Any symptoms before colposcopy?

[MellyH]

I have a colposcopy booked in two weeks due to three abnormal pap smears in a row over the last 12 months (well the first two were positive for HPV and the third one showed abnormal cells). I am sure I am just worrying needlessly, but I was wondering if anyone else who had gotten poor results from a colposcopy had had any symptoms beforehand? I'm totally over-thinking it but I'm currently having the heaviest period that I can remember (so, in years and years) and I am wondering if that's a symptom of something. Prior to that I was all "I have no symptoms. Surely nothing can be wrong." but I don't know how valid that was either!

 

[LittleLady04]

I can't tell you about symptoms but I am also waiting for a colposcopy after an abnormal result and positive hpv. I am currently having a very light af.
I got my appointment through this morning, for xmas eve! Needless to say I have told them I won't be going through that the day before xmas and they are going to ring me to book another appointment.
When's your colposcopy?
xxx

 

[MellyH]

Mine is December 9th, and the results can take two weeks, so I am not looking forward to sitting on eggshells waiting for the results around Christmastime, I can certainly understand not wanting to actually go through the procedure then! Yikes. I hope they reschedule sometime more appropriate!

 

[LittleLady04]

I'm sure you'll be fine, hopefully you'll get the great results before xmas and you'll be able to relax and enjoy!
I'm going to ring the hospital this afternoon if I don't hear from them this morning. I've got a nurses appointment for my depo this morning so I'm going to chat with her about everything

xxx

 

[xxVickyxx]

Ive just received a letter today to say my smear was abnormal and i have something called high grade dyskaryosis (high grade/severe abnormal cells) i am terrified, spent the whole afternoon in tears terrified that i have something serious, says i should hear in next few days for my colposcopy if i dont hear within the week phone my gp. Am so scared! I just want it over with xx

 

[LittleLady04]

Hi Vicky, I was terrified just like you when I received my letter on Saturday. I discussed it with a nurse at my gp's surgery on Thursday and she really put my mind at rest. She used to work in the colposcopy dept of my local hospital plus she has had abnormal smears herself. She explained to me that it is nothing to worry about, if the cells are ones that could possibly turn cancerous in 20/30 years time then they will simply removed them and that's it. She also said that from the smear they would have been able to tell if it was already something nasty/cancerous there and they would have called me in a lot sooner thank just saying they will be in contact with an appointment.
I hope this helps put your mind at ease a little like it did mine. If you wanna chat I'm here
I got my rescheduled appointment today for 10th January
xxx

 

[MellyH]

LL, I'm glad you were rescheduled. Vicky, I'm sorry, it is scary. But statistics are on our side! Hundreds of thousands of women go through this and come out totally fine almost straight away.

Mine colposcopy is a week away. My smear result didn't actually identify the type of abnormality, they just rang me and said it's 'abnormal' and made the colposcopy appointment. Now I wish I knew more!

 

[xxVickyxx]

Hi Vicky, I was terrified just like you when I received my letter on Saturday. I discussed it with a nurse at my gp's surgery on Thursday and she really put my mind at rest. She used to work in the colposcopy dept of my local hospital plus she has had abnormal smears herself. She explained to me that it is nothing to worry about, if the cells are ones that could possibly turn cancerous in 20/30 years time then they will simply removed them and that's it. She also said that from the smear they would have been able to tell if it was already something nasty/cancerous there and they would have called me in a lot sooner thank just saying they will be in contact with an appointment.
I hope this helps put your mind at ease a little like it did mine. If you wanna chat I'm here
I got my rescheduled appointment today for 10th January
xxx

Hi, thanks for your reply, they phoned me yesterday morning with an appointment for my colposcopy, tomorrow at 9am!! I dont know whether i should take that as a good or bad thing that am going in 5 days after receiving my letter. Although she did say it was a cancelation but i dont know. What worries me is after my 2nd baby i suffered with breakthrough bleeding and gp kept telling me to carry my pill over for a few months, which i did and it seems too have stopped but i have now remembered before my 1st baby who is 18 months i started spotting through my pill, family planning clinic changed my pill and not long after i came off it to try for a baby, that was over 2 years ago, what if that was early signs? I have also suffered with severe tiredness (could be the sleepless nights with 2 babies 10.5 months apart) and severe back and tail bone pain! I just hope these arent symtoms of something more severe.

Can i ask when you ladies had your smears did you see what was on the end of the swob? I did and the more i think it was red blood/mucus. Is that normal?

Its nice to have people to talk too who are going through the same thing, everyone just tells me am guna b fine but i am fearing the worse. Xx

 

[MellyH]

I didn't see the swab so I have no idea sorry. I assume pink/red is normal though because they're scraping off some of the cells.

