HPV, the Silent Killer

I know talking to your mom about sexually transmitted diseases is about as uncool as it gets. The only thing worse is telling your parents you have one. Right now we are going to turn the tables and I will be the irresponsible teenager.  

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone finds themselves caught in the moment, feeling invincible. Once the infatuation wears off you may change your mind. You may realize a lapse in judgement was not worth the lifelong consequences. I know the older I get, the dumber I feel about the decisions I made. Why did I choose to make the mistakes I did? Was it love, infatuation, pressure to be someone I wasn't or was it young curiosity? I do not know the answer. Maybe it was a combination. I do know it was not worth it. 

I have found sex to be a little like prom, especially when you are young. You get dressed up, ready for an incredible life changing event and it ends rather anticlimactically. That is not to say sex cannot be fun or that I am naive enough to think you will completely abstain. It is incredibly special with the right person. I know all parents say this, but it is true. We learn the hard way. (Are you uncomfortable yet?) Sex is not something you should take as lightly as a hand shake. I say this because I love you. I say this because people are having sex younger and younger. I say this because I am selfish. Please, always use condoms. Make going to the gynecologist a priority. Refrain from being another statistic. 

I have battled HPV for years. It attacks your body in times of stress and is relentless when it comes to your long term health. Every six months I go to the gynecologist for a PAP and every six months the results are the same, You need a Colposcopy. A Colposcopy is what can best be described as taking a cheese grater to your cervix. It is about as pleasant as it sounds. They grate off samples to biopsy and a week later call to say it hasn't progressed and to come back in six months. That always happened until the last visit.

I had been under significant stress in every aspect of my life. Almost every day ended with severe chest pain and anxiety. The results came back, high grade lesions. It was concerning, but I assumed they would have me come back in six months to recheck. Not this time. This time it had progressed and was attacking my body full force. They found precancerous cells and it was determined I needed a LEEP procedure.  What is a LEEP Procedure? I know you probably were not going to ask, so I will tell you. It is an electrostatic current that removes the entire surface layer of your cervix while you are under anesthesia. My doctor described it as a kitten licking off the top layer of your skin. The smallest amount possible - relatively painless and wildly successful in resolving HPV. Nothing about the procedure was similar to a kitten. 

Not only was it incredibly uncomfortable, but it was also embarrassing. You cannot swim, wear tampons, or have sex for at least four weeks. Best of all you get to wear pads the entire time. You will continuously bleed, have discharge and be disgusted by the scabs that fall out of your vagina. You feel unsanitary and unattractive because you might as well be wearing a diaper. After all is said and done, you should be HPV free. I was not. Instead, it was found on my vaginal wall. This is incredibly rare. So rare no one really knew what to do. After meeting with numerous doctors, an oncologist and losing sleep to the concern of developing cancer, they decided it best for me to come back in six months. Unlike every other time they suggested this to be the best course of action, I was not relieved. I am not relieved. You see, the story is not over. HPV can cause you to lose so much. It can cause you to lose your life.

Would using a condom not have been simpler?