Smear came back "Severe Dyskaryosis" am so worried :-(

[GinaDavies]

So being a stupid cow that I am, I left nine years between smear tests. I went two weeks ago after watching a program discussing cervical cancer (Hollyoaks )

My results came back on Friday - CIN3 is the result. "We are writing to inform you that your cervix is screwed and you better get your bum in for a colposcopy"

Yes - not the not bothering to have a smear test for years, but the severe dyskariosis. My cervix went from apparently normal to "severe dyskariosis" in the space of a year. The treatment for severe dyskariosis is no different from the treatment for mild or moderate dyskariosis. You shouldn't have left it such a long time between smears, but the chance you have cancer rather than the CIN3 indicated on your smear report is very low. And now you've had an abnormal result, you will have a helpful reminder every 6-months to a year for the next 10 years NOT TO FORGET YOUR SMEAR TEST!!!!!!!

I know I have been stupid and have had the appropriate lectures over the last day or so from my mother and friends.

Thank you for the reasurrance regarding the likelyhood that it will unlikely be more sinister. Still a nagging worry though

Is the treatment very painful? I have read that they use a needle to numb the cervix and some electric loop thing to burn off the cells? Eeeeek!!

@ Hollyoaks. A thirty year old woman should not have to be spurned on by a teen soap, but hey ho it did the trick.

That would be so much better if they do whatever needs doing there and then. Ooo I hope they will.

I had cin2 a few years ago and had the loop thing LLETZ if I remember rightly, wasnt painful at all, getting the biopsy before hand nipped a bit but was a very straighforward procedure, in and out in half an hour.

"Thank you for the reasurrance regarding the likelyhood that it will unlikely be more sinister"

What I was trying to say there was; Thank you for the reasurrance that it is unlikely to be anything too dodgy.

Just found out that I have passed the first year of my English Degree. Can you tell? lol

Don't worry about the colposcopy or the treatment - it is generally not too bad and not painful, just a bit uncomfortable. After cutting a lump out of your cervix, they cauterise the area (ie burn the remaining tissue to seal the bleeding vessels...). This doesn't smell too pleasant, and if you are admiring their work on the little TV screen, doesn't look too pleasant, either! You just have to remind yourself, if you are the sort the likes to see what's going on, that the image is hugely magnified!!!!!!!

Oh no! I think I'll give the viewing of my cervix a miss.

Grand picture you've painted Rabbit

I now have visions of a DR kitted out with safety goggles, laser beam and a room filled with the scent of barbequed fango. Again I hope they do it all in one go.

I will NEVER miss a smear again.

Fango fanjo

I had CIN3 about ten years ago and then a colposcopy and LLETZ. Have gone on to have lovely healthy daughter, no probs with giving birth (not sure if this is an issue for you or your family is complete). As everyone said, the treatment is not bad at all and just thank your lucky stars you went and had your scan! Good luck.

The treatment isn't painful at all. But I will tell you that I slightly wished I'd asked for a GA as lying there thinking about what they were doing while they did it freaked me out a bit. But you may well be made of stronger stuff than me!

My colposcopy was under general anaesthetic because it was done at the same time as a hysteroscopy.

With mine they froze away the abnormal cells after taking a biopsy.

Don't panic like I did, apparently lots of very watery discharge is normal after the freezing, I'd imagined they'd somehow perforated my bladder in the process because of the gushes of liquid!!!

I've had colposcopy - it was fine ,not painful .
Just wish the nurses hadn't been quite so casual and that they'd turned the radio off .
I didn't like the choice of station .
And give yourself a break about missing smears .
You could have had yearly smears and still ended up like this .

had cin III back in 2000 (hadn't had a smear for 10 years before that so was very scared like you!), was treated under general anaesthetic as i'm a real baby and all was fine! had smears every year, had CIN I in 2003 after having my daughter but clear smears since then. Just had another smear and they now test for the HPV virus at the same time on women who've had dodgy smears in the past which is the virus that is mostly responsible for cervical cancer. Mine came back clear so i'm back on 3 yearly smears cos it means i'm now low risk. Saves having unecessary yearly smears if you are virus free!

I remember being annoyed that the consultant kept poking my cervix when explaining things to his registrar (proper little chat they had while staring up my fanjo), as someone said there's a little screen he could have pointed at.

As I recall he opened the chat with "as you can see there are multiple problems here..", what a way to put someone at their ease.

It was for a cervical ectropion in my case, I had a biopsy and an ablation (the surface frozen), so same procedure, I have to say the biopsy stung a bit but the rest was OK.

Than you for all of your replies.

