Cervical Cancer?!?! Help I'm scared.?

101>I am 23 and just had an abnormal Pap reading that yielding atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and HPV. To be honest I am scared to death. I was recommended for a colposcopy and biopsy. My question is this...if this was already cancer would the Pap have yielded a different result? I have only been sexually active for 10 months with one partner(who obviously had HPV) ...could it have progressed to cancer that quickly? I have a compromised immune system because of anti-rejection medications so that means I am not strong enough to fight it off. What could be going on?
Reply:First of all,relax,abnormal PAP results are not always cancer. I know this is scary because I've been through it. Alot of times you can have a colposcopy and they can find that it just abnormal cell changes occuring. If I have a PAP at a certain time during my cycle, I get abnormal results but I can have it repeated in 2 weeks and all is good. Don't get too worked up but do follow up and do whatever tests they want you to do ASAP because early detection has the best rate of success. Good Luck!!
Reply:Don't be scared. The same thing happened to me when I was your age. It is likely dysplasia, which means the cells are not normal but they aren't cancer either. You may need some bad parts of your cervix taken care of. They freeze the bad parts with a little wand, it is not surgery. Take a deep breath. You will be fine. Listen to your doctor and get treatment. Sometimes your birth control pills will cause a false reading on a pap. They will treat you and then you will need to come


back in another 3 months for a new pap. It will likely be clear then. Good luck and don't worry.
Reply:First off, if you are in or near Houston, drop everything and go to David Zepeda. I had the identical condition and he went in and determined through laproscopy that it was NOTHING! I did have my ovary removed because of a cyst, but that was ll. Doctors can scare the hell out of you. I had a cancer doctor that did that, and am so glad that I went to this masterful Doctor.





Anyway, as I said, doctors can scare the hell out of you. BTW, you can get cancer at 17 with your uterus. It doesn't have anything to do with sexual activity. Having said that, your partner is HPV positive, but this is why the government is recommending the HPV vaccine. It is too late for you, but now you understand the importance of it. HPV is nothing to worry about, except that it does cause cancer, but you can have it a lifetime and never get cancer. So let it go.





I would not even consider this cancerous. I just wouldn't. I didn't have cancer, and I don't think you do. So just relax and find the best darn gyno, not a cancer doctor either, they are too damn extreme, and want to gut you. Get a regular gyno.
Reply:Please do not panic. You are not alone. It is possible to have a Pap smear that shows dyplasia, or precancerous cells. A colposcopy is a prcedure that involves removing tissue from various parts of the cervix. During the procedure, you may hear your ob/gyne say things like, "3 o'clock, 9 o'clock." Those are just the locations from where tissues are being removed. Prior to removing tissue, the doctor will apply vinegar to make the abnormal cells more noticeable. I will not lie to you and say it is painless. During the procedure, you may feel twinges of discomfort. Afterwards, you may feel cramping similar to menstrual cramping. It is possible to have abnormal Paps and later have the Paps turn normal again. I have been where you are and I also have friends who have experienced the same thing. If your Paps continue to be abnormal, your doctor can explain the options that are available to you, such as having the abnormal cells frozen off of having the affected tissue removed. I wish you all the best and please, please don't let fear prevent you from following up with your Paps or any other recommended procedures. Depending on your situation, you may also want to look into Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. While you may already have HPV, it can still protect you from other strains of HPV that you may not have been exposed to. Again, I wish you the best of health. Oh, and to answer your question, I too, received the same diagnosis and recommendations. But after the colposcopy and another Pap smear, I was told that my dysplasia had not progressed, meaning there was not change. Finally, six months later, I had another Pap and it was normal. The dysplasia had went away. I hope this gives you some encouragement.
Reply:GREETINGS, first off pap results don't always show cancer, any cells that are strange show up and they like to be sure so they order more tests. The virus doesn't always go to cancer but it puts you at higher risk. It shouldn't progress to cancer that quickly. Probably they will watch you with tests every so many months to watch for changes.
Reply:Atypical cells are not cancer. Cancer are cells that have aggressive growth AND abnormal structure. What you have is a POSSIBLY pre-cancerous condition caused by your infection with the HPV virus (from unprotected sex). You may never develop cancer. In any case, the biopsy will be more specific. You will have to be vigilant with PAP smears for the rest of your life, however. Also, cervical cancer, when caught early, is very curable.


Since you are normally immunosuppressed due to antirejection drugs, Any future sexual contact you have should be with condoms every single time, unless you have the lab tests from your partner in your hand proving that they are negative for every STD out there. There are a lot worse things to catch than HPV (like herpes, AIDS and the like).
Reply:Atypical doesn't necessarily mean cancerous, it only means they aren't normal cervical cells. I had HPV and I've been thru the whole thing and had a colposcopy and LEEP (which is when they take off the abnormal spot). They found no cancer and all is well now with no sign of HPV.