I felt like that too, I had the same on my letter as you and had convinced myself that I was dying and no amount of positive research was going to tell me otherwise. Just try to keep in mind that we get these tests more to prevent anything and, if it's been a while between your smear and getting the appointment then it won't be the worst case scenario. If there is anything there then they've caught it early enough to treat and stop it becoming anything serious. When I went for my colposcopy, I was terrified and kept expecting to be told the worst news but the doctor told me as soon as I went in that it was only mild changes and he would probably find nothing, he even told me after he did that there was nothing there and I could go back to my GP for yearly smears. He still took a biopsy anyway and I got my results a few weeks ago to confirm that all was fine. I know it's hard but try not to worry, you will be fine and once it's over, you'll wonder why you worried so much but it will also be a huge relief just to have an answer. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for your reply! The colposcopy was meant to be happening on the 19th this month but I've got really bad health anxiety so I phoned on Friday to see if there were any cancellations and thankfully there was and the letter I received with the date was about a week and a half ago so I guess it couldn't have been that urgent? I really hope you're right! How was the biopsy? I'm so glad all was well for you x

Smear test was 6 weeks ago and just received letter that they found HPV and changes to cells. Reading all the recent posts has made me feel a bit better but I've still immediately jumped to worst case scenario and leaving my one year old little girl behind. I need to go pick her up from nursery but I'm a total mess now! 

Hi Callymel,

I know is way easier said than done, but try not to stress yourself out too much. I struggle with severe anxiety as well and I know how much all of this can put us into a tailspin. I've been dealing with this since December 2016, just abnormal cells (ASCUS / C1N1) and I'm HPV negative, but I've had Pap smears every six months and two colposcopies. I'm having another Pap smear December 7. My Specialist has told me that cervical cancer is very treatable. Just make sure you're getting regular paps and followup as needed and you should be okay.  Try not to drive yourself crazy -- I know I did and sometimes I still do, so one might accurately say "I'm preaching to the choir here!" 
 

I don't know about you girls, but I find there is a lot of stigma around this particular cancer and so one feels very isolated in these circumstances, not really comfortable to talk about it, sometimes even with those in ones family. Does anyone else here feel this way? 
 

I haven't been here for quite some time, but just recently started getting updates on this post. 

Hi! I've literally had the letter drop through the door today, there are some mild changes but no further treatment needed. I'll have another colposcopy next year. I'm just going to enjoy myself now. Good luck all of you ️

My letter dropped through the door this morning and I read it minutes after I woke up and burst straight into tears. My confusion was around why someone would book a gyneco appointment (the colposcopy) for me out of the blue, then kept on reading and saw it was related to the smear test I'd done on the 6th of November, which has apparently shown abnormalities or pre-cancerous changes and the letter was explaining that those need to be investigated further. No actual black and white smear result otherwise, so I panicked. Then I wondered why one would book an appointment all the way on the 30th of December for me, and I was petrified about what this could mean although I'd not received any other notes, emails or calls in betwen my smear test and this appointment, and then spent the rest of the day today catastrophising away.

I'd like to add that I was on a contraceptive patch for three months over the summer and stopped in September because I couldn't stand the water retention and the reoccurring UTIs. Hormonal contraception messes up with the cervix. The hormones in the patch thicken the cervical mucus (the mucus produced by cells in the cervix). So I instantly thought that abnormalities could be a result of me quitting the bloody patch. 

After quite a bit of trading, whilst Google and the info from the NHS leaflet have clarified some things and made others worse, my understanding so far is that

- the appointment time is delayed if the abnormalities are not really concerning red flags

- according to some online sources, this doesn't mean that I even have HPV (although the NHS leaflet says I would if I'm invited to a colposcopy) and if I did have it, chances are it will clear on its own 

- the colposcopy will confirm the plan of action in case one of the three CINs are detected, or anything else...

- it's not a bad idea to call and ask to be put onto the waiting list, in case of cancellations - planning to phone in on Monday. 

