cervical cancer

[chickwhorips]

Question: I'm a little concerned about how long the colpo will keep me 'out of the saddle' - anybody out there had one that could advise? Thanks so much! I'd rather think about that than the possibility that I have cancer... though fortunately, 'atypia' is not usually a big cause for concern. Keep your fingers crossed, please!

fingers are crossed. i had one done about three years ago. the first couple of days i was quite sore. its not the most comfortable thing to have done. my doc told me to take some ibuprofens before i went it. i'm glad i did.

i too wasn't biking at the time and don't know how long you maybe out. hopefully not to long.

[trickytiger]

Whew- this feels a little personal, but:

I was diagnosed with HPV strain 16 (the bad cancer-related one) about three years ago, after a scary (level 4 out of 5, when 5 means cancer) pap result. I knew for sure I got it from my boyfriend at the time, so at the very least now he knows he's a carrier. I had a colpo with good results - my body cleared the bad cells very quickly, and haven't had any bad paps since. That relationship is long gone and for good reasons, but the end result is that I take care of myself better- I was advised to get lots of sleep, eat well, exercise lots, and actively search out ways to reduce stress to enable my body to continue to keep the virus repressed and to "clear" it. I've taken that advice seriously- so at least some good came out of this!

I don't like the "moral" arguments against the vaccine at all. It's not a moral issue to me, and the focus just seems to "punish" women for having sex- as if you "deserve" cancer. No one deserves it!

[Grog]

Just a note on HPV transmission...

BTChance might have better info, but I was told at the time of my colposcopies that I could have been infected at any point during the previous 5-7 years, and that it can take quite a bit of time before symptoms become apparent. It was also noted to me that condoms didn't 100% protect women from getting it.

[RANT]
Without of course being careless, I think we should remain calm about infections like HPV and HSV (herpes). There are SO MANY carriers around that we wouldn't touch anyone if we didn't want to get anything. I realized recently that I have HSV antibodies, which means I have been exposed to the herpes virus. Who knows whether it's the oral (mouth, HSV-1) or genital (HSV-2) form. I come from a tradition where people kiss a lot (within the family, acquaintances etc.) and it's absolutely likely that I have caught it from some family member as a tiny kid. I don't have symptoms (warts), but I might nonetheless be shedding the virus sometimes. Will my partner and I have protected sex for the rest of our life to prevent him from being exposed to the virus? We've discussed it together and the answer is : no. It's not HIV. It's herpes. (I'm aware of the risks if there are active infection sites during childbirth, and we'll take care of that when the day comes, if necessary, of course.)

And in all cases it's not a moral issue. It's a virus.

Moreover, recently, I have heard more and more of the hypothesis according to which some virus actually protect us. Someone posted the example of the link between obesity and some virus: those who have been exposed to said virus (can't remember which) are less likely to be obese than those who haven't. I can easily imagine that our knowledge on viruses is VERY limited. An interesting book was recently published, Survival of the Sickest (http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Sicke...dp/0060889659), I wonder if some of you guys have given it a look. I think it's far from a definitive view, but probably attempting to live in a sterile world hasn't done us only good...
[/RANT]

[Wahine]

Thank yo for that Grog. I think you covered a lot of issues that needed to be exposed.

[Kitsune06]

+1, Wahine. Thank you, Grog

[pyxichick]

There's an ongoing clinical study right now on HPV vaccines in older women. I almost got to participate in the trial, but found out later I couldn't because of some medication I'm taking for my colitis. But, I would've definitely participated if I could. They are giving free vaccines and paying $400 to participate in a 2 year study.

[chickwhorips]

i just got my pap back and its abnormal again. i have to go in and have another colposcopy done. though i was told at my age (26) yes for sure get the vaccine.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, gotta say here that it creeps me out to no end that the one paharmaceutical company has just invented this vaccine and have NOT tested it longterm on ANYONE yet and now they want to inject a series of it into every little girl in the US by law. No one knows what long term side effects this vaccine might have.
Who stands to gain the most profit from this vaccine?- well the pharmaceutical company that invented it of course- they'll make BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars off this patented drug and they are the ONLY ones who paid MILLIONS of dollars of funding to get legislators to try to pass laws requiring it for all little girls. They are the ones funding the entire rushed push to force the sale of millions of these vaccine series to parents all over the country (at something like $350 per series). I suspect more big money is at stake here than for any other newly invented and patented drug in history.
Just my 2 cents, and there's no way I would inject this untested vaccine into my two little girls...I'm glad they're all grown up already and won't be forced by law to be guinea pigs for the big drug companies.

