I am very concerned that too many women do not fully understand why they get a PAP test and what it is. Furthermore, I think too many women rely on their PAP results too heavily. My PAP results had always come back good. Even when I had stage 3B Cervical Cancer my PAP results were not showing any great irregularities. This is a fact that scares me! Of course you want a good PAP test and then you want to go home and not think about it for another year. I urge all of to be proactive and understand this test, why you are getting it and what the results actually mean.
If you know something isn't right with your body yet your PAP comes back normal don't just go home and forget about it! There is now another test you can have in addition to the PAP, the HPV test. PAP test can miss pre-cancerous cells as well as cancerous cells, just look at what happened to me. The HPV test is extra sensitive and therefore less likely to miss things the PAP does. I understand that women just want good news so they can go home and be worry free but what good does that do when you should be worried. If my Cervical Cancer had been caught early on I could have avoided so much pain, could have children, not miss out on almost a year of my life etc.... Check out this article if you want to know more: PAP Plus HPV Tests
Keep talking and educating yourself!
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8 comments:
Very good to know. I'm going for mine soon and will be sure to ask for more than the normal test.
Wow. I just stumbled upon your blog and it's amazing. You seem to be an awesome person :)
I believe in always listening to your body not matter what tests or doctors may say.
It's not cancer, but recently my sister was in a lot of pain. She was on the floor and couldn't move. Some tests said she was fine, others said she had a kidney infection and one even said she had an enlarged liver from previous medication.
She finally said enough was enough, marched into an ER told her what she thought and what going on and sure enough her suspicions were right.. she had kidney stones.
It was just like me and my gallstones. I knew what it was but nobody listened.
Only you know your body!
P.S. I am going to add your blog to my blog list. :)
i read the ur blog and the report u added to it...and how they treat the "problem" ova here in germany:
every gyn would tell ya ova here that you HAVE TO HAVE a pap smear AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR ..do not wait 2 or 3 years before getting the next.
if a pap comes out not normal ova here they do a HPV test right then (like they did to me and it turned out i have been high risk positive)..THEN they make u come back every 3 months (dont go back earlier, cuz it makes no sence. the tissue where they take the cells from needs 3 months to recover)..THEN they'll check if ur body can solve the prob by itself ...in my case: after the positive HPV test..i went back 3 months later..the pap turned out one stage better...after another 3 months i have been back at a PAP III stage..and my gyn send me to the hospital where they did a biopsy in order to find out whats INSIDE the tissue...and it turned out i had a PAP IV although called CIN III ...a PAP V means its "spreading cancer" a PAP IV means there is already cancer in the tissue but NOT spreading yet...so, after that they did the conisation biopsy ...had to do it twice (different story why-but nothing bad) and after the surgery u have to wait 3 months and get the next pap smear...i had 2 now since the surgeries and they both turned out good..and my gyn called me "healthy"...
so..when it comes to the HPV test...in germany u CAN let them do a HPV test but YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY for it (about 150$) IF there has been NO abnormal pap smear before...IF ur pap smear has been abnormal before and they do a HPV its for free...
the pap smears ova here in germany are free, too. the health insurances cover it.
to the vacination:
there are 2 different kinds ova here in germany u can get.
girls between 9 - 17 get the shots for free. if u have to pay for it u have to pay 675$ for it (in germany!).
and what makes me upset the most is that (at least ova here) there is a commercial on tv that says: be safe and get ur HPV vacination..bla bla...they are NOT saying that this vacination covers only TWO numbers of the high risk and two of the low risk group!!!!
the high risk group is the one that can cause cancer...the most dangerous no in this group are no.16+18 (i hit the "jackpot"..cuz i have em) and thats it! there are way more numbers in each group...and i think its just stupid to tell ppl "get the vacination and ur safe" cuz its not true!!!
