My LEEP procedure

**WARNING:  May be TMI, but it was a major event in my life that I want to share with others who may have to go through the same thing**

In November of 2014 I had an abnormal pap.  Because of this they performed a colposcopy.  It came back and was on the verge of being bad (CIN I/CIN II).  They said to followup in 6 months and we'll see.  Because of my new job/insurance, I didn't make it back to the doctor for about 9 months.  When I cam in again, they performed another colposcopy and said it had gotten a lot worse (CIN III) and I would need a LEEP.

A LEEP is a procedure where they scrape out the badness on the cervix with an electric wire and then cauterize the wound.  I had a week to come to terms with this.  I watched some youtube videos, and read about the procedure online...a lot.  I cried to my fiance, and my dad, and my mom and even my aunt.  They all listened and asked the right questions.  I so thankful to have such a strong support structure to help me through this.

When the day finally came, they took me in the back and checked my blood pressure, which was WAY too high.  I said it was probably so high because "I'm kinda worried about this".  To calm me down the nurse laid me down on a table and put a heating pad on my tummy and said to relax (which I did by playing candy crush).  They took my BP again, and it was back to regular.  I asked if it would be ok if I listened to music while they did the procedure, to which they said yes.

I listened to music for all of 10 seconds before deciding to talk to the nurse instead.  They stick a needle in your cervix (in 2 spots) with lidocaine and epinephrine to numb you.  It was a minor pinch and I barely felt it.  Shortly after, I felt my heart racing (thanks to the epinephrine).  I knew this was coming but WOW what a rush.  My nurse later said that most people hate that feeling, but I LOVED it.  It felt like those first few seconds as a rollercoaster drops for the first time.  Everything seemed more alive and beautiful and breathtaking.

The nurse was asking me questions while my heartbeat slowed down, and it was hard to concentrate, but I told her all about my wedding, fiance, family and work.  The dr. would interrupt periodically to say "Ok, I'm doing this now...ok, this is going to happen...etc"  After the adrenaline rush I felt relaxed and sleepy.  The Doctor worked away but I didn't feel a thing.  Honestly, the colposcopys were much more painful.

Afterwards, I had some minor cramps for a few hours.  Stefan picked me up a heating pad, when he came home from work, and it made a big difference!  I was back to 100% fine by the next morning.

If you're going for a LEEP, don't worry.  It was actually kind of fun.  I'm so thankful for having such a great doctor, and that she had such an amazing nurse to help!   Please feel free to email me if you ever want to talk about a LEEP procedure.