I Don't Have Cancer!......but......

On June 30th I got a phone call that every woman dreads. The doctor's office was calling to tell me that the results of my pap smear were abnormal and that I needed further testing. I was told that I had cervical dysplasia. Many emotions ran through my head. I was scared but I also felt guilty. I hadn't had a pap smear done in a very long time, more than 10 years. I just kept putting it off. I often wondered if I had waited too long this time.I met with a specialist on July 29th and I was told that I had moderate dysplasia not mild like I had first thought. I was convinced that yes, I had waited to long.

On August 14th, I had a colposcopy done. Which is basically like a pap smear except tissue samples(biopsy) were taken. I had a total of four samples taken, 3 from the surface of the cervix and one from the inside of the cervix. The doctor never said anything about what he saw so I was left to wait two weeks. The waiting is what really gets me. If you read my Beautiful Ride post, then you know that I  was ready to handle anything.

Well, I got the results of my biopsy today. I almost cried when the doctor said, "You don't have cancer". I could have kissed him. I was so thrilled and relieved. Now this is where the 'but' part comes in. Although what I have is not cancer now, it does have potential to turn into cancer later. So they want to treat it. I had a choice between cryotherapy and a LEEP procedure. Cryotherapy is basically freezing it, which can be done right in the doctor's office. The drawback to this is that it is only about 80 percent effective, which means it might not get it all. But then they can do the procedure again or try something different. Most woman opt for this choice. The LEEP procedure would be done in the hospital as a same day surgery. I would have to be put in LaLa land and all that stuff that comes with it. This treatment is the most effective but has risks. I chose the cyrotherapy. I feel that the percentages are high enough that I feel confident that this will take care of the problem. I will be closely followed to check to  see if it returns. I am looking at pap smears probably every 3-6 months for awhile. My cyrotherapy appointment is set for September 23rd.

I feel like I got a second chance today so I want to do something special. I am urging all you ladies out there to please, please, please, go get your pap smear done if you have been putting if off. I know they can be embarrassing and uncomfortable but we all have to do it. Please learn from my experience. I was one of the lucky ones but it could have turned out completely different.

Thank you for reading this.