High grade pre cancerous cells, I'm petrified. Please talk to me

[Midnightsbecomemyafternoons]

I've just had a call regarding my most recent smear, I have to go to have a biopsy etc next Thursday. High grade dyskaryosis.

I'm shaking. I have three small children, one is disabled and one just a baby.

Please, can you offer me some words of reassurance from personal experience or even anecdotally.

I have terrible health anxiety and this is my worst nightmare. I can't stop crying.

Posting here shamelessly for traffic.

To be honest I dont think they will give you a full GA it will be deep sedation and hopefully you won't remember it.i didn't have anesthetic for the biopsy stage and it really hurt. I had deep sedation for an endoscopy and I don't remember it. I felt amazing when I woke up high as anything ! The actual treatment awake can feel horrible they inject you with anesthetic but it contains adrenaline so if you are already anxious you will feel worse. My legs started uncontrollably shaking due to it. I could cope but it wasn't nice. If they offer deep sedation take it it will ease your anxiety..

Ah that makes sense, I don't think I had anesthetic for the biopsy either then. No wonder it hurt so much.

I didn't get the adrenaline or shaking that you mention and I would have definitely noticed it.

I will definitely bare that in mind thank you.

The adrenaline is when you have the cold coagulation or LLETZ the treatment stage.

The actual treatment awake can feel horrible they inject you with anesthetic but it contains adrenaline so if you are already anxious you will feel worse

I have asked for a different kind of local anaesthetic at the dentist because of disliking the effects of the adrenaline otherwise. I don’t know if it would be a similar local anaesthetic for your treatment OP, but the principle should be the same.

Remember you always need to ask. No one will necessarily think of telling you of alternatives.

PRE cancerous. It isn't cancer. Just the potential for cancer and it will be removed. Think logically, this is exactly the point of smear tests. To nab it early before it becomes cancer.

I was born with a birthmark which had a high potential to turn cancerous. It was removed when I was two and 30 years later, it's never come back.

Try to stay calm, it's good that it's been caught early and early cancer is almost 100% treatable. It's when it lurks unnoticed that you have a problem.

And yeah you definitely do want the GA. Removal will hurt more than the biopsy, they have to make sure they have got it all.

I had to be put under for a colposcopy due to vaginismus and the attempt without was way more traumatic than the GA. I've had several through my life and its always been the best option.

When they put you under for a colposcopy/LLETZ is it done in theatre? How long are you asleep?

I do see the benefits, no pain etc. I'm just thinking I may be even more anxious in the lead up to that than I was yesterday in outpatients.

I'll have a think and weigh up the pros and cons. If I have the option that is.

The anaesthetic carried out with an injection in the spine plus light anaesthetic I mentioned was for removing some bladder cancer from the lining of the bladder and some of the bladder wall. It would no doubt have been extraordinarily painful, but this anaesthetic did prevent pain and consciousness of it actually happening.

@Midnightsbecomemyafternoons Do they ever do biopsies without numbing you?

I've had two cervical biopsies and they didn't numb it. They said the anaesthetic would feel the same as the biopsy so no point. Sympathies OP, I was in some state when I had my first abnormal smear/colposcopy and I have no previous trauma. My first scope/biopsy was nowhere near as bad as I'd imagined and the doctor was lovely, but the second one six months later was horrendous. I came home and cried buckets, it's left me with a lot of trauma affecting my mental health and sex life. The procedure was no different, it was all down to bedside manner.

I came home and cried buckets, it's left me with a lot of trauma affecting my mental health and sex life
The procedure was no different, it was all down to bedside manner

Some doctors do not seem to realise that their words and manner can do as much harm as their cure does good and that it matters as much or more.

Conversely, very lovely doctors help so much in every way by their manner.

💐💐💐💐

Sorry that was to
KimmySchmitt · Today 16:18 and OP.

I agree, the doctors bed side (or chair side!) manner makes all the difference.

I was nervous before my c-section but completely at ease during the op. I dread to think what it would've been like if I had this colposcopy consultant doing it.

Kimmy I'm so sorry you've had a similar experience ❤️

it's really shit isn't it? I was exactly how you described afterwards. In bits. I felt violated.

