My Dr. just called. My PAP came back abnormal. UPDATE page 5 (04/06)

[MommyPoppins]

Do I need to be worried yet? What could it be that's not a big deal? I've never had an abnormal PAP before. My stomach is just sick.

 

[RachelEllen]

Hi! - Warning, this post may be TMI for some....

I've had abnormal paps, and while it can be frightening. The vast, vast majority of the time, they either don't need to be treated or can be easily treated.

Your doctor should tell you whether the pap showed inflammation, abnormal cells that are difficult to classify, low risk precancerous cells, or high risk precancerous cells. Depending on which you have, they may just recheck you, perform a more detailed biopsy, or do some sort of treatment. Almost all the time, the treatment is a simple outpatient procedure that just removes or kills the out layers of cells.


I had high risk precancerous cells and had the most aggressive treatment short of a hysterectomy. Still, I now have normal paps, am back to baseline risk, and my ability to have kids is not affected. It took a while to get here, because it was scary, but I now really think of it as a blessing. Before paps, I could very likely be dead from cervical cancer. Now, all I went through was a very minor procedure.

Just going on odds, it's very likely that you won't even have to deal with as much as that. My doctor put it like this. Abnormal pap smears are the little league of the cancer world. Things like chemotherapy are the majors. As stressful as the little league is, it's not really likely you are going to end up a professional.


Good luck, and if you have any specific questions when you get more info, let me know.

 

[Serena]

Don't be worried yet. It could be anything at all. Get the second pap and then wait for the results. Most of the time it'll be absolutely normal. And even if it isn't don't panic.

My sister has had several abnormal ones, she did have some precancerous cells. They froze her uterus and she was worried she'd never have kids. Well, a couple years later she had twins.

My daughter did and they hand delivered the letter to my home. Talk about panicking. Come to find out, it was time for her cycle to start and it affected the results.

So don't worry yet.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Do I need to be worried yet? What could it be that's not a big deal? I've never had an abnormal PAP before. My stomach is just sick.

What the above poster said is right... DOn't freak out yet..I have lived with abnormal papa/cervical dysplaysia for 13 years..I have ha d a couple of minor procedures done over the years..Most people people would have the procedures I've had and would go back to having normal paps... I don't because of my HIV status.. You will have a colposcopy,where they will have a closer look,and possibly they may freeze some cells or do some other procedure..None of the procedures I have had have been painful,including biopsies.. It is very common to have abnormal paps.
hugs

 

[jennyl772003]

I had a friend who once had an abnormal Pap. After further testing, it was found that she did not have cancer. She did go in for tests twice a year for a few years after that as a precaution.

I wouldn't be worried right now. (easy to say, hard to do)

 

[mrsltg]

Try not to worry (easy, right???). There are about a million reasons why a pap will come back abnormal that aren't bad at all. If it's a smear pap they are often inaccurate. If you had intercourse to close the test can be inaccurate. If you were too close to your period, too close to ovulation, etc etc etc .... Just schedule your follow-up and take it from there!

Erin

 

[luvmydogs]

Nope, don't be worried yet. I used to work in a women's heath clinic, and it was not at all uncommon for a PAP to come back abnormal. There are variables that can skew the result--something like a mild infection, intercourse, your period or unbalanced Ph can all do that; and sometimes for whatever reason, the results are just wrong. Your Dr. will probably reccommend a re-PAP, and if it's abnormal again, you may have to have a colposcopy to get a more detailed diagnosis. If you've kept up with your yearly PAPs and they've all come back normal, the chance that you'd have any sort of advanced cervical cancer are infintessimal. Cervical cancer when found in it's earliest stage is very treatable, but that's something that wouldn't even cross my mind at this stage (OK, I'm lying, I'd be thinking about it, too!), and I believe, for you, would be highly unlikely. I've seen many, many women who've had abnormal PAPS (myself included), and when retested, the results come back normal.

I think it's very natural for you to be concerned, but I'm betting that everything's going to be just fine. Best wishes, and let us know!

 

[MommyPoppins]

Hi! - Warning, this post may be TMI for some....

I've had abnormal paps, and while it can be frightening. The vast, vast majority of the time, they either don't need to be treated or can be easily treated.

Your doctor should tell you whether the pap showed inflammation, abnormal cells that are difficult to classify, low risk precancerous cells, or high risk precancerous cells. Depending on which you have, they may just recheck you, perform a more detailed biopsy, or do some sort of treatment. Almost all the time, the treatment is a simple outpatient procedure that just removes or kills the out layers of cells.


I had high risk precancerous cells and had the most aggressive treatment short of a hysterectomy. Still, I now have normal paps, am back to baseline risk, and my ability to have kids is not affected. It took a while to get here, because it was scary, but I now really think of it as a blessing. Before paps, I could very likely be dead from cervical cancer. Now, all I went through was a very minor procedure.

