It CAN happen To You

[BrownEyes]

Cherry: thanks for the hug I'm hoping my other tests and my PAP will come back ok.

Ann: People coming here seeking medical advice is what really prompted me to write this thread. I understand whole-heartedly not wanting to see a doctor, but at the same time ignoring problems doesn't make them go away. Catching anything early is your best line of defense (of course with using protection). I also understand about insurence and money. I'm a little afraid of what this is all going to cost me, since my insurence will not cover any of the tests. But, if you have a PP (planned parenthood) near you, they will offer sliding fee scales (based upon income) and payment plans. If you are not fortunate enough to have a PP near you, talk with a docs office. Chances are there's probably something they can arrange in terms of payment plans. Shame on this country for not having better medical options for its citizens. I may very well go broke right now but I'd rather be broke than not treat the HPV and not test myself for any other STI's. Thanks always for your support Ann

Steph: I'm so glad your recent tests haven't shown any HPV lurking around! Sorry to hear though yours required surgery I'm hoping that in a couple years with treatment and preventative measures I can minimize outbreaks and maybe even show up negative on tests! I'm using the freezing method on the wart you can see, since I didn't want to be bothered with creams. I am happy though that the new vaccine is just about ready to be released! I hope it proves effective and safe and others like us won't have to go through this!

jrm3msm: Yes, many people mistakenly believe condoms are 100%. You should still get yourself tested regardless. They're better than no protection, and if your like me where abstinence is not an option lol....their your first line of defense. I wish my sexual history was always protected. ...but generally with rape and sexual abuse your rights are taken away. At the very least, I've always been open with my BF about the nonprotection....which is something else I stress. Don't lie about your sexual history!

Budde: Thank you for your support I'm feeling better now that I've had a few days to let it sink in. It's not the worst thing I could have possibly gotten, and that is a relief. I know in a little while whether or not I have any other strain of HPV that's more serious. I really have to be proactive. I can't just succumb to feeling sorry for myself. Besides my best chance of minimizing outbreaks is to keep feeling positive, take my darn vitamins and Vit. C supplements and take what control I have over the situation. I can't lie, if my BF hasn't been so accepting of this it would have devestated me.

Thanks everyone for your support! It means a lot to me

[madstyle]

Browneyes

Im sorry that had to happen to you and im glad your still with us.


I had a friend of mine who had a simlar problem and wasn't so lucky and paid with her life.

[BrownEyes]

madstyle, I didn't see your response until now, so sorry for the delay in responding.

HPV is thankfully not exactly life threatning. So far they haven't detected any strains of HPV that could potentially lead to cervical cancer, and since my one and only outbreak I haven't had another (and keeping my fingers crossed I won't).

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. A lot of people run around thinking it could never happen to them. I wasn't exactly one of them, but for reasons of my own I didn't take proper care of my body. True, I could have potentially contracted HPV (or something else) with the use of condoms, but my failure to stay on top of things like PAP smears and regular doc visits was of my own negligence.

As far as I know, I'm clear of any other STD's, and happy to say this hasn't affected my sex life with my BF. I don't feel dirty or gross anymore, it's simply just *is*.

Again though, it saddens me you lost a friend. I myself am very lucky, and never forget that fact. Particulary considering early on in my sexual life I had NO IDEA what my sexual partners backgrounds were, and I doubt highly any one of them were ever tested...for anything.

Originally Posted by BrownEyes

This isn't so much looking for advice, but to share my recent story in hopes that it will compel others to not make my mistake. Ann, if you feel this is inappropiate please delete and no offense taken

I have not always gotten regular PAP's done. In fact I've only had 1 done. I walked out of my second, b/c it was not my normal doctor, and the new doctor sat there blaming me for my date rape (unprotected) and the sexual abuse I dealt with with my ex (occasionally unprotected). At that time, I still had a hard time letting anyone examine my genital areas, b/c of the abuse...so I had walked right out of the physical.

A while goes by and just before I met my now BF (over 2 years), I did have a PAP done as well as an HIV/AIDS test (negative results). I was honest with my BF upfront that there were occasions condoms were not used.

Flash forward a couple years later, still haven't had any PAP's done. At first I was told my school health insurence wouldn't cover one...I recently found out otherwise.

Well about a week ago I noticed a bump/pimple right next to the wall of my clitoris. I called Planned Parenthood right away to have it checked out.

Diagnosis: I have HPV (genital warts). It's an STI, uncurable, and fortunately not one of the worst I could have. It's incrediably common and chances are anyone reading this probably has it, or has come into contact with it. Condoms are not 100% protective, b/c genital warts can appear in places that the condom doesn't cover...and condoms are not 100% protective over anything. However, please practice safe sex always! Some protection is better than none at all...plus there are a whole slew of other STI/STD's you'd rather not muck around with.

I am treating the external wart cluster, and have to go in for an internal exam to make sure I don't have an internal strain of HPV as well (and the HPV strain that doesn't show external wart symptoms is high risk for causing cervical cancer).

I feared telling my BF. We've practiced safe sex the entire duration of our relationship, and I am fairly positive I contracted HPV from my date rape or my ex and not from him. Or maybe even that one night stand I had, even though it was protected. Men are harder to diagnosis...if they don't show warts they really can't be diagnosed for HPV. So there's a good chance he's a carrier for it now. He took the news well, mostly concerned about how I felt (I felt disgusting and dirty, and even a little still). This news hasn't changed anything between us, like I feared and I'm even more grateful to have such a wonderful man by my side.

To the women: HAVE YEARLY PAP's done. An abnormal PAP reading could potentially be HPV, or some other problem. Also be aware of your own body. Check on your private areas daily to be aware of what looks and feels normal for you. Be honest with your doctor about your sexual history. They need to know in order to best serve you. It may be embaressing, but it's for your own health.