You're actually only under for about 20 minutes, it is done in theatre as far as I know, I only got as far as the prep room before I was zonked then about an hour in recovery, they give you tea and toast then you go for a wee and you're ready to go home.

Hey OP - your situation really resonated with me. I had an elective c-section because of similar trauma to you and so when I got that dreaded letter after my first post-pregnancy smear, I was a wreck.

Firstly, I took the doctor up on the offer of the diazepam. I am prescribed it for the smears themselves, so when I had to go for the biopsy, I was given a fairly hefty dose in case. I’m embarrassed to say I was pretty off my tits, much to my mum’s embarrassment as we waited to go in, but the HCPs were all lovely and totally understood. It really took the edge off my fear.

I too, didn’t have them removed at time of biopsy (mine were CIN2 I think but can’t remember details). I was called back and like you, told it could be done under GA to reduce the anxiety. I went in, had my GA (totally knocked out) woke up and literally that was it. No soreness, no issues since and no sign of even HPV in recent years. As others said, you need more regular smears for a bit but the treatment itself was totally fine.

The hardest but will be the waiting. I can completely understand that. Big hug ❤️

Only 20 minutes or so, that's alot quicker than I expected. I'm not sure why but I thought LLETZ etc would take longer. That's good. It makes it seem a bit less daunting and less of a big deal. I'm looking for small mercies where I can find them atm 😁

Rupert, thank you so much. I'm so sorry you've had the same kind of experiences but I'm really glad your procedure went well and that you got through it all okay. Trauma compounds everything doesn't it? I wouldn't have blinked an eye at this stuff 10 years ago. I'm so much more fragile now, I'm not sure if that's the right word to use but I'm sure you'll know what I mean ❤️

How long was everybody waiting for their biopsy results please? I've been feeling alot more laid back over the weekend but I've been having kittens every time my phone rings today and absolutely crapped myself when the postman came with junk mail

I've been told 6-8 weeks wait for my biopsy results.

I don’t have time to read the whole thread right now but in case nobody else has said this:

there’s a high false positive with smear tests. In other words, the cell changes they’ve spotted, which are quite common, may not mean anything negative at all. If this is the case then you didn’t get anything from your husband.

i understand why you are thinking along these lines. But it may be simply false.

Jesus christ, that's long!

Where abouts in the country are you if you don't mind saying? I'm in London. I know it varies from area to area. 6-8 weeks without having treatment if I need it is bloody horrifying (for me personally, and my MH)

Sorry, I completely forgot that they now only test for HPV first. So you may want to clarify that with them. Either way, the false positive can still apply.

@MyOtherCarIsAHearse read the thread please. When it comes to health it's best to read the thread or just not comment tbh.

@Midnightsbecomemyafternoons I was about 8 weeks too (actually had to chase it up after the second biopsy as it somehow got lost!) but they could tell by looking that I was unlikely to need treatment. Hopefully yours is prioritised. One thing to hold on to is that this is a slow growing issue. They've looked, they're not unduly concerned, and they know it can wait a few months to be sorted. I know it's really hard but hold onto that.

I had this in my late 20s, had the treatment and then all smears have been clear ever since. This was 20 years ago.

My comment was perfectly valid.

Thank you, I'll certainly try.

The consultant said I will need treatment, I was really struggling with the wait as it were and was gutted he wouldn't do the LLETZ there and then. I'm not coping v well with all of this and it has set my PTSD off badly 🙁

3+ weeks now and no letter/call. I called the hospital twice (consultants secretary) at the 2 and 3 week mark and left a message each time asking for a call back to discuss as i had some questions but they havent picked up or called me back at all.

I'm feeling really sad about how this whole thing has been handled, from how I was treat during the colposcopy, the lack of information given, no clarity on when I can expect to have the procedure done etc.

It has been a really, really rubbish time and completely ruined the Christmas period so far.

I spoke to one woman on a smear-related group who was waiting 5+ months for her results and procedure as she got lost in the system, by the time she went in she'd gone from CIN2 to CIN3.

Is any of this grounds for a chat with PALS or am I just being unreasonable because I feel like crap?