HPV

Hello Caz

There is a lady called Kuma who posted a similar question on here a few days ago.  I don't know if you have seen the post? I have a follow up colposcopy appointment on 2nd June so the same week as yours! Have you been for a colposcopy before or had any treatment? You haven't mentioned whether you have cell changes. There is lots of information on the Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust website about HPV & colposcopy. There are also lots of ladies on their forum who have been diagnosed with HPV and cell changes and who are attending colposcopy clinics. Did you know that the cervical screening programme has now changed to HPV first testing so that lots of women are having diagnoses which come as a shock - myself included? The Jo's Trust helpline is useful if you need someone to talk to in person. Apparently 80% of people have HPV at some point in their lives but normally clear it within 2 years. The treatment I had last September at colploscopy helped me to fight mine back into dormancy. It's also about looking after your immune system. I take vitamin D & vitamin C and zinc to help to protect mine. You are not alone with the worry about it. The Eve Appeal is another charity specialising in women's health which you might also find useful.

Let us know how you get on in June.

Thank you Jane

• I've not had any treatment previously or a colposcopy. 
  I joined the Jo’s trust but couldn’t work out how to post on their forum. 
  I saw the post for the Kuma but felt that American treatments and medical terms are probably different to UK? 
  Good Luck on 2nd and I will keep in touch
• many thanks for your lovely reply 

Hi Caz thank you for your reply. On the Jo's Trust forum I post under the name 55. I find it quite difficult to remember how to write a new post on their website but easy to answer other peoples' posts. I did manage a new post about a week ago - technology is not my strong point! I do know that the first time you post on their site it is moderated by them for security purposes so won't appear immediately so that may have been the issue for you if you were posting for the first time. Their helpline is useful & may be able to advise you with the technology too. I hope you get on OK at your colposcopy appointment. I found the staff really kind and helpful. They are the experts in their field and should be able to answer your questions better than anyone but I do know that even doctors are not entirely sure why some people have persistent HPV. It's frustrating I know but after a great deal of thought I have come to the conclusion that I should just try to focus on looking after my immune system as best I can as that's the only thing within my control. That and making sure I attend all my appointments and keep an eye out for symptoms. The cervical screening system is very successful because it identifies problems early on when they can be treated and the new HPV first screening is apparently much more accurate than the previous one and they estimate that 500 more women a year will be treated as a result. Having said that, there are ladies who have been diagnosed with cc in spite of always attending screening so it's best to inform yourself about symptoms just in case. There may be some ladies on this forum for whom that is the case and I would not like to seem disrespectful to them. My GP told me that colposcopy is just another part of the screening process and that helped me to put it in perspective.

All the best

A

Hello again Caz

If you want to post on the Jo's website forum you need to log in to the forum and then on the first page where the different parts of the forum are listed click on forum protocols, then new topic and then you can create a post. You can also choose which section of the post you want to post in using the drop down menues or you can just leave it on any.

Maybe I will see you on there soon!

A