----Warning, this post contains graphic details and is about a woman's monthly check up and followup---- Read at your own risk. The purpose of this is to help other women feel comfortable and understand this is normal, according to the medical doctors. This is about my personal experience.
Thursday was a busy day and I completely forgot to post what I did, however I DID have physical therapy and later that night my knee was sore into Friday morning. I was in so much pain that in the middle of the night, I woke up and put my brace on my leg and had it on all day Friday!
Yesterday morning, Friday, I woke up, begin working and had my first and only cup of coffee for the day. A few hours later I had an important appointment to get to and it was not a fun one. I went in for my yearly pap a few weeks ago and the results came back as abnormal and indicated I have HPV (human papillomavirus). The nurse was telling me things were going to be fine and the abnormality was
at its lowest, like that was supposed to make me happy. (sarcasm) She also advised
even when a woman has a normal pap, the lab tests for two strains of HPV anyhow. Tears were running down my face and my voice became tearful sounding while speaking to her on the phone, because I have never had an abnormal pap before and what the hell is HPV? I have heard of it before, but never really quite knew what it was. Is it an STD, in the way we know of STD's? I sure hope not!! Since mine came back as being abnormal, there was no need to test for it. It was abnormal and I was thinking of my family history and my lifestyle to find out what is playing a role in it being abnormal. I cried even more. My disposition is not happy as I am concerned for my health, my husband and our future. The nurse told me not to go online and look up HPV for the fear and mongering that is online, but to ask the doctor any questions I had and I did, with the exception for one that my husband mentioned to me, after the office visit.
When I went into the office I was so very nervous. I was told they were going to look at my cervix with a microscope to make sure everything is fine, use vinegar to help see the cells better and take a biopsy. So while I was in for a followup yesterday I was asking the doctor questions. What is HPV? How does one get HPV? Is there a cure? How can I not get it again? Is this something to do with my family history? While I had the sheet draped over me, I wouldn't lay down until I had answers. She informed me that 80% of women 28 and under have HPV, if they are sexually active, but this is not a sexually transmitted disease in the way we think of them. Then what is it? She said, HPV has to do with diet, exercise, environment they live in and immune system. She asked, do you smoke? No, I do not smoke, I replied. Good. She had informed me HPV is a precancerous and if not treated can be the onset of cancer. She said, if I get back to living healthy, when I go in the office next year for a pap, the results can come back normal, with no abnormalities. She said it has nothing to do with my family history and the likely hood of HPV turning into cancer is very minimal. I laid down on the bed in the office and she did what she had to do to see what was happening. The sound of the metal tightening in that region made me very uncomfortable. Women hear that sound at least once a year and it is no fun. She had to change it out because the one that was being used pinched me where my thigh and butt meet. So again, I had to hear the horrible sounding metal and told her "That metal makes this even more uncomfortable, to bad it isn't linen and cotton instead." She replied, "If I could do something like that, I would be a rich woman." We laughed. During the procedure she spoke to me and walked me through everything she was doing. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. She took not one, but two biopsies and the first one I didn't feel, but the second one I felt a small pinch, which she told me most women feel the second pinch. That was that, we were done. She informed me the biopsies will be tested to see if they are 1, 2, or 3 of the precancerous cells. HPV is precancerous and if not treated or taken care of can have the potential to lead to cancer, even though it is minimal. So if you or anyone you know (men included - although they are not tested yet, but should be) has HPV or haven't had a checkup in a while make sure they get taken care of to prevent the minimal becoming possible. We ALL have cancer cells, but what happens is our diet, exercise and environment determine if they will grow in us. Don't wait or put it off another moment, get checked now! Now I wait 7-14 days for the results.
After the procedure, I went home, got back to work, didn't care to much about what I ate and I didn't do my physical therapy homework. Although, even after something like this I should care more than I did. Hindsight is 20/20.
After work I made some noodles, that are like ramen, but healthier and they were ok. Then I picked my husband up from work and we went to PF Changs. You can find our experience here: healthfoodie.yelp.com.
Well, I am going to log off for now, it is a day of rest and that is what we are going to do, besides cleaning our home. I will keep you posted of today's progress and so far as normal, I began this morning with a cup of coffee.
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