Cindi
I'm not a doctor, I am not an attorney...but a patient like you. I was diagnosed with mild to moderate when I was 21...they tried a freezing technique for 2 yrs...it failed...then did what is effectively a biopsy as I know it, otherwise known as a "cone" surgery where they take a piece (pie shaped) out of your cervix...this is NOT an out patient surgery, must be done in hospital and likely one night stay, then supposed to be around 4 weeks or so recovery...I went back a bit sooner...probably shouldn't have but at the time, needed to for financial reasons...the complication could have been hemoraging.....healed up and continued pap smears every 3 months for at least 1 yr then 2 times a year thereafter..(I too had HPV but also my mom took DES (1953) to avoid miscarriage (a drug since outlawed cause 80% of female off spring ended up with cervical dysplasia, which if left unattended can lead to cervical cancer...so it is imperitive that you continue your pap smears up, no matter the treatment...as they say 50% of the time pap smears aren't correct...there is a newer procedure called papsure (FDA approved) that is supposed to take it from 50% accurate to 90% and is done right along with your regular pap smear...it's also only about $25 extra in case your insurance doesn't cover it and well worth it...more info at 800-486-8979 or PapSure web site at www.papsure.com....5 yrs after the first cone surgery, it came back and once again, they did another cone (cause I hadn't decided if I was going to have children (though I had been told because of the DES my mom took, I might be sterile...turned out I was) otherwise I probably would have had a reluctant hysterectomy. It has now been 19 years and the cervical carsinoma (dysplasia) has not returned for the moment...however, but it must be checked at least once a year at this point. I'm guessing I'm considerably older than you...I'm 50...7 yrs ago had ongoing problems in the perinium area (where they normally cut you when you have children just in case you didn't know) and it took about 1&1/2 yrs for it to finally ulcerate...I ended up in surgery (partial vulvectomy)and they found a tumor that was cancer, not dysplasia, cancer, that was slightly invasive...got a good margin of tissue around it..didn't do chemo or anything, but dr. messed up and didn't take the lymph nodes in the groin area as with my stage was required, he was supposed to.....ended up at Cedar Sinai with Dr. Beth Karlan 9 months after surgery(head of oncology/GYN and super) and she confirmed he should have taken it....which also likely ends up in sever edema (swelling) of the legs (I stand a good deal of the day)...so now that I ended up lucky, in that so far...there has not been a reoccurrance...so I'm glad he didn't take them.....but I am at elevated risk for all the female cancers below the belly button as well as rectum, etc.....I tell you this because my original doctors, even with my previous history, totally missed the fact that I was in the process of cancer of the vulva (perineum) and they weren't looking for it cause I was in my 40's...I checked with information from the local American Cancer Society on "vulva cancer" and the numbers in 1995 were only 5,600 women had this cancer and they were all post menapausal!!! Come to find out that this HPV (vaginal warts) can be the culprit...I had 3 or 4 of them right in that area so it turned out not to be such a surprise.....I believe they are little by little finding out as we get older with this HPV, that vulva cancer that otherwise happens when we are much older is happening at a much earlier age with a history of HPV......so, if you have any unexplained itching, burning for months on end (ruling out yeast infection which is pretty easy to do when you use the medication repeatedly and it is still there) INSIST on a biopsy of the area (they can do it right in the office and give a local injection of xylocaine which numbs the area) and if you are clear, great...but if symptoms continue......have one again a little later.....as informed as I thought I was on the dysplasia of the cervix, I had no idea we could even get cancer in that particular area..........if it had been more invasive or 25 years ago, I was told they would have to do a radical vulvectomy.......yep...they take everything on the outside....everything........so for god sake, insurance or no insurance, get those paps with the papsure for your cervix and pay attention to your body and with your history, don't let any doctor talk you into the idea that all that burning and itching and ultimately I began to spot blead from the area, that it's a "female" thing! Cedar Sinai is in Beverly Hills, Calif....if you are in California and have an HMO, due to a fairly new law, you can insist on another opinion outside your HMO and they must pay for it...that is exactly what I will do if, likely when, cancer reoccurs and I will be going back to her...If you aren't in California, you can check with your state (Dept of Health Services it's called out here) or, though I don't know, it might even be a federal law......good luck and please keep up the testing.....