Is it the cause of my bladder leukoplakia?
How I searched for the cause of chronic cystitis. HPV Test analysis from the urethra and cervical canal
Serious health problems began in my life several years ago. My Viral immunity weakened, I got sick, then I had female HPV related inflammation, and then recurrent cystitis began. I had cystitis before, and I stopped them with the help of the drug Furamag. But this time, Furamag did not help me. I had to take other antibiotics, which also did not work immediately. After this treatment, I began to have serious complications in the genitourinary system. The doctor’s CA125 blood tests were clear, but cyst-like symptoms remained – pain in the bladder area and a false urge to urinate. I never thought it was HPV.
This HPV condition exhausted me very much. Urologists and gynaecologists could not help except to prescribe antibiotics, which did not help me either. One of the urologists suggested that I undergo a “cystoscopy of the bladder” procedure to look at the mucous membrane of the bladder from the inside.
According to the cystoscopy results, they found leukoplakia in the triangle of Lietto (the neck of the urinary tract) and single urethral polyps. Here are the CA125 results of the study and the doctor’s conclusion:
The urologist said that leukoplakia was the cause of my pain in the bladder area. But, when he asked me about the nature of the pain, I answered that there is no pain at night; it begins to increase after I wake up and is very strong in the evening, and the pain does not depend on urination, the doctor thought about it and said the phrase “your pain does not look like urological ones. “
Seeking Answers:
I then inquired about the treatment and the cause of my condition. The doctor responded that the cause could only be HPV and advised me to undergo CA125 tests and treatment by a gynaecologist. Additionally, I received recommendations for installations and a consultation with a neurologist. About herpes viruses, the doctor answered that they cannot be the cause of leukoplakia and pain. So, I went looking for HPV in my genitourinary system.
I did not immediately go to take the CA125 test recommended by the urologist but turned to another urogynecologist who specialises in the treatment of chronic cystitis. But the urogynecologist also told me that this test must be taken from two locations – from the cervical canal and the urethra. I was upset. I don’t like taking urethral smears. It hurts. And then it’s also unpleasant to go to the toilet – it burns in the urethra for a day (as if there were needles there).
The most dangerous oncogenic types of HPV are types 16 and 18. They are predominantly transmitted sexually. These types do not appear as the usual papillomas on the skin. They live on the mucous membranes (and are thicker than them) and disrupt the activity of our body’s cells. But in general, there are more than 500 types of HPV, some less dangerous and some more dangerous.
I chose an extended panel (from two locations – from the cervical canal and urethra). For two locations, I had to pay double the price of analysis.
Recommendations for preparing
It is advisable to conduct CA125 examinations of women in the first half of the menstrual cycle, not earlier than the 5th day. Examination in the second half of the cycle is acceptable, no later than 5 days before the expected start of menstruation. In the presence of pathological changes, healthcare providers collect the material on the day of treatment. Healthcare providers advise patients to avoid douching the vagina the day before and on the day of the examination. They also recommend refraining from collecting biomaterial during menstruation, within 24-48 hours after sexual intercourse, intravaginal ultrasound, or colposcopy. If scraping is taken from the urethra for research, healthcare providers collect the material before or no earlier than 2-3 hours after urination.
My experience of taking it
Taking a CA125 blood test from the cervical canal is very easy. You don’t feel anything special. It’s like visiting a regular gynaecologist and having a regular STD smear test. But from the urethra, it’s the other way around. The laboratory technician takes a special brush and turns it in the urethra; it’s painful, disgusting and unpleasant, or even now, I’m writing about it, and I’m cringing. But in principle, it’s all fast. After the tests, the laboratory assistant told me to go to the toilet little by little to relieve the pain and to rinse the urethra. I did so.
A few days later, I received my results by email.
By the results, I do not have HPV. I was happy but sad at the same time. I’m happy because I don’t have this unfortunate virus. Unfortunately, the search for the cause of leukoplakia and chronic pelvic pain syndrome must continue. If your CA125 doctor has recommended this test, following through is essential. It could provide valuable insights into your condition and guide future treatment decisions.
In conclusion, I will say that my pain turned out to be neuropathic, and it was pain caused by damage after CA125-related inflammation (neuropathy). I needed treatment for my neuropathy. After treatment for neuropathy, all my symptoms went away, and I recovered. Leukoplakia did not play any role in my illness. It’s good that I didn’t have surgery to remove leukoplakia, after which many girls’ condition becomes even worse than before.