Just going on odds, it's very likely that you won't even have to deal with as much as that. My doctor put it like this. Abnormal pap smears are the little league of the cancer world. Things like chemotherapy are the majors. As stressful as the little league is, it's not really likely you are going to end up a professional.


Good luck, and if you have any specific questions when you get more info, let me know.

She said it showed abnormal cells. I go back on the 28th for the other test where they'll look at it under a microscope and if they see more abnormalitys they'll take some to biopsy. Something like that.

Thanks everyone for all the encouraging words.

 

[we3disneygo]

I've been throught this too, in the end nothing was wrong, had a procedure in the office.....the chair went up in the air...that was a shocker...

 

[AuntieM03]

I used to work for an OB-Gyn and we saw alot of women for abnormal paps. We did alot of Colposcopy's and biopsies. We also did alot of Cryo which is freezing the cervix to kill the abnormal cells. After that the women had paps every 3-6 months for a period of time to make sure it worked.

 

[ckmommy]

To you MommyPoppins!!!

Having an abnormal pap is a great fear of mine!! I would be doing all sorts of looking in the internet, then diagnosing myself with the worst possible thing out there. Please do not do that!! It will put more stress on you than you need right now!! I had read somewhere on the net that something like 80% of women will be HPV positive in their lifetime. HPV is what causes abnormal paps (and cerival cancer), but only a few strains (out of 100) of this virus are high risk cancer causing. I know there is a test (like a pap) you can request to see if you are at risk for the high risk HPV. I also read about a vaccine that will virtually eliminate cervical cancer by making your body immune to certain high risk strains of HPV. I think that this vaccine will be out sometime later this fall. I will be thinking of you!!!!

I am not a dr. or nurse, so my info my not be correct. Good luck to you!!!

 

[Angela Kay]

I went through this same thing last year right before our WDW trip. My pap came back with abnormal cells. Mine were severe...not cancer but could have truned into cancer if left untreated. I had a biopsy, which confirmed the pap. Two weeks later, I had a LEEP procedure in the office to remove the abnormal cells. It was totally painless for me. I had to go back in 4 months for a repeat pap. My doctor told me the first one usually comes back with a-typical cells and it did. I go back in May for a repeat pap...hopefully everything will be fine. I did learn that alot of women have been through this same thing. They all had excellent results and normal paps afterward.

I'll tell you not to worry...but you will. If it was serious, the doctor would have you back in there asap.

I agree with ckmommy...please do not go on the net looking for information. I did that and I "did" diagnose myself with the worst possible, "whatever was out there"! It was all for nothing.

 

[Mermaid02]

This happened to me last year. They scheduled me for another PAP in a couple of months and that one came back fine.

 

[damo]

I get them every now and then. The second test has always come back perfectly fine. My doctor says it is probably just due to the time of cycle when the test is taken. Even if it is pre-cancerous, they just remove those cells, it is really no big deal.

 

[Patty3]

Try not to worry (easy, right???). There are about a million reasons why a pap will come back abnormal that aren't bad at all. If it's a smear pap they are often inaccurate. If you had intercourse to close the test can be inaccurate. If you were too close to your period, too close to ovulation, etc etc etc .... Just schedule your follow-up and take it from there!

Erin

I totally agree with Erin's post. I have had pap's that have come back abnormal and when repeated they do come back normal.

 

[VSL]

I had a friend who once had an abnormal Pap. After further testing, it was found that she did not have cancer. She did go in for tests twice a year for a few years after that as a precaution.

I wouldn't be worried right now. (easy to say, hard to do)

Same thing happened to my BF's mother.

I wouldn't worry yet.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I had that happen to me a couple of years ago and they had to do a LEEP for the "cancerous cells". 2 years later and I have not had an abnormal pap since. Try to stay calm and not worry, I know I panicked when I heard the "C-word" and went straight to researching it on the internet, that was a bad decision and I totally freaked myself out.

 

[beavismom]

I had a LEEP procedure done as well and it is no big deal. This was 12 years ago and all my paps since then have been normal. The important thing is just to keep up with your appointments and stay calm about it. There are several steps that may happen in between and they have been pretty much described in the above posts so you can see that it is pretty common and rarely serious as long as you get get treatment if needed.

 

[C.Ann]

My former sister-in-law's PAP always comes back abnormal and has done so for the past 10 years or so.. Now the doctor just has her come every 6 months instead of once a year.. Can't remember what the cause was though - sorry..

Try not to panic (I know - easier said than done..)..

 

[princess pooh]

I had an abnormal pap a few years ago and it turned out that I had HPV. Different strains can cause genital warts or cervical cancer, and of course I ended up with a pre-cancerous lesion . Up until recently I've had to go for a copolscopy every six months, but now I can go back to having regular pap tests. Cervical cancer develops very slowly so as long as you stay on top of things, they can catch it before it starts (at least that's what the OBGYN specialist told me).

I was worried sick about the results but it turned out to be not a big deal. Most of my female friends have the same condition too. This happens to a lot of women