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686473 tn?1227017574

Just diagnosed CIN III- Cancer in-situ

I am a 27 year old woman, and during my most recent pregnancy, I had mild dysplasia that needed to wait for treatment until I had my baby (10/19/08), so I  had a follow up pap last week with my OB. She called me yesterday and told me my HPV had progressed (CIN III cancer in situ) and wanted me to come in for a colonoscopy, and said she could fit me in that very day. That alone scared the **** out of me, I figured it must be really serious if she wanted to see me same day as the results came in. We talked for a while, I'm lucky to have such a great doc. I don't remember alot of what we talked about, and I wanted some feedback from other people who've already been through this. She took three biopsies yesterday, and said that she wanted to set up a cold knife cone surgery right away without waiting for the results of those biopsies. They are trying to get me in as soon as possible, and her earliest date is Jan 6th so I said ok. I am exclusively breastfeeding my little girl, and I am hoping I won't need to stop. The procedure sounds really scary and I wanted to get some feedback on recovery time, how long I'll need pain meds for(I'm a wuss with pain, so I'm willing to pump and dump and build up a good supply in the freezer for those days/weeks whatever) so I'm trying to figure out how much I'll need to freeze so I can get started on building my supply right away. I also have a five year old daughter. My boyfriend has a scheduled vasectomy the day after my surgery... are we going to be okay to take care of our little girls, or do you think we'll need to set up someone to spend a few days, or the week with us?
I also was wondering about what happens if I need to supplement with formula for a short time if it turns out I couldn't pump enough? Has anyone had experience with that, like if I should mix the breastmilk and formula or if for whatever reason if I needed to temporarily do formula exclusively, if that would screw with her digestive system?
Also, is there anything else I need to know about this disease? Is it normal for the HPV to progress that quickly? That seems really fast to me- a mild to moderate pap at 3 months pregnant, then 7-8 months later severe? How do I prevent reinfection if the procedure removes it all and everything is okay? I know my bf is most likely the carrier, is there a way to get rid of it on him?? Does he need treatment as well?
I'm sorry this got so long... I'm just nervous, and I want to find out everything I can so I'll be able to relax more and enjoy this precious month with my girls and the holidays coming up. I'm the type of person that as long as I'm well informed, I can just cry it out for that day, get all of my worrying out and then put it out of mind as much as possible and just make up my mind to not worry until it's known for sure if I have invasive cancer. Thank you guys, and even if you dont know the answers to most of my questions, please reply anyway and tell me a little about what you've gone through so I won't feel so alone.
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Avatar universal
I have been diagnosed with CIN 111 2 years ago. I have been moving between provinces and just realized this. I am going for colposcope again after a year because I never did a follow up with the initial one that I was suppose to. I am 25. What does thi mean. As it stands I know I have CIN 111 and have had it for over 2 years. Possibly longer and something came back on my colposcope a year ago that I never followed up on. Any thoughts? My next appointment is in 2 weeks but in stressing out.
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Avatar universal
I wanted to say that Wesson30 has made some excellent points and the more you learn about HPV the better off you will be. As she mentioned, there are steps that can be taken to help push the virus into dormancy - the longer the virus is active the more likely dysplasia can develop. CIN3/CIS (carcinoma in situ) is not cancer so the fact that this was caught while still only being dysplasia is good. For 95% of women, a LEEP or cone biopsy will remove all the dysplasia and no further treatment will be required. However, it is still important to keep up with regular smears and HPV tests because the virus has an ability to alternately become active after a period of dormancy which brings with it the possibility of future dyplasia - especially after a pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman's immune system is down and it can create an environment for HPV to not only become active but thrive.
In regards to a hysterectomy, having HPV or dysplasia does not necessarily mean that a future hysterectomy will be likely. As I mentioned above, for most (90-95%) women a LEEP or cone biopsy can be completely curative, if there is a recurrence it can still be treated with another LEEP, cone biopsy or possibly laser or cyrotherapy, etc. - even with early stage cervical cancer (stage 1A, 1B) women can sometimes choose a trachelectomy over a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is MAJOR surgery (even LAVH - laparocsopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy) and with it comes very real risks and possible complications. Removing the uterus has additional effects other than just the ability to bare children, just a few examples are prolapse, vaginal atrophy and sexual side effects (diminished orgasms), etc. - just a few things to consider.
Also, because HPV can cause dysplasia/cancer of the vagina and vulva, you will need to continue with regular smears and tests for life regardless of having a hysterectomy because there is always the possiblity that HPV will become active and cause vulvar or vaginal cancer. If hysterectomy is a route you choose to consider please be sure you are well informed on the issue before making a decision. It does not remove the risk of furture dysplasias/cancers and for most women a hysterectomy would be 'over-treatment' of the diseased tissue.
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Avatar universal
Hi!  What you have isn't confirmed cancer yet AND you are young.  That's good news.  Being pregnant makes it really hard to control a virus so you are in a better position now to deal with it than you have been for the last year.  Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for your children but if your doctor feels that it is putting a strain on your immune system then you should stop and focus on healing yourself.  It is more important that you be there for your children in the long run than that you nurse the baby now.  I know it doesn't feel that way.  You can supplement with formula and you can do it either by mixing or by alternating it with breastmilk. You won't be on pain meds for a very long time. In fact it may only be for a day or two at the most.  As for the vasectomy, that is a fairly easy recovery but does require that he not do much for about 2 days.  He probably shouldn't lift anything heavy for a little longer than that.  It doesn't hurt to have someone lined up to help out and then if you don't need them you can let them go.  Having someone there will just spare you and your whole family some frustration.  Still, you can do it without help if you have to.  I'm glad you have a concerned and informative doctor.  You have been luckier than many of us when we were first diagnosed.  If you want information, you may want to purchase a book called "What Your Doctor May Not Tell you About HPV and Abnormal PAP Smears".  You need to make your health and adequate rest a priority so that your body can heal and so that it can fight off this virus.  Vitamin C and Folic Acid are very important to the health of the cervix.  So you should get plenty of orange juice as well as being sure to continue your prenatal vitamins.  This will help you to heal.  You will have two primary tasks after the cold knife procedure:  heal from the procedure and strengthen your immune system so it can gain control of the HPV virus.  There are many supplements and actions you can take which will give your body a headstart on healing and strengthening.  Those things are set forth in a number of prior posts but top on the list is no smoking.  Since you have children and your bf is getting a vasectomy, I assume that you have determined that you don't want to have more children.  You should talk to your doctor about the option of an elective (before it becomes mandatory) hysterectomy.  It can be done through the vagina without abdominal incisions and the ovaries can be left in tact so that you continue to have normal hormone levels.  I am braced for that myself and feel good about my willingness to take control of this thing.  I have several children and I am acutely aware that my obligations to them are higher than my obligations to myself.  Staying healthy and not taking my family into an odyssey of medical treatment is at the top of my list.  I can only tell you how I feel, not what you should feel or do.  Good luck!!!  You are in my thoughts and prayers as you go through this.  
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