Hi Natfink, 

Thank you for coming here and sharing your story. I am so sorry to hear you have been through all this and that you have been having to deal with these issues since your LLETZ procedure and that you kept feeling the need to go to the toilet and losing all that fluid. I can imagine it has been so stressful for you and so exhausting to still be experiencing this days after the procedure. You did well to go back and see someone but I am sorry that you didn't get much help that day and that you didn't feel you were properly listened to. 

Our nurses will respond to your query very soon but as they are not online on a Sunday I thought I would just pop by and say hello. You can also ring our nurses on this free number 0808 800 4040 Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm if you would like to talk to someone. I can imagine this is creating a lot of anxiety and I would suggest you ring 111 again for advice on what to do and when you speak to 111, make sure you mention that the symptoms have persisted for 6 days and that it has been really difficult. It would be good if you managed to speak to a doctor today so you know exactly what is going on or you could also get in touch with the hospital and ask to speak to someone in the colposcopy unit, someone who would be familiar with the LLETZ and who would be able to examine you again. If things are bad, you could also go to A&E and from there they would be able to examine you and have access to a specialist. Hopefully you will have more luck this time and will get to talk to someone who can look into this properly and reassure you. Make sure you give them all the details you have listed here and that you are feeling so low about this. Hopefully you can get in touch with an expert at the hospital who can explain to you what this LLETZ procedure was about and explain everything thoroughly to you. It sounds like you haven't been given all the information and it is normal then to be anxious as a result of not really knowing what is going on. You deserve to understand everything and I hope that you manage to get some clarity on all this soon. Keeping a diary of symptoms and of how you are feeling is an excellent idea and all you need to do now is see if you can get through to someone at the hospital where you had the LLETZ done and explain that you are experiencing these issues. Make sure you mention that things have been worse since the procedure and any contextual information you can give including the fact you had your bladder extended a few years ago for the IVF might also be relevant or in any case useful to them. As this is affecting your mental wellbeing too as well as the physical discomfort you are experiencing, I think it's really important that you talk to someone today or as soon as you can and if possible try and speak to a different person and not to the same person who dismissed your symptoms so that you can have a second opinion. 

You mentioned that this is making you feel really down and that is another reason why the sooner you see a medical expert the better it will be for you both on a physical and emotional level. If things get too much for you though, there is also the Samaritans helpline you can call at any time of day or night on 116 123 so don't hesitate to get in touch with them if you are feeling sad or simply want to offload. 

Again our nurses will get back to you very soon with their more medical insights but I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and I hope that you will be seen very soon by a medical expert and that these issues are resolved quickly. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Lucie, Thanks so much for coming back to me. I spoke to the Crisis team at my local mental health unit, and that really helped.I will try 111 and see what they suggest. Thanks again.

Hi there Natfink and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear what you are currently experiencing, it sounds very unpleasant and worrying for you.

As Lucie said yesterday you are best to get this checked out again by a doctor who can properly assess you to find out what the cause may be. I hope by now you have been able to see another doctor about this, if not do contact your GP today or out of hours NHS 111.

It may well be a short term side effect from the treatment you had last week so it is still important that this is looked into for your own peace of mind and comfort. Some people may experience some urethral irritation or sensitivity as this is very close to where the procedure took place. There is also the risk of developing a UTI that may also cause a change to you passing urine.

A LLETZ procedure is when abnormal cells are removed from the cervix when found through cervical screening. Polyps aren't removed with LLETZ but with a procedure called a polypectomy. Polyps are normally benign growths ( not cancer) however when a polyp is found they are usually removed, just to be on the safe side. So a referral may be made to a colposcopy clinic where people with abnormal cervical screening also go for assessment and treatment.

I can appreciate how this may be affecting you so do make sure you are getting the support you need at this time. Do contact your crisis team again if you need to and remember The Samaritans are always there too.

Do also let your doctor and the health professionals know how you are thinking and feeling so they can best help you.

I hope this is helpful but do get back in touch if needed. The nurses are here weekdays 9-5 and you are welcome to call if you prefer, our number is 0808 800 4040.

Take care

Naomi

Thank you. I went in originally for the removal of a polyp, but when I was there, the doctor said she would do a procedure to remove something else that she spotted, so I didn't know what the procedure was for, why it was being conducted and why it was necessary until after I was given the post-Lletz advice leaflet after the procedure. She was already inside my vagina when she told me she wanted to do the other procedure (Lletz). I asked what the implications of the growth she found were. She that she wanted to remove it because if she didn't, I would keep getting referred back to her. She didn't say anything about cancer, so i didn't know that;s why the procedure was done until I looked up what Lletz was online and it brought me here.

I didn't have any abnormal cells found on my most recent smear test (February). My doctor saw the polyp a few weeks ago on a pelvic exam, and the gynaecologist who took the polyp out, then told me there was this other thing. I am still in pain, and I saw a doctor, who tells me some incontnence is nornal for women, and it is serous fluid and not incontinence, but I can tell that I am incontinent., because I am leaking while coughing as well. So I think there is serous fluid but also urine. I have started bleeding again this evening as well. I have started taking antibiotics, so I hope that it clears it up. The doctor I saw said it doesn;t look like it will be cancerous. I am just so confused as to why they didn't tell me what they were doing in actual medical terms, or explain why before they went ahead and did it. I hope that the incontinence clears up. It's just that i could potentially live another 40 years or more, and that would be a long time to cope with it being as bad as it is now

Hi there and thanks for getting back in touch

I am sorry the doctor didn't explain what she had seen during the procedure and why she was going to do a lletz at the time. I can now see how this has caused you anxiety since reading up about this.

Cervical screening primarily checks for high risk hpv, if this is negative no further checks are made. Only if hpv is detected are abnormal cells looked for in cytology (where they look at the cells under a microscope for abnormality).

It is usually only abnormal cells that are caused by hpv that over time may turn into cancer. So there are times where abnormal cells may be in the cervix but the body will often identify them and clear them by themselves without causing any further problems.

During colposcopy the doctor can view the cervix more clearly. They often apply what is called acetic acid to highlight any abnormal areas and from here may choose to take biopsies or remove an area of abnormality with the lletz procedure.

It sounds like the doctor wasn't overly concerned by what they could see but felt it was worth removing at the time.

You should get the results back as both the polyp and the other area of abnormality will be sent to the lab to be looked at.

It is good to hear you have been prescribed some antibiotics and hopefully these will help with your symptoms. Try not to overly worry for now, as I say these are likely linked to the procedure and should settle down for you soon.

If they don't or you remain worried do go back to see your doctor.

Take care and you know where we are if you need us.

Naomi

Thanks so much for getting back to me. Yes, it looks like I have been unable to empty my bladder, and perhaps this is because of swelling from the procedure. I hope so and I hope it gets better. I still can't properly empty my bladder and I am still leaking urine and now I am bleeding also, but from reading it looks like bleeding after 7 days could be the wound healing, so I am trying not to worry. Thanks again for your help, Naomi and Lucie.