Abnormal Pap - freaking myself out

[notwonamesalike]

OK...just a bit of background on me. Both parents died of cancer before I was 26. Paternal grandmother, paternal great aunt too. Two cousins have inoperable cancer.


So whenever things come back abnormal for anything I do the freaked out big "C" dance.


Dr. called me this week and told me my pap came back abnormal. They ran an HPV test and it came back negative so they said they weren't going to worry about it and that I just need to make sure to come in every year for a follow up.

Is this standard procedure? Do I need to be seen by a gyno? (Mine is no longer practicing, so I had my yearly performed by my nurse practitioner.)

Do I need to worry about anything? The part of me that is prone to anxiety and fear is freaking out.

[Aquitane]

I probably wouldn't wait a whole year. You might want to have another pap done in 3 or 6 months.

My sister has had multiple abnormal paps. She has had abnormal cells removed from her cervix twice. (It was done in the office and it was kind of painful.) She's fine, but when she gets an abnormal pap, she gets another in 3 months.

This happened to her when she was in her mid to late twenties. Since she hit her thirties and has had two more kids, she's hasn't had anymore abnormal ones.

Good luck!

[catinthehat]

I had the same thing happen a month or two ago. My dr had me come in again in three months for another. The second came back fine. Sometimes they can be abnormal from diaphragm use, spermicide use, yeast, bacteria, etc. If you know you are going to be freaking out for the next year until you get a clear one, then go get one in a couple months. But, sometimes they do come back abnormal for no apparent reason, so try not to worry too much. Easier said then done!

[Purple*Lotus]

Mine was abnormal once and they scheduled a follow up pap. So if I were you, I would get a follow up just in case. But human error plays a role here, which was what they figured happened in my case, but I would get another one just to be sure

[annarose999]

I've had abnormal paps every two years or so since 2004. I've had the cells removed via scraping and freezing. It wasn't so bad. The mental stress is the killer. I definitely would go back in three to six months for a re-pap. Just because you're negative for hpv doesn't mean the risk isn't present - i'm neg too.

[SunshineJ]

I had one come back abnormal once. One of the nurses who was an aquaintence of mine was very concerned when I didn't immediately follow up with the biopsy procedure as I guess mine was "one of the most serious abnormalities". It IS stressful, and I don't have a strong history of cancer in my family, I can't imagine how much it would be so for you. In my case, I don't recall the details but it was something to do with insurance coverage and a short lapse or something, but I simply couldn't afford to get the testing done. I elected instead to get the pap redone in 30 days. There are a LOT of things that can cause it to kick back as abnormal, things that are very common and very benign. Funny thing there. I went back and was retested in 30 days and this terrible "almost always cancer" abnormality no longer existed. That was back in something like 1998/1999 and I've been "normal" in that regard ever since.

I'd see about having it redone in either 30 or 90 days, if only for your peace of mind. On the off and slim chance there's something to it, it would also have been caught that much sooner, kwim? ((Hugs!))

[Violet2]

I wouldn't worry too much. Abnormal paps are kind of common and I think trend toward false positives (but I might be wrong about the false positive, I seem to remember reading that tho'). I had one at 24 myself.

However, I would treat it seriously, especially with your family history. I would go to an OB and get a second test or opinion. I would not wait a year.

I had to go to an OB after mine.

V

[annarose999]

i forgot to mention that the easiest things can throw the test off. even having sex within 24 hours can cause a false positive

[Mountaingirl79]

I feel for you!!

Oh, ((hugs)) I know the feeling well. Easier said than done, but don't freak out. I would have saved myself a lot of energy if I had taken that advice a year ago.

Last year I was called about an abnormal pap, and mine was about high grade abnormalities. I waited a few months to get in with a specialist and had the bad cells removed. It was nerve wracking, but remember that cervical cancer is very ( repeat, very!!) slow growing.
Since my cone biopsy came back all clear I am not even due for another check until summer of this year.

Were your results low grade or high grade? Usually with low grade abnormalities they do a more "wait and see" approach. It is good that you tested neg for HPV. I was not so lucky and will be typed ( to see which strain I have) this summer with my yearly check.


Good luck! PM me if you have any questions about procedures! :-)