Colposcopy

So I had my colposcopy today.  It was pretty awful.  It's not really supposed to be painful, but it was.  Anyway, I'm jumping way too far ahead.

When the doctor comes in she explains to me that she expects everything to be completely fine.  Apparently the pathologist recommended the biopsy and she has to follow what he says.  He doesn't know the patient like she does.  She doesn't fee; my risk is very high, especially since I test negative for HPV.  Technically, the colposcopy should have gone like this: Insert speculum and open everything up.  Swab cervix just like a pap.  Spread vinegar around to 'light up' problem areas.  Take a small biopsy of any areas that light up.  Swab inner cervix.  Biopsy endometrium.  She did all but the last one.  Seriously, the only people who have endometrial cancer or hyperplasia are fat women in their 50's or above.  So thank god for that.

This next part might get a bit TMI, so read at your own risk.  Generally, when I get my pap, they use a virgin speculum because I have a very tiny vaginal canal and the normal one causes me pain.  Well,  for the procedure, they had to use a normal one.  So that hurt right off the bat.  The swab of the ectocervix was a bit uncomfortable.  The vinegar burned a bit.  She didn't think anything would actually light up, but one area did a little bit, so she took a biopsy of that.  That hurt.  The swab of the inner cervix... most painful part of the whole biopsy.  That was absolutely awful.  By the time she finished, I was silently crying and I had little crescent indentations in my palms from squeezing my hands into fists.

Now, I don't want this to scare anyone who has to have this done.  My pain was an unusual reaction.  Most people are only slightly more uncomfortable than when they have their pap smear done.  Paps for me, however, are fairly painful.  So I was predisposed to have more pain.  My mum has had this done twice, including the endometrial biopsy (which is supposed to be the worst part) and she didn't think it was that bad.  She said the endometrial biopsy felt like a bad cramp, and the rest was like mild period cramps.  She also only had mild cramping the rest of the day.  I've had severe cramping and a burning sensation deep inside.  At least I did right after.  I took a pain pill that I had left over from a back injury and have slept for about 4 hours.  Right now, I'm feeling mild cramping and a slight tugging/burning inside.

In about a week or two I should be getting the results.  I'm crossing my fingers and will keep all one of my readers informed.

Mind F***

I have to give a bit of background and explanation, so bear with me.  First, for those unfamiliar, women, after the age of 18, go to the doctors yearly to have a pap smear to check for abnormal cells that could become cervical cancer.  Anyway, I was about 6 months late for my yearly pap smear due to insurance changes. 

On to my story.  After finally getting my pap, it came back abnormal.  Not horribly abnormal.  Simply atypical squamous cells, which is doctor for 'you probably had an infection when we did the pap, come back in three months'.  I come back in three months.  Once again, I get atypical squamous cells.  Had that been it, no biggie.  I would continue to come back yearly.  However, I also got an abnormal reaction.  No clue what that means, but my doctor wants me to have a colposcopy, or a cervical biopsy.  Fabulous.  I'm having this done tomorrow.

Now, I'm a bit nervous and slightly terrified of the biopsy.  You want to stick a needle where???  Not only that, I'm a bit scared about the results.  In my job (amazing ultrasound technologist), I recently ran into a girl I used to be friends with in high school and she was telling me how she had cervical cancer.  That was probably around the time I decided, shit I need to schedule my pap.  I'll keep all zero of my readers informed on the outcomes.