5 Recommendations
Please share your positive experiences with LEEP. I think it would inspire many women to make the right decisions to get it done, while most of these postings make it very fearful.
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Positive Experience with LEEP
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 11:09 am · 44 replies
- In HPV/cervical cancer vaccine prevention strategies
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Exercise Cancer Surgery Pregnancy Kidney cancer Anxiety Pain Endometriosis HPV Gardasil Stress
44 replies
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- Newest first
- By miltie
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:01 pm
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My positive experience with the LEEP is that aside from the discomfort of having a procedure done in such a "private area", it truly was not as bad as I had worked it up to be. I had mine with no anesthaesia other than local. The actual procedure took less than a minute, it was just the set up time that took about 10 minutes. I was very fortunate to find that while my Colpo/biopsy was CIN3, the LEEP biopsy was CIN2 and had clear margins. (however, this could have been the result of different lab techs analyzing the results differently).
I put the procedure off as long as I could, which looking back I wish I hadn't, but I did it. And if I had to do it again for some reason, I could reassure myself that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 2:00 pm
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Thanks Miltie! How was your healing process?
- By miltie
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 2:20 pm
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It was pretty much par for the course...I had discharge I think for about 7 days and only had a few tiny bits of what looked like if you smeared the charcoal from a pencil. I had it done on a Thursday and allowed myself the whole weekend to relax, take it easy, and just take care of myself. I waited to have sex for about 6 weeks. I think that is longer than they recommend, but my boyfriend was gone doing Army stuff for most of that time so it wasn't going to happen anyway :)
Getting intimate was weird at first, but it didn't hurt, and I still have no problem. Hope that helps!
- By vicki228
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 3:37 pm
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Hi, i just had the LEEP done 2 days ago for CIN 2. Im only 20 so this whole thing came as a big shock for me! Anyways, i was so scared to have it done... and had read loads of stories good and bad. I had it done in the outpatient clinic under local anaesthetic. To be honest, it hurt a little when they injected the anaesthetic but it was over in seconds. Then the whole area was numb and i could feel what was happening but there was no pain. I know that sounds a bit scary but it wasnt at all. I felt relaxed because id been so worried about the pain and when i realised that it was actually happening and painless i was relieved. It was over so quickly i was shocked when he said he'd finished. The whole visit was shorter than the colposcopy and less painful. Afterwards i felt fine and went for dinner with my mother. I havent had any cramping or pain since. Also no bleeding. So far my experience has been extremely positive. To anybody going in to have LEEP... please dont worry, its usually a simple, painless procedure that is over within moments!
- By vicki228
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 3:38 pm
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Hi, i just had the LEEP done 2 days ago for CIN 2. Im only 20 so this whole thing came as a big shock for me! Anyways, i was so scared to have it done... and had read loads of stories good and bad. I had it done in the outpatient clinic under local anaesthetic. To be honest, it hurt a little when they injected the anaesthetic but it was over in seconds. Then the whole area was numb and i could feel what was happening but there was no pain. I know that sounds a bit scary but it wasnt at all. I felt relaxed because id been so worried about the pain and when i realised that it was actually happening and painless i was relieved. It was over so quickly i was shocked when he said he'd finished. The whole visit was shorter than the colposcopy and less painful. Afterwards i felt fine and went for dinner with my mother. I havent had any cramping or pain since. Also no bleeding. So far my experience has been extremely positive. To anybody going in to have LEEP... please dont worry, its usually a simple, painless procedure that is over within moments!
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 3:59 pm
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Good to hear that everything is going well Vicki. I have to go in and get mine on Monday, I've had so much anxiety over it due to my constant "googling". Then I realized that most of the time people will only write something about LEEP if they've had a bad experience....so that's all we get. It's good to hear some fine experiences wtih it. Let's get in touch of our progress!! :)
- By vicki228
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 5:47 pm
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Yeah i spent the week before i had mine done googling it and that made me more anxious. Thats why i wanted to post my experience. I was so nervous but i just kept talking to the nurse throughout to keep myself distracted! She probably couldn't wait to get me out because i didnt shut up! I was so relieved afterwards. Feels a bit strange now because im not sure if i should be taking it easy but i feel so normal. I hope everything goes well for you Monday. Are you having local? Ive just got to wait for my results now, a bit paranoid that they might come back worse, but i dont even know if thats possible and probably just me being paranoid!
