Chances are pretty good that you are familiar with the fact that women need to have yearly pelvic exams. And if you are a woman then chances are even higher that you are all too familiar with everything that this exam entails. It's a great topic of conversation is it not? No? It should be. There is too much of a social taboo on women's health, and it is time for that to change. Women choose not be ashamed of themselves or the care that they need to stay healthy. I want to help women of all ages feel more comfortable with themselves and not be embarrassed to speak out, if they so choose.
I had my first pelvic exam at 14. I was a terrified high school freshmen that was in a hospital gown at my local ER. I was scared and in a lot of pain. The pain in my abdomen woke me up that morning. My mother, being the super-mom that she is, immediately knew that something wasn't right. The triage nurse at the ER told my mother that there was either something wrong with my bladder or my ovaries. Given my age, she suspected my bladder. She was wrong. Fast forward a few hours and the hospital had called in the gyn on call and I was in emergency surgery. A cyst that normally would have been on my ovary, you know the ones that come and go during the menstrual cycle, had grown rather large and was pulling down my fallopian tube causing the ovary to get wrapped in the fallopian tube.
The surgery was a success. The cyst was removed and my ovary was saved. I was left with a couple o scars that would eventually fade, though they did cause me to be embarrassed of my body for many years. I felt that I couldn't really talk to many people my age about what had happened. They wouldn't understand and it was embarrassing. So, I moved on and didn't talk about it. Aside from the scars and PMS symptoms that were more intense I was fine.
Several years later I went to my doctor for my first pelvic exam and pap smear. Now, I think it is important to note that I went to my primary care doctor as I did not have a referral to a gyn. I told my doctor that I didn't feel right. That something was wrong. I didn't know how to describe what I was feeling, but I knew that I wanted a referral to a gyn. My doctor told me that what I was feeling was just scar tissue, that I should get used to it, and that she would not give me a referral because I would be wasting my time and the time of the gynecologist. Well guess what, a week later she had to call me with my results because they were abnormal and she needed to refer me to a specialist.
I guess I was right after all. (Side note: I never went back to that doctor again.)
After repeating the pap the results were even more abnormal. I was getting closer to pre-cancerous. I had a colposcopy where they determined they needed to repeat the pap and take biopsies of the abnormal areas. The biopsies came back normal, but the pap showed pre-cancerous cells. It was determined that I should have both repeated in six months.
At that repeat appointment my doctor tried to assure me that she didn't expect to see anything abnormal. That given my age and health status that my body could be healing on its own. That sometimes tests comeback abnormal even though there is nothing wrong. But, both the biopsies and the pap showed pre-cancerous cells. I needed surgery.
I had a LEEP, loop electrosurgical excision procedure. I was nervous, and didn't want to feel anything, so I opted to be put under. The procedure when well. The part of my cervix that was removed was sent to the lab for testing. A few weeks later I went in for my followup and found that the margins had been clean and the abnormal areas that they removed showed no signs of cancer. My doctor concluded that the area of pre-cancerous cells had been very small and was removed in the biopsy. I was told to repeat the pap in one year and then go from there.
My next pap came back normal. I was told to repeat it again in another year. This is where we are now. I have different insurance and now see a different doctor. I went over my medical history with her and she agreed with what my previous doctor had recommend. This time the results took a long time to get back. I was frustrated. I was getting angry. What could be taking so long? I kept going back and forth: it must be bad if she hasn't put my results on line yet, but at the same time if I needed to take actions surely she wouldn't have waited so long to tell me.
Finally, after playing phone tag for a couple of days, I was able to talk with my doctor. My results were not normal, but they were nor abnormal. I was in limbo. She had them run an HPV test, which came back negative. She consulted with some of her colleges, and there were in agreement. She told me that my results ASC-US, essentially meant that they could not determine the source of the abnormality of the cells but the HPV being negative is a really good thing. She, and her colleagues, feel that I got that results as a result of the LEEP. She thinks the cells could have been part of the scar tissue on my cervix from the procedure. As a precaution, because I did have pre-cancerous cells int he past, she wanted me to have another colposcopy. She is confidant that I won't need any biopsies.
So, I have the colposcopy scheduled. And I have my fingers crossed that at that time they will determine that everything is normal and that the pap results were just because of the scar tissue.
Was that a little personal? Yes. But, did it hut me to share it? No. And you know what? I am not embarrassed. It happened. There are many more with stories like mine. In fact I am sure there are women out there that want to talk about their experiences, but are afraid to do so. I feel lucky. I was able to seek treatment and stop the progression before it was too late. I am now very proactive in my health and am much more active in my quest to be healthy. I eat better, I exercise more (I'm still working on that one to be honest), and I pay much more attention to my body.
I am not as concerned as I was the first time I had my colposcopy. Why? Because, I feel better. Simply put I knew something was wrong before. I don't know how, but I could tell that something wasn't right and my body was trying to tell me. I don't feel that now. I feel healthy, I feel strong, and I am hopeful that my next visit will confirm that I am fine.
