What is HPV & My Personal Story

Dear people from all around the world,

Welcome to my blog. In this blog I will try to share everything I know about HPV, how it is transmitted, alternative medicine options and treatment options along with psychological boost. Though I try to offer my best to help you, it should be noted that nothing in this blog should be taken as  medical advice and consult your physician before trying out my recommendations. I am not a medical doctor but I am just an HPV sufferer who wants to reach out to others. My goal is to inform other people like me and ease our concerns by trying to include solutions to fight against human papilloma virus.

So what is HPV? According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention HPV is short for human papillomavirus. HPV can cause warts or also known as papillomas and it can spread through vaginal, oral and anal sex (there are speculations that it might be transmitted through deep kissing or shared objects).

According to Wikipedia, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes. So it is possible to say they are microbial agents that affect our skin. What makes us scared is that persistent infections may lead to cancer. More information can be found in Wikipedia. 

Now, here is the big news. If you have HPV, it does not mean that you are dirty or anything because almost 74 percent of all sexually active people get a strain at some point of their lives. It is very common. You can even have your symptoms after you have sex with somebody infected; it is hard to know when it will develop symptoms. You can even have it if you have one partner in your life.                                      
Again according to CDC, it can cause cancers of vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx (cancers of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils).However, it is not exactly known who will get cancers from this virus. Usually people with weak immune system are more vulnerable. 
 
              How do you know if you have HPV or not? There is no screening for males but females can get Papanicolau (Pap) test and abnormal cells are detected. Now there are multiple options. If you are diagnosed with abnormal cells, your doctor might wait to see if the body will clear the infection or they can be taken by a procedure called colposcopy or they can be frozen through cryotheraphy. It is extremely important to discuss this with your doctor (gynecologist). 

Though this is such a common virus, it was interesting that I never heard of this virus before. I want to tell my personal story and I would love to hear your personal story. I believe it empowers us to share our struggles.

I had my first sexual relationship when I was 21 and I was so naive. I did not use condom or any other protective measures. I had oral and vaginal sex many times. But after my first sex I realized some red patch in my throat and I was concerned but my boyfriend said it was nothing. I also had a very bad yeast infection and some pimple like things on my butt. These things went away eventually and I sought medical help for my yeast. Then I traveled abroad and had other sex partners, again without protection.

I have an ongoing relationship for 3 years now but when we first had sex with my current partner, he had a sudden pain in his balls and this is how I made my first visit to gynecologist (which was my biggest mistake I should have gone to doctor when I first became sexually active) and the doctor found I had chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease. I was upset and shocked; for some reason it never occurred to me that I could get infected (part of the reason was that I was not sexually educated). I was cured with my partner after the diagnosis and I traveled back to my hometown. When I came back to America, my doctor wanted me to do a pap smear test, which is used to detect HPV and they performed it. A week later I received a call from gynecologist and I asked what is wrong. They said they wanted to talk face to face. With all the concerns in my head, I went there and I learnt that I had high risk HPV (some HPV types are high risk) and I had precancerous lesions in my cervix. It was hard to grasp and I remember my first question was what HPV is. My eyes were full of tears but my doctor told me that it is very common to have HPV and she advised me to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and wait until I get a normal pap result (it usually takes approximately one or two years).

On that day, I cried and I was so scared, I talked to my partner. I have an amazing boyfriend and he was very understanding. We started to eat healhy and try to exercise often. A year after my pap came back normal. My body fought the virus. I still have my oral HPV concerns but I am constantly going to doctor for abnormal changes. 
I cannot forget the feelings of shock, sadness, and misery. I am also a very emotional person so it became a huge deal for me. My biggest advice now would be not to panic. If you are diagnosed with HPV, it is normal to undergo a sudden wave of panic and you might feel dirty. Now I look back and I wish I could talk to my past self. I would say to my past self:this is totally wrong and it does not lead you anywhere. This is why I wanted to create this blog; to help people like me around the world.

My initial recommendation is this: If you have been diagnosed with HPV, take a deep breath and see it as an opportunity to live a healthier life. It is a journey that you will take to heal yourself and realize how strong your body is. Shortly after my diagnosis, I looked at the internet and it was full of news and websites that made me panic more. I looked for some books to read and learn more about it. I found this tiny book that helped me a lot. It is called 'Thank you for HPV' and it is written by Zayna de Gaia. This book is also written by a former sufferer of HPV and she shares her insights and experience. This might help you ease your concerns. There are also some other books that you can find on Internet.

Sometimes, we are alone in this path. I had no one to share and my parents do not know I am sexually active. I believe there are many out there missing sleep because of this virus. Now it is time to change that. You should realize you are not alone and it is a common problem. It is highly curable and your body is strong enough to deal with this virus. In this blog, I will share everything I know and every possible herbal & medical solution. You can also share your personal stories through comment section. I would love to reach out to those like me and communicate with them. I love you all and I sincerely wish the best of luck to you all in this journey. I feel you and I am always with you. Thanks for reading. Please do not forget to comment. 

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.someecards.com/ (source for the first image)
https://www.amazon.com/ (source for the second image)