Hi there

I had a HPV diagnosis earlier this week so am very much in the early
stages of trying to get informed about the virus and its potential
effects on my life. Living in Bradford, it was good to find a UK
focussed group amid all the American ones and I've just spent some
time reading through the archives. I'm certainly grateful to all the
people who've shared something over the five years this has been
going - it's amazing how well e-mail can create a sense of community
and support at times.

Anyway, at the risk of being very un-English, here's a bit of
sharing of where I'm at...

Tuesday saw me head for the GUM clinic with three small, soft bobbly
things round the rim of my anus - not uncomfortable but definitely
not right either. I pretty much knew the diagnosis beforehand - my
most recent partner had gone through a similar process a few months
before. (Initially, wanting to support her deflected me from giving
too much thought to whether the virus had come my way as well - and
then there was plenty else going on in my wider life to distract me
too. Along the way, the two of us split - something that was
essentially about other things).

Although at one level I went along to the clinic feeling sure I knew
what I'd be told, it was only really at the point of walking away
with a box of Aldara cream sachets in my hand that the proper
sinking in began. The trickiest thing, as many have said here
before, is thinking about returning to relationships at some point -
the how and when to tell someone that I might draw close to in
future.

On the positive side, which is generally where I hang out in life,
I'm encouraged that keeping fit and healthy and eating well will
stand me in good stead for keeping the symptoms of the virus at bay.
For a cycle-commuting, football-playing veggie and enthusiastic cook
it doesn't exactly sound like I'm going to have to turn my life
upside down!

So soon into treatment, I've obviously no idea whether there's going
to be much response to the cream. I don't relish the idea of
anything more surgical - not really through any concern over
discomfort, probably more because it would turn then a set of
ridiculous pink nodules that I can currently kind of laugh at into
what would seem like a 'proper' medical complaint. Also, I feel glad
that it's my anus not my penis that has copped for the warts - at
least it keeps things more private (thinking mainly of things like
the communal showers after footy practices). Anyway, here's hoping
things go well with the treatment and fighting the virus so none of
that need concern me...

Thanks again to all the people who've contributed to this forum in
the past - it really was a helpful read - and I hope these random
meanderings are of some use to someone, someday...

Dave - dave_bradford_uk@...