HPV test:
if ur result say: HPV POSITVE it means the virus is ACTIVE in ur body..
my result AFTER the surgeries has been NEGATIV..this DOESN'T MEAN u got rid of the virus...
this is a wrong thinking, cuz this virus will stay in ur body FOREVER..being negativ means its SLEEPING...NOT DOING anything...
..cuz the "active" virus-cells have been right there on that spot that they cut out during the conisation biopsy.
80% of the ppl all ova the world are carrying the HPV virus...men and women...but most of the ppl dont know about what it can do.
having HPV doesnt mean u had sex with several ppl...u can get it from the FIRST person u had sex with...
having HPV doesnt mean u didnt use a condom while having sex... u can get it WHILE using a condom, too!
there is no need for sex..skin on skin contact in "that area" is enough to spread it...
having HPV doesnt mean u had sex at all...u can get it in a whirlpool, too! cuz of the hot temperature in the pool.no kidding!
there are just a FEW facts about HPV most ppl dont know..and its just sad that they dont tell ppl all that...instead shocking ppl with facts and making them feel bad.
oh well...i could go on writing about that forever .. :)
in my case, when i got my result, i tried to find out EVERYTHING about it..i really got on my docs nerves but i always told em..ITS MY BODY, ITS MY LIFE and i WANNA KNOW whats going on with me!!!!!
plus ..searching the internet, talking to LOTS of other (most YOUNG) women helped me a lot.
i really do hope all the women out there, no matter if in the USA, Germany or wherever, will WAKE UP and go to their gyns regularly...AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR!!!!
*HUGS*
Claudia
Claudia:
Thank you so much for your comment! You provided a ton of great information and I hope you don't mind if I use your comment as a post sometime in the future. You have a great attitude and good for you for standing up for yourself, educating yourself and not being too scared to go to they gyno and get all the tests! Also, thank you for speaking up and being embarrassed to talk about this subject! There's a negative stigma attached to this subject and its just plain STUPID! If you get cervical cancer that doesn't mean you are a slut!
I talk about my situation all the time, loudly. I find that when I act like its no big deal others feel more comfortable. You have a great attitude and please keep posting comments and checking in.
xoxo
Meaghan
hey girl...
YOUR SOOOOOO WELCOME!!!
..and i dont mind if you'll use my comment as a blog in here..just go ahead...its not a secret..otherwise i wouldn't post it in here..haha :)
YOU ARE the one with this AWSUM attitude and i really do hope you'll reach SOOOOO many ppl with ur blog and informations!! and as far as i can I WILL BE HERE AND HELP YA!!!!!
i just wish i could spread it more and more inside Germany, too..not sure yet HOW to do it...*argh!*
..i know this experience too well, that ppl think u must have had sex with THOUSANDS of guys to get cervical cancer..which usually means u are HPV positive..this SO STUPID and i really had a hard time at the beginning to convince ppl that THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! plus..the stupid things they say RIGHT into ur face although they know the last thing u need is them telling ya stuff like: " so u never used condoms, right? otherwise u wouldnt have gotten that..right?"...and all this stupid talking pissed me off..and i tried to find out EVERYTHING i could about HPV and cervical/cervix cancer..and today i am trying..at least trying to tell all the girls around me whats up. i am talking about my story as soon as i recognize that the person listens to me..i tell em EVERYTHING cuz, like u said..i wanna wake em up..tell em..THERE IS NO NEED TO BE SCARED about it..just go and get ur regular checks and IF something might not be right the docs can fix it BEFORE its too late!!!!
like i said before..compared to YOU..my story is like "nothing"..i was lucky, to be honest..but i think its SOOOO IMPORTANT to TALK ABOUT IT!!!!
i wish WAY MORE PPL WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT!!!
lots of love to ya and be sure i'll stay in contact and write write write..haha..!!
*HUUUUGS* to ya from good ole Germany :)
Claudia
Thanks for the info. I remember learning about HPV in a Human Sexuality class in college. I always wondered why the information wasn't more readily available for women. Most of my friends were unaware.
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