To the men: if you notice any odd looking bumps on your penis or scrotum, get it checked out. Immediately.

To All: If something is unusual with your body, go to a doctor. Immediately. It could be nothing, but if it is something it's not going to go away by ignoring it. STD/STI screenings are a good idea. I'm waiting on results for a couple other tests I've had done. Often insurence will not pay for this (bastards), but if you go to a place like Planned Parenthood, they offer sliding scale fees and payment plans.

Also do not self diagnos yourself. Leave that to the professional. While message boards like this one, can be helpful in seeking support, come here while your also making that docs visit.

I'm lucky, so far, it's *only* HPV. It could be a lot worse. However, I do have to live with the knowledge that I have this. I'm scared I may have different strains of HPV that would put me at a higher risk for cervical cancer, but hopefully in a couple weeks when I go back to treat the warts again (via freezing) and for a PAP, I will know more.

This was a wakeup call for me. I need to take better care of myself and body.

Wow... Has anybody ever told you, You are a very good person for posting this?

I'm glad I read this because my g/f found something right in the same area as yours. It was just a small bump and was a little pinkish, but mainly skin colored. She said she hoped it was just an ingrown hair b/c she had gotten those before and they looked similar. It went away within a couple of days though so she decided it wasn't anything to worry about. But i read this thread and did some more research on the web and told her she should definitely see a doctor just to be safe.

So what I'm wondering is if it was only there for a couple of days, is that a good sign? Like, if it was hpv would it have stuck around a bit longer?

And I read that a lot of times it goes away on its own. Is it common for someone to just have one outbreak and treat it and then have the infection just go away?

Also, I saw a lot of really gross pictures on the internet. Are these just of people who don't do anything about the infection until they are covered in warts? I wanted to see some pics of people who just had one little bump so I could see if it looked like my g/f's but no luck.

I in all honesty do not know what made me decide to read BrownEyes’s original post but I did yesterday. This morning while checking out a small irritation caused by the string of a tampon (I have to be very careful not to allow the string to touch my skin – this last time I wasn’t apparently so much so and now have a string like in shape abrasion just below the opening of my vagina) I noticed a slight “bump” inside the folds that I had never noticed before – I instantly went into a panic and had to immediately see just what do genital warts look like. I had a very hard time finding any picture but finally did.

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/std/...s_pictures.htm

These pictures horrified me and I feel are worth posting for others to see. They look so painful and I wonder too how anyone could allow this to go this far but I would not know the answer to such things. And FYI: because of my age (and my savvy daughter’s insistence) I now have an annual physical. My doctor had nothing to inform of with my last pap taken this past December so really I had nothing to be concerned over. It is very important to take care of yourself – no one else is going to do it for you. And as a final side note I sincerely hope everything is going well for you, BrownEyes.

[BrownEyes]

Originally Posted by abstract

I'm glad I read this because my g/f found something right in the same area as yours. It was just a small bump and was a little pinkish, but mainly skin colored. She said she hoped it was just an ingrown hair b/c she had gotten those before and they looked similar. It went away within a couple of days though so she decided it wasn't anything to worry about. But i read this thread and did some more research on the web and told her she should definitely see a doctor just to be safe.

So what I'm wondering is if it was only there for a couple of days, is that a good sign? Like, if it was hpv would it have stuck around a bit longer?

And I read that a lot of times it goes away on its own. Is it common for someone to just have one outbreak and treat it and then have the infection just go away?

Also, I saw a lot of really gross pictures on the internet. Are these just of people who don't do anything about the infection until they are covered in warts? I wanted to see some pics of people who just had one little bump so I could see if it looked like my g/f's but no luck.

Sorry I'm just now getting to the posts made in this thread. I've been quite busy as of late.

HPV can "go away" on it's own. SOmetimes the body is able to fight off the virus and the external symptoms can go away. That does happen for some, but for the majority I would say not.

HPV can look like those pictures, or it can look like mine did which was one tiny wart cluster that looked odd, even to the doctor. Sometimes the wart clusters spread fast, and a person can be covered. They often don't hurt, so if someone isn't going in for regular paps, or doesn't self examine (which IMO they should) they may not notice the warts at all. The pictures online do not really do justice to the wide array of HPV clusters. So it's better to err on the side of caution and get anything out of the ordinary checked out.

There is controversy whether your body actually clears the virus or not. I would say its FAR safer to say you have HPV and always will. Since my original posting here, I"ve been very lucky in that I have not had another outbreak of external warts. It also took only one treatment for me, it usually takes people several to get rid of the wart. I also load up on a multivitamin everyday and try to eat a bit healthier, since a healthy immune system is important for keeping outbreaks in control.

The real problem IMO with HPV is the strains that DO NOT show external wart symptoms. These strains have been strongly linked with cervical cancer.

As for myself, I'm doing quite well. To be honest I don't think much about HPV these days. I plan on getting regular paps, which for me my doc said once a year is fine unless I start showing abnormal Pap smears. So far I haven't. I do regular self examinations so I am pretty intimate with what looks normal for me.

I'm still with my SO, and it's definately not impacted our sex life. It's a non-issue for us, which is great, because if he were someone else, it may have been a big issue.

I'm really sorry to hear that.

I recently got my pap, and have an irregularity called LSIL. When I looked it up, I found out that it's linked to HPV, so there's a chance I have it too, though I've never noticed any genital warts. Thankfully I've gotten the cervical cancer vaccine already, so I'm protected against the cancer-causing strains of the virus, and LSIL isn't linked to cervical cancer in any way.
I'm getting tested for all STDs in a couple weeks, hopefully if I have HPV that will be all I have.