LEEP and Pap smears and stuff

Since kip didn't know what a LEEP was, I figured probably others didn't, too.

Girls, there are reasons we have Paps every year. All women over age 21 need them. Women under 21 who are sexually active and have been for more than three years need them. Don't skip them. Don't avoid them because it's weird to have someone look down there or because it is a bit uncomfortable to get some cells brushed off your cervix. Just mark it on your calendar and go in for one. Every year. Take a Valium or a Xanax if you have to, but DO IT. If you need more information, go here.

My sister missed hers for the first time last year, but her doctor said it should be fine since she hasn't had an abnormal one for so long and she'd had one right before she found out she was pregnant with Peanut. So, it had been two years since her Pap. They found abnormal cells this time. They did a cervical biopsy, which showed rapidly changing cells which were precancerous. That is why a Pap is important -- it can save your life.

Next is the LEEP. LEEP stands for "loop electrode excision procedure". First, they numb your cervix (thank Heaven). Then, they take the loop and remove the surface of your cervix and the surface of your endocervical canal, to get rid of any abnormal, precancerous cells. They also take healthy cells to make sure they get it all. If the margins aren't clear, they have to either do it again or do a hysterectomy, and if there are any cancerous cells, hysterectomy is probably the next step.

So, get your Paps. I'm due for one next month and will be scheduling that appointment ASAP.

In other news, going for a walk at midnight on a creepy stretch of State Street without my wallet or telling my husband wasn't the smartest, but cc came to the rescue and let me talk with her and picked me up and brought me home. :) She's awesome.

So is hubby -- he just doesn't understand that about himself. Oy.