ok the doctor just called and said my biopsy results were benign,NO CANCER!!!I thank god for that... she said that it was low very low cell changes and they want to do a leep on me in a couple weeks, she said it was showing inflamation....nothing at all serious...she also said the leep could help clear the hpv infection thats active,anyone ever here of this? and does a leep hurt?? she said it was like a 15 min procedure, the shot feels like a bee sting on the cervix and thats bout it, hope it doesnt hurt...anyone with any advice plz let me have it, i am just so glad that it wasnt cancer,i also asked her if i should have a ecc(checking far in the cervix) she said no cuz the biopsy was just inflamation. i am having a great new years eve, happy holiday to all, and there is hope out there!
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does a leep hurt?
- By tnsweetness
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 3:16 pm · 14 replies
- In HPV/cervical cancer vaccine prevention strategies
- Shared with the public
14 replies
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- Newest first
- By miltie
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:22 pm
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Hi tnsweetness,
I think the LEEP is different for everyone and the severity of the CIN or if there are numerous spots to be removed can make a difference. To me, personally, the anxiety I caused myself was far worse than the actual procedure itself. My doctor gave me a small prescription of Zanax to take prior to the procedure which to my own fault, i didn't take long enough prior to surgery to calm me down! But taken about an hour prior, you should be go to go. Prep time takes about 10 minutes, actual procedure, maybe a minute? The shot stung, but not horribly. I was not put under and had only the local. And don't take Ibuprofen prior, it can cause you to bleed too much. I just remember thinking afterward - that's it? But again, it is different for everyone.
kkiimm - As far as giving unsolicited advise, I do not think any one of of these intelligent and WELL informed ladies here have done a disservice by suggesting that it is important to ask for second opinions or question a doctor's recommendations. I am in agreement with all that if it is simply an inflammation, a LEEP is typically NOT the next step. It's always important to ask lots of questions and stay informed - you only get one body!
- By satya
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 12:13 pm
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I found my LEEPS almost unbearably painful - but as you all say, the procedure is relatively short. It's certainly nothing I would choose to do unless absolutely necessary, and there are risks involved, as in any medical procedure.
- By cashwoman
- Posted January 5, 2009 at 3:37 pm
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I am 26 and had the LEEP procedure at 18. I was told I had HPV and that the cells were turning cancerous. I was in the office for the procedure less than 20 minutes. It hurt a little bit but not as bad as a Myrena IUD implanted before. More pressure than pain, although everones threshold is different. The piece they removed was basicaly the whole tip of my cervix. They showed me it as they put it in a jar and it was the size of a grape. I had bleeding for about 2 weeks afterwards. Nothing chunky like kkimm though. For 8 years since, I have had good paps until my last pregancy my doctor said my cells were abnormal but was probably due to my immune system during pregnancy and my body will probably fight it off again. Ok, to get to your question again, it is not that painful and is very quick.
- By tnsweetness
- Posted January 1, 2009 at 7:58 pm
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thank you kkiimm, thats what i needed to know, i think the reason my obgny is wanting to give me a leep is because she doesnt want the bad cells there to turn into pre cancerous cells, i'm glad she getting to the problem before one starts to exsist..thank you!
- By kkiimm
- Posted January 1, 2009 at 6:17 pm
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hmmm....strange to me that everyone here is offering unsolicited medical advice.wasn't your question about the LEEP?
my personal experience with the LEEP was o.k. The needle from the lidocaine is a little bit more than a bee sting though. it about made me jump off the table. maybe there is a topical they can use before they put the needle in? ASK. and just breathe. calm yourself. that's the worst part. other than that, you shouldn't feel much. Just pressure and moving around-same with a pap. i had a little bit of cramping afterwards, nothing major. i had bleeding for a couple days, but not heavy. it was like coffee grounds. and at one point, the entire outer layer of my cervical skin sloughed off like the skin of a grape. i thought my whole cervix fell out into the toilet. i freaked out and called my doctor. they said that was normal. i wish they had told me that ahead of time. but, that was it. i have had clean paps and no hpv since.
- By simplynat
- Posted January 1, 2009 at 10:58 am
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Good point Corellin, I actually woke up this morning thinking about this and was going to say that I think you do need to have an ecc done tnsweetness, especially since you have had persistent HPV infection and there wasn't any visible area of dysplasia during the colpscopy. That is the point of the ecc, it takes samples from higher up the endocervical canal, an area that isn't seen during a colposcopy to ensure that there isn't anything going on that may have been missed. I would suggest you ask for this to be done, with or without surgery but definitely before. If your doctor disagrees, in my opinion, you should be seeking a second opinion. You deserve the best care. Best wishes to you!
- By corellin
- Posted January 1, 2009 at 10:16 am
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hi tnsweetness, it sounds like your doctor is concerned becase the HPV has been "persistent" (has lasted over a period of time). In that case, some doctors would recommend having a procedure to remove mild dysplasia (CINI), which also might help clear the HPV infection. I haven't heard of a doctor recommending a LEEP for inflammation.
I agree with simplynat & flowershoplady that it makes sense to get a copy of your medical records and fully understand your diagnosis and all your options before consenting to surgery.