I'm generally a hypochondriac and worrying about my health is standard practice, although I've luckily been in good health in my 31 years of life so far. I'll be trying to go to sleep and to not murder my boyfriend tomorrow for telling his mum about this straight after I told him, in an attempt to help get more info to help calm me down *facepalm*
 

Hey, you're in a very similar situation to what I was last year. I got a call out of the blue the day after boxing day to book in for an emergency colposcopy - no result, just the random call. As everywhere was closed, I had to wait until the new year of not knowing. Just that my emergency appointment was the 7th Jan. I've this week had my third colposcopy this year.

Reading different sources on the Internet can be good and bad - you'll naturally be panicking and expecting the worst. If you had CIN2 or 3, you'd be getting an emergency appointment in less than 2 weeks. Given yours is not until the end of December, it's almost certainly going to be CIN1. CIN1 is considered low-grade and CIN2 and 3 are considered high grade. There are different testing procedures around the country, so you may or may not have HPV. Here in Liverpool, HPV testing is the first test. If you test positive, they will then check for abnormalities. If HPV negative they won't check for abnormalities and will see you in 3 years for your usual smear. So all women directed for colposcopies have HPV and abnormalities. 

CIN1 and CIN2 can be a common finding for women in their late 20's/early 30's - if this is the case, they'll usually do the colposcopy (very similar to a smear) and take biopsies. The biopsies are uncomfortable, but don't hurt. I had biopsies in January, returned to work and was completely fine. The biopsies I had this week were fine when they took place, but I had cramping like period pains later that day.

80% of women have HPV in their lifetime. Given I had had no sexual activity for 2 years prior to my HPV diagnosis, I felt as though it was a dirty infection. Apparently it can lay dormant for years and be brought on by stress. It can also be passed from mother to child, so a girl who is a virgin can potentially have it. Your body can naturally fight it off, which is the case for most CIN1 cases and some CIN2 cases.

I was told mine was CIN2 in January. There might be no correlation, but I've been taking vitamin D tablets each day to boost my immune system. This week, I've been told it looks to have improved and likely to be CIN1 now, although I've got to wait for this to be confirmed by biopsy. 

Just remember, you're now being monitored by our amazing NHS, so you're in the best hands. If you have any questions I could help with, feel free to message. 

Hi Kat, 

I am HPV negative and I've had two colposopies in the last 18 months. I'm having another Pap on Dec 7 to make sure everything is okay. So yes, people sometimes do get colps even when they have abnormal cells and are HPV negative. 
I think it all depends upon your OBGYN and how they wish to proceed. 
 

What the heck is it about December? All this started for me on December 16, 2016.

-- Kristen. 

Hi Kat, thanks for the speedy response, that's really kind of you. I've read the whole thread over here and I'm familiar with your story, so I'm grateful you jumped on mine too, as you're clearly someone who's quite kowledgeable of this issue too.

I called my surgery on Monday and after insisting several times, they finally confirmed I'm low-grade/ CIN1, i.e. I have dyskaryosis. Also confirmed that the waiting time is a reflection of the severity of this issue. I've since been on several phone calls to sort out private medical insurance and get extra opinions. I'm feeling more relaxed but not impressed with the casual attitude I got from the doctor on Monday and that I had to force the words out of the man's mouth to understand my result, as no one had sent it to me too: 'most likely you don't have cancer, but depending on what the colposcopy finds, you may have to get treatment that can vary from waiting to histerectomy'. Oh, gee thanks! As I'm not keen on this last option either (I want kids!) I'm trying to bring my appointment forward as much as reasonably possible...

Any news from the biopsy? It's really cool that you went from CIN2 to CIN1, it means your body's strong and fighting it - and interesting you mentioned vitamins - I've been taking multivitamins (including D) and felt a strange natural urge to eat salmon, which I have been doing lately. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will influence my condition for the best. I'm also taking Inositol tablets (some German version), I thought I'd give these a go because I was also once told I had policystic ovaries, which explained my forever period pains, and this seems to have sorted out the same issue for many women. And who knows, maybe it will help with the cervical lesions!