I wish all of you out there the best of luck. If you want to share your story or talk a little I encourage you to do so. Trust me, you are not alone. Life is a gift, and it is time to enjoy it.
I had my first pelvic exam at 14. I was a terrified high school freshmen that was in a hospital gown at my local ER. I was scared and in a lot of pain. The pain in my abdomen woke me up that morning. My mother, being the super-mom that she is, immediately knew that something wasn't right. The triage nurse at the ER told my mother that there was either something wrong with my bladder or my ovaries. Given my age, she suspected my bladder. She was wrong. Fast forward a few hours and the hospital had called in the gyn on call and I was in emergency surgery. A cyst that normally would have been on my ovary, you know the ones that come and go during the menstrual cycle, had grown rather large and was pulling down my fallopian tube causing the ovary to get wrapped in the fallopian tube.
The surgery was a success. The cyst was removed and my ovary was saved. I was left with a couple o scars that would eventually fade, though they did cause me to be embarrassed of my body for many years. I felt that I couldn't really talk to many people my age about what had happened. They wouldn't understand and it was embarrassing. So, I moved on and didn't talk about it. Aside from the scars and PMS symptoms that were more intense I was fine.
Several years later I went to my doctor for my first pelvic exam and pap smear. Now, I think it is important to note that I went to my primary care doctor as I did not have a referral to a gyn. I told my doctor that I didn't feel right. That something was wrong. I didn't know how to describe what I was feeling, but I knew that I wanted a referral to a gyn. My doctor told me that what I was feeling was just scar tissue, that I should get used to it, and that she would not give me a referral because I would be wasting my time and the time of the gynecologist. Well guess what, a week later she had to call me with my results because they were abnormal and she needed to refer me to a specialist.
I guess I was right after all. (Side note: I never went back to that doctor again.)
After repeating the pap the results were even more abnormal. I was getting closer to pre-cancerous. I had a colposcopy where they determined they needed to repeat the pap and take biopsies of the abnormal areas. The biopsies came back normal, but the pap showed pre-cancerous cells. It was determined that I should have both repeated in six months.
At that repeat appointment my doctor tried to assure me that she didn't expect to see anything abnormal. That given my age and health status that my body could be healing on its own. That sometimes tests comeback abnormal even though there is nothing wrong. But, both the biopsies and the pap showed pre-cancerous cells. I needed surgery.
I had a LEEP, loop electrosurgical excision procedure. I was nervous, and didn't want to feel anything, so I opted to be put under. The procedure when well. The part of my cervix that was removed was sent to the lab for testing. A few weeks later I went in for my followup and found that the margins had been clean and the abnormal areas that they removed showed no signs of cancer. My doctor concluded that the area of pre-cancerous cells had been very small and was removed in the biopsy. I was told to repeat the pap in one year and then go from there.
My next pap came back normal. I was told to repeat it again in another year. This is where we are now. I have different insurance and now see a different doctor. I went over my medical history with her and she agreed with what my previous doctor had recommend. This time the results took a long time to get back. I was frustrated. I was getting angry. What could be taking so long? I kept going back and forth: it must be bad if she hasn't put my results on line yet, but at the same time if I needed to take actions surely she wouldn't have waited so long to tell me.
Finally, after playing phone tag for a couple of days, I was able to talk with my doctor. My results were not normal, but they were nor abnormal. I was in limbo. She had them run an HPV test, which came back negative. She consulted with some of her colleges, and there were in agreement. She told me that my results ASC-US, essentially meant that they could not determine the source of the abnormality of the cells but the HPV being negative is a really good thing. She, and her colleagues, feel that I got that results as a result of the LEEP. She thinks the cells could have been part of the scar tissue on my cervix from the procedure. As a precaution, because I did have pre-cancerous cells int he past, she wanted me to have another colposcopy. She is confidant that I won't need any biopsies.
So, I have the colposcopy scheduled. And I have my fingers crossed that at that time they will determine that everything is normal and that the pap results were just because of the scar tissue.
Was that a little personal? Yes. But, did it hut me to share it? No. And you know what? I am not embarrassed. It happened. There are many more with stories like mine. In fact I am sure there are women out there that want to talk about their experiences, but are afraid to do so. I feel lucky. I was able to seek treatment and stop the progression before it was too late. I am now very proactive in my health and am much more active in my quest to be healthy. I eat better, I exercise more (I'm still working on that one to be honest), and I pay much more attention to my body.
I am not as concerned as I was the first time I had my colposcopy. Why? Because, I feel better. Simply put I knew something was wrong before. I don't know how, but I could tell that something wasn't right and my body was trying to tell me. I don't feel that now. I feel healthy, I feel strong, and I am hopeful that my next visit will confirm that I am fine.
I wish all of you out there the best of luck. If you want to share your story or talk a little I encourage you to do so. Trust me, you are not alone. Life is a gift, and it is time to enjoy it.
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