcopy then she would remove it there and then.

She saw a tiny area, millimetres she said that turned which which she removed. She said rather than biopsy and then a wait for results she would just take it off using lletz there and then.

I felt great. But now I’m panicking about results and am convinced its going to come back as cancer. I’ve made myself so unwell with the worry. She also said I’d probably be back in 6 months for another smear. I thought okay, that’s no time at all but she’s removed the cells so hopefully it may come back normal.

That’s until i found out even if cells are normal then, if I’m still HPV ill end up being back for another colposcopy. I won’t shift HPV due to my age and i cannot face the rest of my life having this constant testing and waiting every 6 months.

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Hello Lolawoo1 I understand totally what you mean is very difficult to know that we have a virus that has no cure and we just need to get rid of it by our inmune system, can be extremely frustrating .
But you need to try and stay positive you don’t have cancer it looks like you have this under control and being very well looked after women that get treatment for CIN and keep up to date with all checks that we are told to attend have almost a 0 % chance of developing cancer as it is such an early stage . So please stay positive attend all your appointments and you will be OK. If you want to feel a bit proactive about the HPV try and take some vitamins and AHCC to make your inmune system stronger .take care and enjoy your life

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Thanks for your reply. I just want the results back from what she took away on wed. I’ve convinced myself its going to come back the worst.

The thought of going through the build up to tests and waiting for results forever is just too much for me to bare.

My consultant said taking vitamins isn’t worth it and I’ve read the AHCC is not good for you, hence you can’t buy it in well know health stores. So I’m not sure what else i can do.

Feels like I’m just sitting here doing nothing waiting for it to get worse.

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AHCC is ‘not good for you’ if you’re on certain drugs, including immunosuppressants, of course - which suggests it does have an activity in enhancing the immune response within the body. There is actually quite a lot of literature in it’s favour in the last 20 years. Of course, not every supplement is right for everyone, but your consultant’s comment that taking vitamins isn’t worth it would be relevant if you were already consuming the optimal vitamin intake through your food, of course. If you are not, of course, or have malabsorption issues (for various reasons including radiotherapy of the gut areas) then they can be worth it, as any nutritionalist would tell you, I’m sure. And you can find them in all the well known health stores…

‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ doesn’t mean convincing yourself the outcome will be really bad, which is not good for your mental health, as you know. There are always things you can do to improve your general health, which is never a bad thing. Even losing weight if you’re a little bit overweight has been demonstrated to help your body deal with things. I’m not going to reaffirm the negative thinking, because that’s not good for any aspect of your wellbeing. Yes, I’ve had physicians tell me that it’s a waste of money taking supplements, but if I want to ‘waste my money’ on looking after the only body I’ll ever have, then that’s my choice! X

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Just looking at AhCc and not sure which one to buy? Im already taking 1000mg of vitamin c every day

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I’ve been taking 1000mg vitamin C for a long time too. :+1:t3:. I’m taking Time Health AHCC - from Amazon - the High Strength - two before food in the morning. I also started probiotics (16 million something-or-other! :joy:) after my chemo and radiotherapy treatment as my gut bacteria was shot to pieces. It really made a difference. I was suffering dreadful foul tastes from my stomach and nausea - interestingly my team knew about this and only recommended anti-sickness meds and didn’t even mention probiotics, but when at my follow up meeting I said I had put myself on a regime of probiotics to sort out my stomach, they said ‘oh yes, exactly right!’.

This is the AHCC I take:

Active Hexose Correlated Compound - High Strength - Alpha Glucans - 60 Capsules - UK Made - Zero Additives - Pullulan (60 Capsule Pouch)

To be honest, I think being active in caring for yourself is one of the few ways to reduce anxiety over these things, as they have the potential to make you feel totally powerless, which just increases anxiety. X

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By the way, some ladies on the forum have managed to get the HPV vaccine - some in their 50s - although it may cost a lot as you have to get it at a chemist. There is completely split opinion as to whether it can help or not - some physicians say yes, some say no, it’s only effective before you get the virus (to stop you getting it). Of course people who have had COVID have still been vaccinated, so you can make of that what you will. Again I think it helps some people to feel they are taking every chance to help their bodies beat HPV.

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The Quality of Life capsules are almost £100 bottle for the gold one!

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I know - they get their base compound from a Japanese company who extract the AHCC and then sell to other companies who put a markup on in exchange for the AHCC (r) logo. As far as I can see there’s no reason why another country could not extract AHCC from the mushrooms. The markup these companies put on seems to depend on the country they are selling too as well - hence you could probably buy the same pills for half the price in some other countries. I loathe that sort of exploitation for profit, but it’s really everyone’s own decision whether they think the (r) AHCC is superior to that produced elsewhere…

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I’m willing to take them, just don’t want any bad side effects from them! Doesn’t seem to be much research in the Uk about them!

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The potential side effects are as you would expect from most drugs - drug interactions (if you’re taking any prescription drugs it’s always crucial to check), and mild things like headaches, stomach upset, tiredness, etc. I haven’t read anyone on this forum who takes it say they had any negative side effects, to be honest.

I know anyone can post anything on the internet, but this seems to be a sensible article:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-ahcc-89399

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Thanks, ill give it a read. Thank you.

Just want this biopsy result now. Cant think about anything else x