Is your category of people who meticulously monitors disease?

My results were from 2011 to 2018. Results. Consequences. Treatment

Today, I dedicate my HPV review to a sensitive topic – laboratory tests for the human papillomavirus. I belong to the category of people who meticulously monitor their health. It is necessary to visit various doctors every year, take the necessary kits, and carry out timely treatment.

In 2011, at an appointment with a gynaecologist, I first heard the unusual combination of words “human papillomavirus .” At that time, I only remembered that this virus has many types, with 16 and 18 considered the worst. They can cause cervical cancer, so regular checkups for them is necessary.

About the Laboratory

The doctor referred me for a comprehensive examination in a private laboratory. Such checks are not done in ordinary antenatal clinics.

All private laboratories offer excellent service, beautiful interiors, and impeccable hygiene. They typically provide STI kits in printed form and an envelope, so there’s no need to sign up and wait in lines for hours. Everything is simple here: come—pay—hand over. The only downside is the high price, so not everyone can undergo a full comprehensive examination.

I won’t stray from the topic; I passed all the necessary exams. The material for analysis is a scraping taken from the cervical canal; in other words, it is a regular gynaecological smear.  Types 16 and 18 were negative. The STD PCR test research method is considered one of the most accurate.

A quantitative method for determination

A year later, again, on the doctor’s recommendation, I underwent more extensive tests for HPV. The result is in the photo. 17.6 lg it was detected (per 100 thousand epithelial cells). The analysis method is quantitative, so it is impossible to say exactly what type is present in the body. It is only clear that the indicated types – 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 – are considered to have a high oncogenic risk.

Naturally, I urgently took tests for types 16 and 18, the most dangerous. The result is negative.

Honestly, I don’t remember what treatment the doctor prescribed (in addition to the detected HPV, there was a large leukocytosis in the smear); in my opinion, antibacterial and immunostimulating drugs are not so important.

 Skin problems

After about a year, strange nodules (bumps) of different sizes, from 2 to 6 mm, began to appear on the skin, mainly on the hands and wrists. There are no photographs from those times, and the view could have been better. And I am showing the last nodule remaining on the skin after drug treatment.

I remember well that one of the STI Doctors prescribed Epigen spray. And I used it for about a month; it didn’t help.

I gave Epigen spray to a friend. She found an excellent use for herpes on her face; it helped her well. And I had to see a dermatologist. The doctor said that these are ordinary warts. Many people live with them and do not pay any attention to them. Individuals can remove them if desired but must do so in private offices; the skin clinic did not offer such a service. No one discussed undergoing exams or receiving antiviral treatment.

Removing tumours

Today, many STD treatment methods exist for removing tumours: laser, radio wave, surgical, electrocoagulation, and cryodestruction. At one of the beauty salons, they offered me electrocoagulation, which involves removing nodules from the skin with an electric current.

The most painful part was the pain relief itself, which was provided by injections. After this, the removal process began. The cosmetologist used a special device to touch the desired areas and an electric current to burn off the HPV warts. She treated five problem areas. The cost was about 500 pounds. The wounds completely healed after three weeks.

The cosmetologist said that this is 100% present in the body of one of the types of human papillomavirus, and to avoid relapses, she recommended taking the antiviral drug isoprenaline.

I took isoprenaline; since then, no nodules or warts have appeared

Paradox

But here’s the paradox: why does a cosmetologist recommend such STI treatment? The gynaecologist and dermatologist didn’t care. But they were only interested in the absence of types 16 and 18. Doctors know very well that many other types, which are lower oncogenicity, provoke the growth of skin tumours, warts, papillomas, and spines and require treatment.

I’m going to stray from the topic. I have a friend who has been removing bunions from her feet for years using various methods, from surgery to laser. And then the spines grow back. I don’t understand why doctors don’t prescribe STD examinations to select the right treatment.