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15 months ago I had a normal pap, 3 months later when an ultra sound showed a thickening of my uterine lining and ovarian cysts, I also found out I have HPV. I had a cervical biopsy that showed mild dysplasia. I had never had any problems in the past and was very scared. My doctor, 2 of them actually, told me the only thing to do at that time was watch it. My last pap in Feb showed severe dysplasia CIN3 high grade. I am going in 5 days for a LEEP procedure and am terrified. My doctor said it is usually done to correct the problem and remove all the abnormal cells, but in my case, she is using it as a diagnostic tool. I am going through this all alone and have been doing all the research I can to put my mind at ease but it seems the more I read, the worse I feel.
I asked my doctor if the uterine lining, ovarian cysts and dysplasia were all connected, she said they weren't. I am trying to stay positive but have a horrible feeling about what the LEEP results will bring. Can anyone give me some kind of ray of light in this hole I am sinking in? I appreciate anything you can give me!!!
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Hi Ga-Girl-
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has a page on LEEP. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp110.cfm
April 12, 2010 - 6:32amI'm hoping this will help answer your question, but you may need to ask your doctor the real specific questions about just how high they'll go. I'm not 100 percent sure on that. Good luck to you, though.
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Hello Ga-Girl-
I have been exactly where you are. I had an abnormal Pap, watched and waited, had cervical carcinoma in situ and a LEEP; the whole deal. This was right before I went to nursing school.
The fear is the worst part of the whole thing. I had a LEEP and cervical cone procedure meaning they took part of my cervix as well. You don't feel any of it, the procedure is really fast. When I came home I was tired, of course, from the anesthesia and there wasn't really pain, more of a kind of twinge or light pinch once in a while if I lifted something or made a fast move. This only lasted a few days. The first day I had the odd sensation of feeling like my guts would fall out when I stood up. I don't know any other way to explain it. It just made me want to walk slowly with my legs together. Naturally nothing fell out, it was just the sensation. I felt the same way when I was dilated 2cm for a month before my son was born.
The weirdest part of the whole thing is that since the LEEP kind of cauterizes the tissue in your uterus, you will go to the bathroom and have what seems like an ashy period. It won't be heavy, but stuff that is like black ash will show on the toilet paper. This is totally normal, but if you aren't expecting it, a bit of a surprise.
I really had very little discomfort with the whole thing. It is now maybe 15 years later, and I have no repercussions or any problems at all. When I go to a gynecologist they can tell my cervix is kind of funky looking since they took part of it out, but no other issues. I didn't need any kind of chemo or radiation or anything else, the LEEP and cone were curative.
Please take a nice deep breath and know this will be a much bigger deal in your head due to all the fears that go with it than your body, which will barely notice anything happened.
Good luck.
April 9, 2010 - 7:05amThis Comment
Thank you for the support Cary!
April 9, 2010 - 8:34amI remember the black stuff from biopsies earlier this year... it was pretty gross!! I think my bigest fear is what the results from the LEEP will be. Because my doctor said she is using it as a diagnostic tool and not necessarily to correct the problem kind of leads me to believe they really aren't sure what to expect. I had a colposcopy in Feb, they couldn't see anything on the surface and told me the lesions were in the cervical canal. Do you know if they can get the LEEP wand into the canal or will they just keep cutting away from the outside? Thank you again!!!
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