Abnormal pap

I had a pap test last week and my doctor just called me yesterday to tell me the results showed up with abnormal cell changes and low grade lesions on the cervix. I am scheduled for a colposcopy tomorrow morning--they wanted me scheduled within a day or two.
I really don't know what any of this means, so I guess I'm just trying to get a general understanding of what I should expect and what questions I should ask when I go in tomorrow. I tried googling information on HPV, but there is so much information it's overwhelming, and right now I'm just trying to process the fact that I could have HPV.
And to be honest, I don't really know what this means regarding cancer, which runs in my family in the forms of colon cancer, breast cancer, and brain tumors. So I will admit I have a bit of anxiety about cancer...I just don't know enough about what is going on so I'm not necessarily freaking out, but the urgency the doctor seemed to have in wanting me scheduled for a colposcopy is making me a bit nervous. I've been through enough cancer in my family to know "urgency" doesn't generally come with good news.
Also, what does this mean for my husband? We've been together for four years and married for 1½. I know if I've got HPV, he probably does too. Does he need to go to a doctor and have some sort of treatment? If so, what type of doctor--a GP or a proctologist or what? Are we likely to pass this back and forth for years on end?
Sorry if this should all be stuff I know and common knowledge, but I just have no clue about any of this. I do know this is probably not a really big deal...but I would appreciate a better understanding of what's going on. :-/

[Mags370]

Hey, I hope you get to read my response before you go tomorrow. I have just been going through the exact same thing as you with a few differences. Don't go looking around the internet all that will do is scare you. There are a few good sites, Ashastd. org is the best besides this site.

A month ago I had abnormal cells causes my pap to come back abnormal. This is called dyplasia and high risk HPV is the main cause. This ranges between mild to severe and I like you have mild but the doc does the biopsy to be sure. This doesn't mean you will have cancer nor does it mean you will ever have cancer. My father died of skin cancer and that has no effect on my HPV. After your doc does the procedure and confirms your cell changes are mild he will suggest you just repeat a pap at a later date. If he finds you have a higher level of cells changes then you may need a procedure. There are many options and because of this cancer is very preventable. The main thing you must do is be very good about having your yearly paps.

Now, I also have low risk HPV/warts. So make sure to find out if you have both high and low risk and have them fully examine you if you do have low, it took me three visits for docs to see the warts which I am now having treated.

Yes your husband now has the same HPV as you. This prob means very little for him as men rarely have issues from high risk strains. If you have low risk then he might be at risk for warts but that may never happen. Many people have HPV and never know it. Once you have a strain you always have it but your immune system will clear it, so you don't have repeated symptoms. In some cases there are future flare ups but this is not the norm. So, no you will not bounce it between you because you both have it. If either of you are ever exposed to a new strain then you can give it to the other and have new symptoms. Sometimes people have HPV for years before any symptoms appear, some factors are low immune system issues or stress. There is no way to know who got it or when so don't worry about who's to blame.

Last, don't overthink this, it is simply a skin condition, very common and most people have it. Just take care with keeping your immune system healthy and yearly checks, or whatever your doc suggests.

Good Luck!

[AHP84]

Thank you so much for your help and advice--I was able to read it last night, so I felt a little better going into my appointment this morning.
Turns out, I've been given "tentatively good news," according to my doctor. She said she could find no lesions or anything concerning during the colposcopy and thinks the pap exam was over-analyzed. Her guess is, for the time being, that the strings from Mirena IUD I have may have caused some irritation around my cervix and that's what showed up on the pap. She did take a biopsy, which I should have the results for in about 10 days, then we'll go from there. I will also have a follow up pap exam in three months from now to re-check the issue.
Another thought I had that didn't occur to me until this morning when my husband mentioned it is an episode he had with poison ivy a couple of weeks ago. After doing some yardwork, he got a spot of poison ivy on his hip and thought it was a bug bite, scratched it, and then used the bathroom (if he knew I was writing this, lol...). He quickly found out within an hour or two that it was poison ivy--he was pretty miserable for a few days, needless to say. We obviously were not sexually active during the week of that breakout, but we were after it cleared up with a prescription from his doctor this last week. Although we were both told that the poison ivy rash is not contageous, I'm wondering if it could have influenced the pap exam somehow.
For now, though, I'm just happy to have walked out of that appointment feeling like a weight was lifted off my chest. I'm not out of the woods yet, but knowing that my doctor feels confident that the pap exam may have been over-analyzed and found nothing of concern in the colposcopy makes me feel much more relieved for the time being.
Thank you again so much, Mags.

[Mags370]

That is great news!! I don't think the poison ivy would have any baring. I do the same thing, trying to link things together to figure out what is going on with me. :)

[AHP84]

I got the biopsy results back and everything was clear! I go back in three months for a follow-up exam, but from what the doctor tells me, I have nothing to worry about. ☺

[Mags370]

Congrats!! :)