I got the phone message before I left for a three hour chemistry exam: “We have your pap results. Please give us a call.”
Of course I was a MESS during chemistry. It was some of the worst hours of my life. The not-knowing is the worst.
When the doctor FINALLY called me back, she told me I had a “low grade lesion, precancerous cells” and that I had to go see a gyno to get a Colposcopy.
Then she hung up. I was very upset and I still had no idea what was going on, what I had, or what a colposcopy was. I felt humiliated because they knew something was going on with my lady-parts, and I had no idea really what it was. I hated feeling so unempowered!
I did a little research and discovered that, often with mild dysplasia, no procedures are recommended except regular paps to keep an eye on it, as your body often cures it itself. There were plenty of naturopathic approaches that were not just interested in getting rid of the dysplasia, but asking why it was there in the first place, what caused it, etc.
I immediately decided that the naturopathic approach was the right one for me. I did a LOT of credible research and sought the advice of naturopathic doctors. I did not simply do a quick Google search!
I even called back the doctor who had done the pap smear in the first place. I wanted to ask more details about my results and figure out why she had told me to get the procedure when often it’s not pushed on people with mild cervical dysplasia. She refused to return my calls. The nurse, every time I called, would ask, “Why are you calling? The doctor ALREADY spoke with you.” I tried once a day for a week to talk with my doctor, and I never heard from her.
Meanwhile, I boosted my B12 intake, ate almost zero sugar, and ate a lot of the certain veggies they recommend for dysplasia. My mother hit the roof because she thought I was being careless. I urged her to do some research, but she just wouldn’t. Finally, I asked the doctor to send my pap records over to a gyno so that I could discuss them with a specialist and go forward from there. Meanwhile I was certainly feeling healthy and empowered! (Also I cut out all alcohol!)
Of course, the doctors never sent the records. But the gyno was able to find them, and told me, “I’m totally fine if you just want to keep doing what you’re doing for six months, then come back for a double check.”
I felt confident I’d already done a fair amount of work in terms of healing, so I decided to get the colposcopy right then. They put vinegar on my cells to find the ‘bad’ cells. There were none. They did a little scraping of the cells they couldn’t see and tested those. A week later I got the results: all the cervical dysplasia was gone. Healed. I felt like I did a wonderful job being informed, taking the steps I felt confident in, and being empowered.
Now, when a doctor tells me they have bad results, I’m not going to melt down again. I’m going to sit up straight, ask lots of questions, seek lots of different sources of information, and lead the fight myself.
Lydia
Washington
Submitted 10/15/2014
The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
