Aa
Doctor, please help, I am so confused, and frustrated
Hello Doctor, my name is Nichole and I am 18. About a year and three months ago, I noticed a growth on the outside of my anus, there was only one growth, and it was white and resembled a skin tag. I went to my internal medicine doctor and he said that he didn't know what it was for sure, so he sent me to a surgeon, and he said that it was condyloma, which is caused by HPV. The Doctor (surgeon) told me that I could either leave it alone, or that I could have it burnt off during surgery, at this point I was shocked, scared, in tears, so of course I chose to have it burnt off.. After surgery, the doctor told me that he took blood for a HPV genome test, and that he would call me with the results, he said that if the results were positive then he would put me on medication.. Two weeks later, the doctor's office called me and said that the test was negative, and that I don't have HPV, and that it must have been contained in the wart only. Although I was confused, I accepted the answer, and went on.. (This call, and the surgery took place a year and three months ago), since then I have tried to learn as much about warts/hpv as I can, and none of it seems to add up.. So Today I decided to call the Surgeon's office to ask for more information about my results and what they meant, and the assistant said that my HPV test was negative, and that this means that I don't have HPV, I then asked her how I had Condyloma,since it is caused by HPV, if I don't have HPV, and she said that the Condyloma was sexually transmitted, but I don't have HPV.. I really don't understand this what so ever, everything that I have read says that it is caused by HPV.. Could this be a possible misdiagnosis, or what? I am so confused.. I have not had another 'growth' like this since then, (1 year and 3 months ago), I have been with my boy friend for a year and a half, and he has not once had a wart, or any other type of growth, and we do have unprotected sex.. I'm confused/scared..
Thank you very much! Your awesome!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
What you have now is definitely not a wart.
Better steel yourself to never knowing for sure what the bump was a year and a half ago. But even if it was a wart, what does it matter? It's gone now! And if you ever have another one, you won't need surgery -- most warts are treated with simple medications you apply to the wart. (And if you really think the minor procedure you had was "body draining surgery", I hope you never need a real operation!)
Please follow my advice above -- i.e. get vaccinated. Then stop worrying about HPV.
That will have to end this thread. Take care.
Better steel yourself to never knowing for sure what the bump was a year and a half ago. But even if it was a wart, what does it matter? It's gone now! And if you ever have another one, you won't need surgery -- most warts are treated with simple medications you apply to the wart. (And if you really think the minor procedure you had was "body draining surgery", I hope you never need a real operation!)
Please follow my advice above -- i.e. get vaccinated. Then stop worrying about HPV.
That will have to end this thread. Take care.
Thank you very much for your response doctor. Yes, it really does seem as if they are confused, I still have no idea if I had HPV or not, I an having the file sent to me, so hopefully I will be able to find a doctor, hopefully one like you, who can tell me what the growth even was.. I know how common HPV is and how it's no big deal, but I guess I am in fear of having to go through another body draining surgery like I had.. This all falls in to play with my OCD and anxiety, it seems as if a large part of my OCD has turned into having to 'check down there' all of the time, it's terrible.. There is currently a bump down there-on the outer rim of my anus, it is sort of between the actual pink butt hole skin (sorry for my poor vocabulary), and my regular skin surrounding it, it is the size of a pin head, it folds with the skin, and when I stretch the area to get a better look, it looks like there is a white spot underneath the skin, it hasn't grown since I first saw it, which was about 2 months ago, but who knows how long it has been there since I so closely examined my self to see it.. :/ ..Does this sound like a wart? I'm sorry for writing so much more..
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
By the way, the other evidence that your original lesion was not a wart is that apparently there was only one bump. Genital warts usually are multiple, not single.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. I'll try to help.
First, I think you are overreacting a bit. All sexually active people get genital HPV at one time or another. It is an unavoidable, natural consequence of sexual activity. You can protect agains the 4 strains most likely to cause warts or cervical cancer by being immunized with the HPV vaccine Gardasil. But you're going to have HPV one of these days anyway.
Second, your surgeon's office appears to not completely understnad HPV and genital warts. All warts are caused by HPV. By definition, any growth without HPV is not a wart, no matter what it looks like. So most likely the bump near your anus was not a wart and not caused by HPV.
Third, even if the test was wrong, i.e. the lesion really was a wart, the HPV infection that caused it probably is long gone. HPV generally clears up on its own, without treatment, over several months to a year; and in your case it would have been more rapid, since the "wart" itself was removed.
In summary, there is no basis for you to be either confused or scared. Your wart diagnosis probably was wrong, but even if it was correct, the problem is gone. Since you are concerned about HPV, you should speak with your primary care doctor about getting immunized with Gardasil (your partner could be vaccinated as well). And regardless of whether or not you are vaccinated, like all women you need to have regular pap smears. But for now all is well.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
First, I think you are overreacting a bit. All sexually active people get genital HPV at one time or another. It is an unavoidable, natural consequence of sexual activity. You can protect agains the 4 strains most likely to cause warts or cervical cancer by being immunized with the HPV vaccine Gardasil. But you're going to have HPV one of these days anyway.
Second, your surgeon's office appears to not completely understnad HPV and genital warts. All warts are caused by HPV. By definition, any growth without HPV is not a wart, no matter what it looks like. So most likely the bump near your anus was not a wart and not caused by HPV.
Third, even if the test was wrong, i.e. the lesion really was a wart, the HPV infection that caused it probably is long gone. HPV generally clears up on its own, without treatment, over several months to a year; and in your case it would have been more rapid, since the "wart" itself was removed.
In summary, there is no basis for you to be either confused or scared. Your wart diagnosis probably was wrong, but even if it was correct, the problem is gone. Since you are concerned about HPV, you should speak with your primary care doctor about getting immunized with Gardasil (your partner could be vaccinated as well). And regardless of whether or not you are vaccinated, like all women you need to have regular pap smears. But for now all is well.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