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 6:19 pm
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Glad to hear we are in the same boat! :) I am having local as well. I am very anxious as you were to get this done and over with and move on with my life. They said I had mild dysplasia, so I'm hoping too much won't have to be removed... I don't want children, but I just want to get healed up as quickly as possible! I plan on taking lots of vitamins, eating salmon, and drinking green tea :) it's worth a shot! thanks for your support...It's nice to talk to someone who's been through this.
- By flowershoplady
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 10:43 pm
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mmack, yes, you're so right that many of the postings you'll see on the internet are from women who have difficulties in one way or another while those who had an uneventful experience and no recurrance may not be sharing and have gone on and focus their energies elsewhere. as much as i think it's helpful to read about others' experiences, you also need to step back and look at the big picture.
- By LUCE
- Posted January 9, 2009 at 8:27 am
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Hi ladies. I'm having leep done on the 28 jan, and I've been doing waaay too much research online and freaking myself out. It's true, there seems to be alot of bad stories and not so many of the good. Just reading these posts have helped me a little, I have severe dysplasia, and it's easy to get carried away with worry. I'm not looking forward to having my leep done, but just want it over and done with. Thanks for the positive thoughts.
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 9, 2009 at 9:54 am
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Hi Luce, do you know how long you've had severe dysplasia? Although the LEEP procedure does suck, flower was right about looking at the big picture. What if there wasn't a procedure to get rid of the pre-cancerous cells? I think 3-4 weeks of recovery is worth your life. I lost my mom, age 54, a year ago from kidney cancer after a short battle...seeing her go through that and all the pain she went through makes me realize that this is nothing compared to what others have to go through. We are strong and will get through this!! I am having anxiety about it, but the more I think about how quickly a month goes by helps my mental state of mind. I'm glad to have a support team, and I will definitely let everyone know how my procedure goes.
- By corellin
- Posted January 9, 2009 at 10:53 am
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hi mmack -- what frustrated me pre-leep was not being able to find out basic information such as 1) how many of these procedures are performed each year 2) what is the dysplasia/hpv recurrence rate 3) what are the side effects & how will it change my body. For that reason, I was forced to google and came across all the same scary stories it sounds like you're finding. I think if women were given more information from their doctors, we wouldn't be forced to google and I also think we should be fully informed -- of both the good & the bad -- before making any decisions that affect our long-term health.
I hear that you're scared and want some positive stories since you know you have to have the LEEP procedure. I'm assuming you have severe dysplasia? The procedure itself, in my view, is not really the issue. Under general anesthesia, it's completely painless, and under local, different women have different experiences. You could probably find out from your doctor how women have tolerated the procedure. The recovery time is not bad -- certainly less than a broken leg.
In my view, the bigger impact is how the LEEP will change your cervix and your body and the long-term recovery. I think doctors need to be very clear about how much cervix they will remove and how that will affect cervical mucus, pregnancy & sexual health and how long it truly takes for the cervix to fully heal. That would give women the information we need to make good decisions and also make sure we take the time to fully heal after a procedure.
The most positive outcome of the LEEP, in my view, is that it usually rids a woman of the active HPV infection. My vaginal health felt much better after the LEEP. But, since I only had moderate dysplasia, I do wish I'd waited and tried to clear it on my own before going forward with the LEEP. I would rather have it removed, biopsy by biopsy, rather than the large chunk of cervix that was removed all at once. Of course, not having taken that road, I don't know that it would have worked, and I may have ended up with a worse problem than I did having the LEEP.
