Me And HPV

• The one very important thing that I finally understand is once you have it you can't get rid of it. Well, let just say the type that I have it's not leaving. One very important detail to know is abnormal pap smears. I always had this abnormal pap--I was like what the heck is going on here. Well I know all about it now, and know that it can cause cervical cancer. The important thing about HPV is to treat those abnormal cells before it gets out of hand.

  I will talk about the procedure I had in another article.

  At least now there is Gardisil, I would advise any young lady to get vaccinated especially if you are sexually active, better yet always use protection--a condom.

  Here are the guidelines according to the American Cancer Society for early detection of cervical cancer

  1. All women should begin cervical cancer screening about 3 years after they begin having vaginal intercourse, but no later than when they are 21 years old. Screening should be done every year with the regular Pap test or every 2 years using the newer liquid-based Pap test.

  2. Beginning at age 30, women who have had 3 normal Pap test results in a row may get screened every 2 to 3 years. Another reasonable option for women over 30 is to get screened every 3 years (but not more frequently) with either the conventional or liquid-based Pap test, plus the HPV DNA test. Women who have certain risk factors such as diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure before birth, HIV infection, or a weakened immune system due to organ transplant, chemotherapy, or chronic steroid use should continue to be screened annually.

  3. Women 70 years of age or older who have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years may choose to stop having cervical cancer screening. Women with a history of cervical cancer, DES exposure before birth, HIV infection or a weakened immune system should continue to have screening as long as they are in good health.

  4. Women who have had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) may also choose to stop having cervical cancer screening, unless the surgery was done as a treatment for cervical cancer or pre-cancer. Women who have had a hysterectomy without removal of the cervix should continue to follow the guidelines above.

  There are many types of HPV that may be transmitted through sexual contact. That is why in my last post I strongly advise always using protection with a condom. The important differences are the low risk types of HPV that cause external genital wars, for example, are not the same as high-risk type found with cervical cancers.

  Many sexually active people are exposed to more than one type in their lifetime, however, regular check ups should be done if this is the case. Like any other sexually active woman, a woman with warts should have Pap test on a regular basis.

  Now let me tell you how mis-informed I was about these warts. The gynecologist kept telling me I had these warts. I was like what warts I was even looking for them. I looked down my pants searching for these warts I keep hearing about but I could not see them. So I thought somebody is mistaken. Can you believe I didn't have the good sense to realize they were up on the inside of me? I am serious--I think I was in denial. It made my skin crawl to think about having something foreign on the inside of my body.

  As I mentioned earlier I will continue the procedures involved with removing the warts in another post.

• fondly,

• from a patient's perspective,

• Adrienne