Ok. Help me out here. This month, your GYN told you they were clogged sebaceous glands. Then, also this past month, but after your GYN visit, your waxing research lead you to analyze anew these two bumps? There are only two? Are you saying they have changed since your GYN visit and what they look like now? Have you researched clogged sebaceous glands? Are there internet pics to compare? Def there are skin tag pics to compare. You're saying they look like skin tags now? I've never been treated with TCA so I don't know what to expect. I've only had mine electro cauterized or (mostly) frozen off with liquid nitrogen. Both methods always very effective with immediate destruction of the wart.
Before I go on, I'll just say that there is only one definitive way to know for sure if it's warts or not. You must have them biopsied. I've been to many nurses at planned parenthood, dermatologists, and doctors over the years, and I've found that, unless they happen to be purposefully knowledgeable about HPV, they may not be fully qualified to pronounce judgement. Biopsy, biopsy, biopsy.
So many questions I’m looking for guidance and maybe some are just silly:
1) WTF? 27 years. Could this actually be dormant? Or was I active on and off and passing back and forth with my husband and never realized it? Admittedly he has many skin tags on his nether regions which have been declared skin tags by doctors who have refused to remove them because it’s ‘cosmetic’. I really don’t even know how to put my thoughts into questions.
* 27 years is indeed a long time. I don't really know what to tell you there. Were you ping ponging warts back and forth? Again, not sure. The experts who used to answer in the Expert sections seemed to frown on this scenario if I remember correctly. Perhaps try researching their old answers.
2) A big issue is - I never told him about my diagnosis. Frankly we started dating 9 years after my diagnosis. I thought I was in the clear. Currently I am not of the state of mind to disclose to him. And will just refrain from sex until I figure it out. I’ve searched for help on how to discuss this with him at this juncture so I’m not asking for help with this.
* You should be able to tell him without any freak out on his part especially once he understand the nature of the virus. Nobody would tell a partner about HPV after 9 years! I'd just tell him, let him have his initial reaction, then get down to business of discussing it rationally with the facts that are known today. If your marriage is good and you're in no danger of splitting up, having HPV warts is really a non-issue.
3) I have an appointment with my regular GYN in 2 days. I’m going to beg her to treat again. What’s the normal course of treatment in the US? Is it every week? Every two weeks? I’ve looked and cannot find consensus. Honestly I’d prefer her to take a more aggressive course of action like cryo, but who knows of my insurance will cover it.
* My insurance is a $25 copay and there is no additional charge. Just call your provider Monday and see. Since there are many methods of treatment, the course of action depends on the method chosen. Like you said, aggressive is better in my opinion, too, because then it's just over and done with no addition treatments needed (unless it is indeed more warts in which case they may break out again in the coming months. Although your situation is unique if indeed you have warts again so nothing for sure can be declared). Again, if you can still biopsy, DO IT!
4) I saw on another post that a Canadian treatment was a cocktail including salicylic acid. Why is it that in the US over the counter salicylic acid is not recommended as treatment for genital warts? I cannot find an answer to this question. The best I can deduce is the FDA has not approved it as treatment and the pharmaceutical companies don’t want such a cheap treatment to be available. On the other hand I wonder if it’s protection against misuse and potential overuse/burning of sensitive tissue by people rather than see MD. I’m seriously debating just going out and buying some Compound W to get rid of these buggers if my regular GYN declines my request.
* Go with an aggressive treatment that is one and done. That's my recommendation and what I've always done.
Any feedback will be so greatly appreciated. I’m going out of my mind and cannot concentrate on even the simplest of tasks. I have 2 kids, full time job, husband, and it’s like I’ve completely withdrawn from normality. I feel like I’m just an observer in the ‘before’ part of a major change in my life - before I tell my husband.
* Your biggest issue right now is your understandable drastic reaction to these new bumps. I get it. But, having had warts three times since 2010, I can tell you it's really not a big deal. There is no health risk, and they do subside and go away. If you're out in the dating world, they can throw a wrench in the moral persons process, but if married, it's really not an issue at all. Understanding the stigma around HPV warts, a person's initial reaction is okay, but once they calm down and think about it with the facts, then a continued paranoid, scared, doomsday approach is unhelpful and not correlative with reality. Therefore, in my opinion, it's best just to open up about it. You do you, though!