NEWS - The Metropolitan

Surviving a new campus epidemic
Metro students share personal
stories of virus
By Mary Witlacil
witlacil@mscd.edu

    There are over 100 strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV, and most are sexually transmitted. Low-risk HPV can cause genital warts in either males or females and high-risk HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. There is also a relatively rare strain of HPV that can cause anal cancer in males.
    In most cases, the virus will remain dormant for months and there it is impossible for doctors to detect the presence of high-risk HPV in males.
    Smoking can exacerbate high-risk HPV, causing cancerous cells to mature at a faster rate. Currently, scientists are testing a vaccination, on young women, for high-risk HPV. Once approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the vaccination would be available for adolescent women before they become sexually active.
    HPV has reached near epidemic proportions in the United States and affects 75 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 28, according to Planned Parenthood.
    The following are personal accounts of four individuals who have contracted the virus. The names of the following individuals have been changed to protect their identity.

    Lucy
    When Lucy was 16, she was in a committed relationship with a male who gave her high-risk HPV. After going in for her annual well-woman exam, she received a phone call alerting her that she had an abnormal Pap smear. Soon after, many of Lucy’s friends admitted to having HPV and were there to support her.
    When she initially scheduled the loop electrosurgical excision procedure, or LEEP procedure, which uses electrical current to scrape abnormal cells from the cervix, she was so tense the doctor couldn’t insert the speculum. Lucy had to reschedule the appointment, which went well the second time around.
    Since testing positive for high-risk HPV, Lucy has been honest and open with all of her sexual partners, encouraging them to ask questions about the virus. Lucy has also acted as a counselor for her friends when they have tested positive. From the time Lucy tested positive for HPV, nearly 80 percent of her friends have tested positive for one type of the virus or another.
    “ I wish more literature was available for people to educate themselves about HPV and other STD’s—to bring about a higher level of awareness—so that when individuals test positive, they won’t be embarrassed or shocked,” Lucy said.

    Audra
    After contracting bacterial vaginitis, Audra returned to the free STD clinic at Denver Health for the second time in two months, only to discover that she had tested positive for cervical cancer during her last visit and that her case had been lost in the system. Shortly after discovering this, she was seen right away at the women’s care clinic. She was prepared for a colposcopy, which is a pain-free examination of the cervix, but she received the LEEP procedure, instead.
    About a month after the LEEP procedure, Audra received the results that she had microinvasive adenocarcinoma of the cervix.
    “ I was completely awed,” Audra said. “I tried to stay positive, but I allowed myself to feel the range of emotions while not getting completely sucked into grief. Cancer is a scary word. I immediately quit smoking and imagined ninja white blood cells kicking ass on the cancer.”
    Audra’s specialist recommended a total hysterectomy to remove the uterus and the cervix, as opposed to doing a cone biopsy to remove a cone-shaped section of the cervix, which may not get rid of all the cancerous cells. The other option was to do nothing at all.
    In preparation for the hysterectomy, her surgeon warned her that her bowels may dysfunction during the procedure, or that she may lose the ability to experience an orgasm.
    Before the surgery, Audra recalled saying to her mother; “They’re going to get in there, and take out my uterus and then they’re not going to find anything.”
    Audra went under the knife on Feb. 8, 2006 and was able to go home within three days of the surgery.
    “ Laughing was the worst thing,” she said. “Throughout the whole ordeal I was constantly trying to find humor (albeit) dark or morbid in everything, and it hurt immensely to laugh for days after the surgery.”
    About three weeks after the surgery, Audra had a meeting with her doctor and, as it turns out, there were no cancer cells. She didn’t even need the hysterectomy, but “it was worth it,” she said. “If only for peace of mind.”
    Audra always planned on having kids and is heartbroken to learn that she will not be able to have them, but said; “Bearing a child doesn’t make a good mother, love makes a good mother. Anyone can pop a baby out, but not everyone can cherish and love (a child) like a good mother.” Besides, Audra continued, “I can adopt kids, become a foster mother or help children in other ways.”
    Within a couple of weeks after the surgery Audra was talking with her doctor and asked, “Can I masturbate? Because I already have.”
    Her doctor quickly replied, “Oh yeah honey, orgasm it up!”

    Ryan
    Ryan has always been responsible in his sex life, boasting only three partners in seven years. For five of those seven years he was in a committed relationship with a woman who gave him low-risk HPV, or genital warts.
    Before testing positive for HPV three years ago, Ryan said, “I knew absolutely nothing (about HPV), everything about HPV is completely ambiguous.”
    The story doesn’t end here, though. After testing positive for genital warts, Ryan had a drunken one-night stand with a woman who later tested positive for high-risk HPV. He then slept with his ex-partner one last time, right before she began a sexual relationship with someone else. The circumstances that transpired infected four people, if not more, with both high and low-risk HPV in the span of one month.
    Since discovering he has genital warts, Ryan has had two breakouts and has been forced to be a more responsible sexual being, which he said he feels is beneficial for healthier personal relationships and society.
    “ The days of sexual promiscuity are over,” he said. “And although I don’t always feel comfortable talking about it (HPV), it is a necessity.”
    “ It’s not the end of the world if you get HPV, even if it is taboo to talk about STDs. We must have an open dialogue about them, especially if you have one,” he said.