[matagi]

Lisa, whilst I can understand your concern, I feel I must point out that this is not an untested product. It has gone through clinical testing which includes human testing prior to its release on the market.

Basically you have to look at the risks vs benefits ... what are the potential risks and benefits of the vaccine compared to HPV infection with its risk of developing cervical cancer and the associated sequelae?

Oh yes, and just to clarify - the vaccine was not "invented" by this one pharmaceutical company. It was in fact developed in Australia by Professor Ian Frazer, an immunologist, and the technology was licensed to Merck for further development.

[btchance]

Just a note on HPV transmission...

BTChance might have better info, but I was told at the time of my colposcopies that I could have been infected at any point during the previous 5-7 years, and that it can take quite a bit of time before symptoms become apparent. It was also noted to me that condoms didn't 100% protect women from getting it.

[RANT]
Without of course being careless, I think we should remain calm about infections like HPV and HSV (herpes). There are SO MANY carriers around that we wouldn't touch anyone if we didn't want to get anything. I realized recently that I have HSV antibodies, which means I have been exposed to the herpes virus. Who knows whether it's the oral (mouth, HSV-1) or genital (HSV-2) form. I come from a tradition where people kiss a lot (within the family, acquaintances etc.) and it's absolutely likely that I have caught it from some family member as a tiny kid. I don't have symptoms (warts), but I might nonetheless be shedding the virus sometimes. Will my partner and I have protected sex for the rest of our life to prevent him from being exposed to the virus? We've discussed it together and the answer is : no. It's not HIV. It's herpes. (I'm aware of the risks if there are active infection sites during childbirth, and we'll take care of that when the day comes, if necessary, of course.)

And in all cases it's not a moral issue. It's a virus.

Moreover, recently, I have heard more and more of the hypothesis according to which some virus actually protect us. Someone posted the example of the link between obesity and some virus: those who have been exposed to said virus (can't remember which) are less likely to be obese than those who haven't. I can easily imagine that our knowledge on viruses is VERY limited. An interesting book was recently published, Survival of the Sickest (http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Sicke...dp/0060889659), I wonder if some of you guys have given it a look. I think it's far from a definitive view, but probably attempting to live in a sterile world hasn't done us only good...
[/RANT]

Grog, you're right about the time frame. HPV takes years (often 10+) to transform cells into cancer, which in itself is a pretty rare event. You're also right that condoms aren't perfect - like with HIV, they decrease the risk, but don't prevent it. And yes, don't freak out if you have HPV. It is extremely, extremely common - and if caught early, the problems it can cause are treatable.

I haven't seen anything about the hypothesis you're talking about. But it is true that there is a huge amount of stuff we don't know about, and we're constantly learning. (I also haven't heard of the book)

[Kitsune06]

Thanks for your posts and advice, too, BTChance.

[Cha Cha]

I'll post on Wednesday how it goes... I'll remember the 'vitamin I' (ibuprofen) beforehand too.

Thanks again - you're the best!

Amy

ps had a great 15 mi hilly ride with the DBF yesterday, only my 4th outing but it went well and he was proud of me. What a sweetie!

[Meaux]

I had a colpo nearly five years ago and my test came back positive for stage 1 dysplasia so then I had to have a cryocautery done. No fun at all. (I wasn't cycling then.) The whole thing was really scary and I was so uninformed about the entire situation. I had to have semi-annual exams and smears for three years and the last one came back abnormal. Lucky for me, I haven't had to go through the whole colpo/cryo again. It's just frustrating for me, because there is still so little information about all of this. In TX, they were talking about having the vaccine be mandatory for students over 11, which I thought was fantastic, however, they'd still have to pay full price (not so fantastic). I just get frustrated with the people who say that giving young girls the vaccine will encourage them to have premarital sex. I'm going to stop now, before I go on the crazy woman rant that I usually go on. I just know that I would like other women/girls to not have to go through the discomfort/pain and stress that I went through when I had all of that happen.