Good luck for tomorrow! Please let me know how it goes. Mine is in 6 days!

 

[xxVickyxx]

I didn't see the swab so I have no idea sorry. I assume pink/red is normal though because they're scraping off some of the cells.

Good luck for tomorrow! Please let me know how it goes. Mine is in 6 days!

Hi, well ive had my colposcopy this morning. First off i wana say it is nothing to worry about. I actually didnt feel a thing. So when the nurse asked me if i knew what high grade ment i said yes and instantly my eyes started filling with tears, she past me a tissue and said you do not have cancer, she showed me a little piece of paper with the grading on and explained to me that i was only just into the high grade part so my smear was showing moderate CIN 2 cells, she gave me the option to have treatment now or wait until after christmas, i wanted it today. She performed the colposcopy and said she can not see ANY abnormality, i asked why its showing high grade she said it could b i have bad cells in the canal but not many as she can not see anything bad (thank god) she then done a loop excision which i can honestly say was painless, only thing i felt was a tiny sting when she put the local in. It was over in minutes. I go back in 6 months for another smear and shes confident it will b normal again.

I hope that gives u some reassurance. Good luck and please let us know how u get on. Any questions feel free to ask. She told me to go home and have a glass of wine, i might just take her advice lol xx

 

[MellyH]

I'm glad they didn't see anything scary, and that it wasn't painful!! Although if they excised something, presumably they could see something? I am going to cry if they need to give me a needle (I'm quite needle-phobic!). Thank you so much for the update, it was definitely reassuring.

 

[xxVickyxx]

I'm glad they didn't see anything scary, and that it wasn't painful!! Although if they excised something, presumably they could see something? I am going to cry if they need to give me a needle (I'm quite needle-phobic!). Thank you so much for the update, it was definitely reassuring.

I think even if they dont see anything they remove the cells regardless as theres obviously something there if the smear comes back abnormal. On the gp letter she actually wrote that the colposcopy found no abnormalitily so am assuming she really didnt see anything. To be honest i wouldnt worry about needles because i didnt even see what they used to numb the area, obviously they used a needle but i can honestly say i did not see a thing, she said all done and i was like seriously?? The only thing i found was my whole body shaked the whole time. Even now am not in too much pain, just slight period pain but thats it. Just no nookie for 4 weeks now lol but rather that than anything else. Honestly if i had to have another i would not be worried in the slightest xx

 

[MellyH]

FOUR WEEKS! Oh my god.

On my info sheet it says one week, but presumably if you have something excised they want you to refrain for longer while you heal?

FOUR WEEKS!

 

[xxVickyxx]

FOUR WEEKS! Oh my god.

On my info sheet it says one week, but presumably if you have something excised they want you to refrain for longer while you heal?

FOUR WEEKS!

I know lol, am gutted, all over christmas and new year for me. Whether i will stick to it is another thing haha its a long time and a woman has needs hahaha, i would imagine it would be healed within 2 weeks. Xx

 

[LittleLady04]

Hi ladies,

Vicky thank you so much for sharing, you have really put my mind at ease. I'm so pleased for you that it all went well

My appointment has been rescheduled for 10th Jan it's a long time to wait but I feel that now I'll be able to enjoy xmas without worrying about it and prepare my mind for it in the new year.

Goos Luck for today Melly, you'll be fine

xxx

 

[MellyH]

Okay I am home. It wasn't too bad. Just pinchy/scrapey and then moderately bad cramps which have already subsided an hour later to mild cramps. She found two spots that looked abnormal that she took biopsies off, and she also biopsied the inside of the cervical canal where she couldn't see. I should get the results in a week. In the meantime I'm home on the couch with a cuppa and some peppermint fudge.

 

[LittleLady04]

Glad to hear you're home and resting. I'm sure everything will come back fine
How long did it take for them to do the colposcopy and treatment?
xxx

 

[MellyH]

It was about 30 minutes all up, but only 10 of that was the colposcopy. The rest was getting told about it have having my vitals taken and having a pregnancy test.

This afternoon I feel totally fine, even the mild cramping is gone.

 

[LittleLady04]

So glad you're feeling ok. I just want to get mine over with now so I can stop thinking about it.
Are you ladies all ready for Christmas? I'm off to do some more Christmas shopping this morning. Got to get stocking fillers for dd3 and presents for my Mum, Nan and 2 cousins. Then I'll be almost finished
xxx

 

[MellyH]

I just posted off a pile of presents to Australia and NZ yesterday once I got off the couch in the afternoon - $180 later! Jesus. I'll buy lighter presents next time.