Healthy Girl – Importance of a Second Opinion

Hearing you have Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) is a bummer.  The phone call asking you (ladies) to come into the doctor’s office to go over the results of your annual pap smear is one you do not want to receive – no news is good news in this case. What is a bigger bummer is getting bombarded by a doctor’s aggressive opinion of how you should handle your new situation.

Initially, your thoughts are racing, trying desperately to figure out when or how this happened.  Doctors say most people have HPV, at least one strain anyway, so trying to figure out when you were in contact with it (or from whom), might be futile.  Instead, contemplate the necessity of putting yourself in your doctor’s straddles for a proposed cone biopsy (http://www.webmd.com/cancer/cervical-cancer/cone-biopsy-conization-for-abnormal-cervical-cell-changes). 

Cause for an initial cervical biopsy could be an annual pap smear that shows changes or abnormalities in the cervical cells.  From one year to the next, changes can occur, which some believe can be increased by stress.  Even the discovery of pre-cancerous cells can lead to panic which consequently leads to more stress.  During this process, one’s immune system must be amped up to ward off the onset or return of abnormalities so one must make it a point to rest, maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly and perhaps, incorporate alternative remedies such as acupuncture or homeopathy to boost immunity. 

Before you find yourself spinning, thinking worst case scenarios, get a second opinion.  Newer doctors are known to push for the more aggressive procedures, “conization” being one of them.  More experienced doctors may suggest less invasive procedures, such as the freezing method where only the effected cells are targeted, frozen off, and melted away, with the intent of new, HPV-free cells replacing the old ones.  Depending on your situation, you may be able to opt for the less-invasive procedure.  That being said, the freezing procedure is not pain-free, and wearing oversized pads to catch the melted cells are an uncomfortable result of the procedure. 

Thankfully, research is continuously conducted on this topic so all we have to do now is seek the answers, and we will be supplied with a bountiful supply of recourses.  Get a second or even third opinion when coming to an informed decision about your diagnosis and course of action.  In addition, encourage the ladies in your life to maintain their annual dates with their OBGYNs and to research service providers that offer this very important annual appointment at a reduced fee based on financial need.  During your annual exam, ask about testing your tissue sample for HPV.  Early detection can be the key to avoiding the development of full-blown cervical cancer.

Until next time, may you shine from the inside out.