Conization

So i went to the doctor yesterday and found out that i need a conization. of course, after i got home, i started doing research on this. here is what i found out:

conization, also known as cone biopsy or cold knife biopsy, is where a piece of flesh from the cervix is taken out, either with a scalpel or laser, in the shape of a triangle. this piece is similar to a cone shape, hence the name.
this procedure has 2 functions:

1. to remove the abnormal or cancerous cells
2. to further investigate the extent of the cancer

upon removal of the tissue, the sample is then examined and the doctor and patient then decide what the following steps should be. sometimes, this is all that needs to be done. sometimes, further treatment is required.

this is a picture that i found on the internet giving a description of the cone biopsy process.

In a cone biopsy, the patient lies on her back, and a speculum is inserted into the vagina (A). The cervix is visualized, and a cone-shaped piece of the cervix is removed (B and C). A cauterizing tool is used to stop any bleeding (D).

in rare cases, it may become impossible to carry a fetus full term, so you may want to ask your doctor about this if you want to have children in the future.

The Squid Complex

i was doing some research and reading forums and blogs on LEEP and black vaginal discharge and found there are a lot of women scared when they experience this. for those of you who have not, let me explain a bit.
when you have the LEEP process (a biopsy using a wire circular object), it is highly unpleasant. though the symptoms that follow are equally, if not, more unpleasant. this is what i like to call "The Squid Complex."
a few days after LEEP, many women will get a black as coal, extremely foul, fish smelling discharge. this is normal though i do not know why. it is also accompanied by black "ashes" on the toilet paper upon wiping. one girl explained it beautifully when she said "it looked like someone had flicked their cigarette ashes on my toilet paper". this is all left over from the cauterization doctors perform so you don't bleed after the biopsy.
and though i have not been able to find any website which explains the "why the discharge is normal" i have found many that says it is. that includes the foul smell as well.
as unpleasant as it is, and it is extremely unpleasant. i felt i could not only smell myself but everyone else could also. it was like walking into a fish market every time i pulled my underwear down. i can assure you, that this will in fact go away after a week or so though. the only thing you really need to worry about after a biopsy is if you run a fever...everything else is just part of the process.
for more information on a biopsy, visit my article titled "What Really Happens During a Biopsy"

What Really Happens During a Biopsy

i thought i would shed some light on the truth about cervical biopsies. women reading this may want to bookmark this page to let your men read it later.
i have been to numerous websites before and am so tired of the word "discomfort" when associated with biopsies, mammograms, etc.
we are not allowed to have sex for a month after a biopsy. we cannot lift, run, or even walk fast...doctors orders. so why do they say it is just uncomfortable?
let me explain the procedures of a cervical biopsy to all of you from my own personal experience. i am not trying to scare anyone, but i feel women should be properly informed prior.

i am lying there in the doctors office with my feet in the stirrups (as usual) and she shows me this small, loop of wire at the end of a stick1. seemed harmless enough...WRONG! it consisted of voltage passing through the little wired loop to scrape tissue samples from my cervix, vaginal walls, and cervical canal. as if this was not bad enough...we then have to stop the bleeding from where we took the tissue samples. this is when we go from "discomfort" to painful.
and how do we stop the bleeding? with salve?..no....with a tampon (this would make sense)...no
we burn the wounds shut!...i am laying there and my doctor said that "now we have to stop the bleeding". i thought the worse was over...WRONG again!
next thing i know i have smoke coming out of my vagina. so i am laying there waiting for my doctor to yell "fire in the hole" and grab the extinguisher while i am fighting back tears and i'm wondering exactly how much more should one person go through before this is considered more than just a "discomfort"?
so men, please, if a loved of of yours has to go through this procedure, do not ask her to cook dinner, go grocery shopping, or expect her to wash the dishes. (Note: this does not mean that the dishes should pile up until she is well enough to wash them.) if you cannot grasp the concept of any of this then i will put it in terms you can understand.
turn on the stove...place your penis on the hot burner about 10 times for approximately 1-2 seconds each time. after that, see how much you feel like walking around.

1. LEEP...looks harmless doesn't it?

Surviving Cancer

15 years ago, i was diagnosed with cervical cancer. problem was, i was pregnant with my son at the time. the doctors told me to abort the baby and have the cancer removed or neither of us would survive childbirth. i never had it removed and, i am happy to say, my son is now 14 years old. the cancer went into "remission" shortly after he was born and i have never had a problem since...until now.

almost 15 years to the day, i started having problems. my menstrual cycle was all out of whack. i bled for 5 weeks before going to the doctor. she prescribed me hormone pills to stop the bleeding and it worked. but then i went in for a pap test and a week later i called for the results. that's where the nightmare begins.
my doctor said the results were not good and needed to see me right away for a colposcopy. once she added the vinegar solution to my cervix, there was no doubt that a biopsy was necessary right then and there.
i asked her after the appointment what she thought the results would be. she stated "it doesn't look good". i have to call her next monday for the results, but having hope is getting more and more difficult.
i fought 15 years ago...and now i am fighting again. quite frankly, it becomes exhausting having to fight for your life everyday. some days you want to thrown in the towel and give up. other days, you want to scream at the cancer "YOU WILL NOT WIN!". its a never ending roller coaster of emotions and i'm not sure if i am ready for that again.
if anyone is reading this and has a story or thoughts they would like to share, then feel free. it's nice to know we are not alone in our struggle to live.