I agree with what everyone's said and it sounds like you've got it under control and have a plan of action with the doctor.
The only thing I wanted to add was that a friend of mine kept getting false positives on her paps also, and had tons of unnecessary tests done. It turned out that while she was waiting the appropriate amount of time after TOM to get her paps, she wasn't waiting long enough for *her*. If you're having your paps done close to TOM, you might consider waiting a little longer.
Good luck with everything! I hope everything turns out okay!
you ALWAYS have the final say in what happens to your body... just because they have an MD after their name doesnt make them infallable... they sound rude and uncaring... dont let em bully you... they are NOT Gods, they do NOT own you.. and they can NOT tell you what you have to do... .. i wish you luck hun
I felt the need to add my 2 cents here as well. This is something that is so close and dear to me and when someone is not getting the treatment they deserve, it makes me FUME!
The nurse should not have given you any medical diagnosis over the phone. As the previous poster said, she is opening up herself and the doctor for a lawsuit. Just the way they are treating you is not appropriate at all and they can (and should) be reported for this.
I had numerous abnormal paps and finally was scheduled for a LEEP in September 2000. As I was waiting for the surgery, the side of my cervix that had abnormal cells (the reason for the LEEP) had developed into stage 1 cancer and the side that was ok, now had pre cancer cells. My mom was diagnosed with Stage 3B cervical cancer 5 years ago. She passed away within 10 months of being diagnosed. She had a LEEP done about 10 years prior to that and had always felt ok. She had some weird symptoms but attributed it to going through menopause. She was only 52 when she passed away and was my best friend in the world. I miss her like crazy every day. I have been terrified for years that mine would come back. I had a TAH (total abdominal hyst) 4 months ago for severe endo, cysts and scar tissue and I am finally have piece of mind, that I won't get cervical cancer. Although I can still get other kinds, this will no longer be constantly on my mind. Someone had mentioned that there is a HPV vaccine. You can only get it if you have not been sexually active. I know that in Ontario, they are giving it to Grade 8 girls here. I am getting it for my daughter the first chance I can. She is only 4 and I have been told that cervical cancer is not hereditary BUT with my mom and I BOTH having it, I am not taking any chances.
I tell everyone that I know that the NEED to get PAPS. I know that people are uncomfortable with the procedure but it's much more "uncomfortable" to go through cancer treatments. Sorry to high-jack this post.
To Little Moon Rabbit-Please do whatever you can to get a second and third opinion on this. DO NOT let the dr operate on you until you are 100% sure that need it. You need to make him (or her) aware that you were not treated very well at all and that it is unacceptable for his nurse to be giving a medical diagnosis over the phone. I hope that things work out for you.
i personally would find another dr. it sounds like that dr doesn't have time to do what you need...a simple phone call. Trust me..i'm a veterinarian..and even though i'm busy as heck, i return questions/concerns from my clients daily. sometimes if i can, i have my petnurses field the calls first to see if the answer can be told by a nurse but if not..i talk to them. I feel its important to take the time and call the owner with questions/concers. I think its insane that they made an apt without your approval. I would recommend a new gyno..however, if the results came back abnormal..i would recommend a colopscopy. I know you had a negative one 2 yrs ago..but in medicine..things change quickly...and you want to get something serious caught as soon as possible. Of corse its not a plesant experience...but wouldn't you rather know you are safe and not having serious cervical issues.
I am in shock that your doctor has scheduled a procedure for you without even talking to you and that you're basically being told that you have no choice but to do this procedure. I just wanted to say Ditto to what everybody else said. Call your doctor and leave a message saying that you do not consent to this procedure just yet until you guys have actually sat down face to face and discussed it FIRST. IF they refuse to do a sit down appointment or when you go for your appointment and the doctor refuses to speak with you and just wants to do the procedure, tell them that you'll be making a complaint to the board and that you're no longer in need of their services since you'll be finding another doctor.
LittleMoonRabbit, if you think you are doing anyone a service by trying to educate the doctor or explain your situation, think again. If you wouldn't go to that much trouble with a washer repairman or an auto mechanic, why do it with a doctor?
Forget about that office. Go see someone else. Have your records transferred.
Someone had mentioned that there is a HPV vaccine. You can only get it if you have not been sexually active.
This is false. From the drug company's web site:
GARDASIL is for girls and young women ages 9 to 26. Vaccination is recommended for girls as young as 9 because GARDASIL works when given before there is any contact with HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.
If you're already sexually active, you may still benefit from GARDASIL. That's because even if you have been exposed to HPV, it's unlikely that you have been exposed to all the types of the virus covered by this cervical cancer vaccine. That means GARDASIL could still help guard you against HPV types you haven't been exposed to.
I wanted to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and support. I am happy to know that I am not alone in the way I feel about this whole situation. You guys are the best! Sometime after my appointment on Friday I will give you guys an update on how everything went down. I will definitely be giving her a piece of my mind regarding her staff, and I will certainly stand firm in my decision. My body, my decision... period.
LittleMoonRabbit: What can I say that hasn't been said? No one deserves to be treated that way. It will certainly be emotional going to see the doctor, and that whole process can be intimidating. My personal reminder to be strong in those situations (and I've been through many!) is to ask myself: Should worse come to worst, is this the person whose advice and care I trust?
I hope it goes well Friday, and wish you all the best. Hopefully, they were all just having bad day over there and that's not their usual protocol!
Little moon, I am sorry you were treated that way.
I am also irritated at the lack of humanity, lack of appropriate care and lack of accurate information in the health field.
It is a common misconception that HPV is the cause of all cervical cancers, even IN the medical field.
I can say that I have had abnormal paps and have had HPV testing that came back NEGATIVE!!! So, atypical cells do not always mean HPV OR cancer.
Having intercourse too close to having a pap smear and going too soon before or after menstruation are reasons there have been wonky results in the past.
Best of luck finding a new doctor AND for speaking your truth, sister!
I had a false-positive pap once, and they did another pap just to be sure (I had had only one partner, very low risk) and it came back normal. If it had come back abnormal again, I would have had to get a colposcopy.
I've also gone to doctors who wanted to do an aggressive procedure right off the bat. I got a second opinion, and I got better (less aggressive) treatment that worked.
Second opinions are gold! Do what you feel is right for your body.
Yes! I am so very glad you said that. There are very very good doctors and very very bad doctors...and some that fall somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, I have learned that we have to look out for ourselves. Many doctors can have a god complex and many people just have absolutely no idea how to treat a patient/customer. Seems like they have gotten away with this in the past and see no reason to not continue. You have absolutely every right to make the decisions about what will be done to your body and to demand care from a doctor who views you as an intelligent independent woman.