Blackmonday I feel a fair bit better now you have mentioned leaving yours so long too. I think it really is the fact I left it so long that's been scaring me the most.

TOS I was reading about the biopsy procedure last night. It mentioned that they take cells the size of a pinhead. Do they do it without any anesthetic?

I'm glad all of you are now well.

I didn't get any anesthetic, it was painful, but over in a couple of seconds.

I was uncomfortable for a day or two afterwards, but you'd get that once the anesthetic wore off anyway.

You can ask for local anaesthetic though if they're doing a punch biopsy (small piece), they will definitely give you a anaesthetic for a LLETZ/loop.
There is a very small chance that it is cancer, as the others have said - however the severe dyskaryosis does need treating. There is more information for women on the colposcopists' website so that may be useful.
I would take a pad to wear afterwards in case of bleeding.
Hope it goes ok.

TTOS I can't believe you had no anethestic

I just got back from mine. I had a loop biopsy and diathermy. IT HURT like hell The doctor didn't tell me after the colposcopy he was going to start treatment there and then. He put the solution on, went "Hmm" then the next thing I know I'm heading up the bed as he's injecting me with local anethetic. Next thing I feel is a feeling like someone stabbing my cervix with a red hot poker. I tried to do the breathing thing we do during labour, but ended up needing oxygen as I almost passed out. I got told off by the doc for moving he said if I didn't keep still I would end up damaging my fanjo, but I swear it fecking hurt. My friend next to me was muttering about the smell during the cauterising. What a day. Least it's all done for now though. He said result should be back withing four weeks.

within*

Gina - poor you ,I'm sure it shouldn't have hurt as much as that .
Maybe he should have waited for local to work ? ??
As you say ,all done now .

Hmm. It does sound as though he either didn't wait for the anaesthetic to work, or should have injected a bit more!!!!! Whilst the anaesthetic injection was a pretty unpleasant sensation, I only remember a feeling of pressure and a vile smell of burning for the LEEP and cauterisation!!!!

In fact, now I think about it, for the 2nd LEEP that I had done (the unnecessary one...), he specifically said he was having to do quite a deep cone, as the possible abnormality was quite high up, only just in view within the cervical canal, and he injected me in several places - it made my heart race and I felt quite peculiar, so I think I was really well dosed up!!!!!

Please don't beat yourself up about leaving it for a long time. It doesn't matter what spurred you on to have it done. And at least you did. Having worked on a gynae ward I saw plenty of people who had rapid smear changes so this could well have been a recent cell transformation.The main thing is that you have had a smear and now can be treated. I wish you all the very best.

Ok. Had LETZ 10 yrs ago for dyskaryosis and a cone biopsy, they aparantly removed everything and this was only found by chance as I was being sterilised at age 28 they did a smear as normal and as I'd ignored my call back from the smear 10 yrs previously it was by a great deal of luck.... I then went on to have smears every year and was told I carry the HPV virus, my smear a year ago was abnormal again and they just routined me for colposcopy a year later which I had in January this year, the Dr stated my cervix looked all clear but she would take another smear anyway but said to look forward to the 10 yr clear...... Yesterday the 16th Feb I decided to chase up the result as I hadn't heard anything and my dr hadn't heard either so referred me to the colposcopy clinic, I called them and explained the lady on the phone said there was a letter waiting to be signed off by my dr who wasn't in again til next week but she could see there was an abnormality and stated a meeting was booked and that was that, after a sleepless night and going over my mortgage and life insurance I decided today to call in my GP as I could not carry on not knowing, I had diagnosed myself with Dr Google...... She contacted the colposcopy clinic and hey presto a diagnosis of severe dyskaryosis. Letter due out to me next week to confirm and that the radiographer, surgeon pathologist and my dr would sit down in a meeting.... Wait...... On 25th March to discuss the best course of action..... I've not been well for a while, really naming unusual colds and viruses which I don't usually suffer from, having been to my Drs over n over again with a smelly uncomfortable discharge pain during sex, cramps in between periods etc but yet with such a diagnosis I'm still waiting til 25th March for someone to decide what to do with me..... I hve 3 children and no intent of any more, I just want them to take it all away so I don't have to keep going through this.... What if it's spread? It's been going on so long yet no one else sees the urgency of it except me????????

I had cin3 when I had my very first smear aged 21. I had a colposcopy and laser treatment, very frequent smears for a while while they kept an eye. That was 20yrs ago. Had two children 10 yrs later, no further problems( I hope, waiting for recent results of smear!)

Good luck, it didn't hurt and they sorted it all very quickly.