Followup: even though you can resume sex/exercise 4-6 weeks after the procedure (depending on your doctor's recommendation), it truly takes a good year or even longer, depending on the extent of the procedure, for the cervix to completely heal. So if things don't feel quite right, just be patient and it will continue to get better.
Be sure to have an HPV test, 6-12 months following the procedure. A negative HPV test combined with normal pap are the best indication that all the dysplasia was removed in the procedure.
Have you thought about how you will prevent a future HPV infection? Maybe the Gardasil vaccine for types you don't have and using condoms until in a monogomous, long-term relationship. The longer you wait before having unprotected sex with a partner, the greater the chance he will clear any active HPV infection he received from a partner prior to you.
Good luck! I think you will find that the procedure itself is not that bad and most women recover just fine without major future complications...
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 9, 2009 at 11:08 am
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Hi Corellin, Trust me I've been no stranger to my OBGYN office! :) I've called them about 3 times a week since I found out. They told me I had low grade HPV with mild dysplasia. Although mild CAN clear up on their own, they adviced me to go ahead with the procedure. She stated that she personally does 1-2 a week and it is a very common procedure that clears up 90% of active HPV cases. She told me I can resume sex after 2-3 weeks and that she wouldn't have to remove very little of the cervix. I've been in a relationship for almost 2 years now, and the gardasil shot will not do anything for me. Even though LEEP gets rid of the active HPV, you still have the virus and will always have the virus. The shot only protects against the types that you don't already have, not treating the ones that you have. THis is what my dr. explained to me. I am just hoping for the best and a quick recovery!
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 11:22 am
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Hi everyone! I just had my leep yesterday and wow no pain at all...it was a very tiny prick and then the rest I felt nothing...I am extremely afraid of needles and this procedure was less painful than getting a poke in the arm. The procedure was very simple. As far as the recovery goes, I am almost past my 24 hours...I've had no bleeding at all and just some very light brown watery discharge right after the procedure was done. I am hoping it stays like this and praying my results, which I get this Thursday, come out good.
- By flowershoplady
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 11:31 am
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glad to hear things went so smoothly for you!!!
- By Lulu25
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 4:23 pm
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Hi everyone! I was so glad to find these postings. I go tomorrow morning for my LEEP and like many of you have been reading the bad experience stories. I am so glad to hear some good stories. It is making me a little less nervous. And the nurse did tell me that it is not as bad as the colposcopy was - but I couldn't believe that. I guess because I will not be able to feel it. We'll see. Now, I just can't wait for it to be over.
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 4:34 pm
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Hi Lulu, it is a relief in itself to get the procedure over with... now a whole new anxiousness awaits for the results. Make sure you ask your dr. when the results will be ready, some don't ask so the dr.'s just call when they have a chance to which can delay in finding out, also ask him/her to do a 2 week follow-up with you to see how everything is healing. But, seriously don't get nervous it is really a tiny prick and that's it. Your legs or butt may shake from the local, which made me cry a little, but that was the scariest part. Don't worry!! Let me know how everything goes for you!!
- By Lulu25
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 4:57 pm
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Question? When you say your legs shake? When and how much? When does it stop?
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 13, 2009 at 5:03 pm
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Definitely don't be scared of this at all, just be prepared that it may happen. My Dr. said that it happens with everyone and the important part is to not fight it because it will tense you up even more. My legs started to shake a couple seconds after she gave me the local, and they didn't shake to an extreme degree at all...for a minute I actually felt pretty relaxed, but my legs were still shaking. Mine stopped as soon as the procedure was over...mind you, the whole thing itself takes less than 5 mins.
- By mmk1383
- Posted January 15, 2009 at 2:22 pm
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Hi everyone! I just got my rest results back from my leep...She said that it was low-grade HPV and my biopsy came out clear and unremarkable (not sure what that means) Follow-up in 6 months. Thank the Lord and all of you for your support. I will be in touch as I am still healing.
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