It would be helpful to know which strain of HPV it is, because some are more likely to progress than others. In one study I read, HPV16 had about a 40% chance to progress from CIN1 to a higher grade of dysplasia while other high risk types had only about a 10% chance. Is there any way that your doctor could send your sample for HPV typing? There is currently no type-specific test that's approved by the FDA, but there are companies out there that offer it, and the information may be helpful in making clinical decisions.
Another thought -- sometimes a biopsy, such as the one you just had, will trigger an immune response and help clear HPV/inflammation.
And, I'm also wondering how your doctor knows there isn't a problem higher in the cervix without doing an ECC? Sometimes a persistent HPV infection is a sign of dysplasia further up in the cervical canal that would be missed by a biopsy external to the cervix.
Good luck!
- By simplynat
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 10:20 pm
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Hi tnsweetness, Flowershoplady has given you good advice. I think you need to obtain of copy of your medical records. Cervicitis is inflammation of the cervix as Flowershoplady mentioned and does not require a LEEP. In fact, even CIN1 (mild dysplasia) in not usually treated with a LEEP, it is usually monitored with a watch and wait because most women are able to clear this level of dysplasia without any medical intervention. There are steps that can be taken to help clear an active HPV infection like FSL mentioned - a LEEP seems like a drastic method to try and achieve this. It is important to know that inflammation doesn't mean 'bad cells', inflammation can be due to the active HPV but it is not dysplasia. I strongly urge to you to fully understand your diagnosis from your doctor (maybe even get a second opinion) and obtain a copy of your medical records so that you know what is going on with your body BEFORE agreeing to a surgery. Best wishes to you!
- By tnsweetness
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 7:09 pm
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but is it normal to have a leep with just inflammation? i assume she is wanting to get rid of the bad cells? i know during the biopsy she seen a very small spot she said, i am thinking she is wanting to get rid of that? this is confusing...thats for sure. but cin 1 or cin 2 or anything like that wasnt mentioned, just inflamation.
- By flowershoplady
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 7:04 pm
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i'm glad you feel trust and confidence in your doctor....but remember that this is your body. it's your doctor's responsibility to not only treat you, but to also educate you have your health. maybe you have cervicitis which means inflammation of the cervix? that doesn't mean that there's 'dysplasia' which is abnormal cells. and, if you have dysplasia, then the nurse should be calling it that, and should be saying it's CIN1 or CIN2 or whatever, and those mean cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (long words...thus the use of the abbreviations!), with the 1 or 2 indicating the extent of the dysplasia. and, if you just have an active hpv infection without dysplasia, even if there's inflammation, which is common with an active hpv infection, you can try to do things to help your body clear the hpv infection such as no smoking, eating cruciferous vegetables such as kale and brussel sprouts or taking a DIM supplement, reducing inflammation/infection by not using tampons, using condoms to avoid reinfection, getting plenty of sleep, reducing stress, and so forth. it doesn't hurt to ask the doctor more questions and/or get a copy of your medical records.
- By tnsweetness
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 6:51 pm
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hello flowershop lady, i am not sure of all this, i know the nurse called me and said that my biopsy came back benign,i had something that started with a c i cant remeber the word, she said n other words inflamation,it wasn't cancer but the doctor wrote down that i will need a leep done so i scheduled one,taking the docs advice,she's been my obgyn for 25 years now, i do trust her, i had a bad pap 17 yrs ago , she froze my cells then, and havent had any bad ones till recently,she says the leep is better when you have the hpv virus,this is still all new to me, i assume and i am glad that she wants to get the bad cells out and she thinks the leep would be the best way to do that, when i go to have it done, i will know more, i am just thankful to the man up above that it wasn't cancer, all i could think about was having cancer and having to get a hysto....i always think the worst:-) but i am now having hope.
- By flowershoplady
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 6:29 pm
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hello, tnsweetness. it sounds like you need more info from your doctor! a leep generally isn't done unless there's dysplasia or dysplasia suspected. i think you need a more precise diagnosis to know whether you have dysplasia or inflammation. knowledge is power! and, it's ok to ask questions....in fact, it's good to ask questions, particularly if you're not being given all the info you need to be your own best health advocate. and, the pain associated with a leep varies from woman to woman, and it can also depend upon how much cervical tissue is removed. the recovery is messy (discharge, bleeding) and long (4 to 6 weeks is normal), and there are risks that include infection, cervical incompetence for future pregnancies, and so forth. please ask your doctor for more information before you proceed. it's certainly very good news that you don't have cancer, and you also certainly don't want to have a leep if you don't need to! has the doctor offered other options such as a wait and see approach, which would mean testing in 3 to 4 months to see if things have changed?
- By tnsweetness
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 5:07 pm
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all i know is the nurse called and said my biopsy came back benign, very low cell changes i guess, it wasnt cancer it was like inflamation she also said another word for it but it was a long one, can't remember,she wants to do the leep, my hpv is active right now cuz i just tested positive after testing positive last year but all paps were normal, except this one.is the leep painful? will it get my hpv dormant? so many questions.i am just glad it wasnt cancer!
- By simplynat
- Posted December 31, 2008 at 4:07 pm
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I'm sorry, I don't think I understand. Is your doctor wanting to perform a LEEP for cervitis and not due to any dysplasia being present??
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