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#144
10-18-2005, 06:03 PM
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Re: Genital warts and Compound W Freeze Off
I had my cryo treatment done today.
The equipment consisted of a tank of nitrous oxide connected to a tube which led to the applicator. The applicator looked almost like a plastic toy gun with a rounded metal tip - perhaps an eighth of an inch wide - where the barrel of the gun would be. The doctor did one freezing: the one "obvious" wart that I still had, which was maybe 1 millimeter in diameter. He applied some kind of clear gel to the wart (I assume so the applicator wouldn't stick to the skin), squeezed the trigger of the applicator, pressed the metal tip onto the wart, and held it there for 10 or 15 seconds. It stung but was not unbearable. I was not prepared for the burning sensation that began about 10 seconds after he removed the applicator, however. That was unpleasant, to say the least, but only lasted about a minute. Shortly thereafter, the skin under and around the wart was swollen to about the size of a marble. He recommended not messing with any dots that are so tiny that I can't tell what they are. His reasoning was that if they are warts, they will grow, and then we'll know and can deal with them. It is just awfully difficult for me to accept uncertainty about this. I also got him to give me a prescription for Condylox just in case I notice any other warts in the future. I am hoping that Condylox in combination with Freeze Off (or cryo at the doctor's office for any stubborn ones) will enable me to beat down any possible new warts fairly quickly. The treated area is still swollen, although the swelling has gone down some (the swelling is similar to what I noticed after using Freeze Off but is more pronounced). The swelling will probably be gone or almost gone by tomorrow. I left the appointment feeling hopeful. I am fairly confident that this will finally get rid of the one remaining visible wart. I am ready to be rid of these fuckers. Almost there. 
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#145
10-18-2005, 06:05 PM
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Re: Genital warts and Compound W Freeze Off
good luck Dex,
Thought about writing a song for your next bon fire based on this whole ordeal?
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#147
10-18-2005, 06:10 PM
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Re: Genital warts and Compound W Freeze Off
wow, dex, great thread.
Anyway, once you're rid of the last one, do you still have the virus? That is, is it like herpes where you'll have it forever but maybe not have break outs?
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#148
10-18-2005, 06:34 PM
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Re: Genital warts and Compound W Freeze Off
[ QUOTE ]
wow, dex, great thread. Anyway, once you're rid of the last one, do you still have the virus? That is, is it like herpes where you'll have it forever but maybe not have break outs? [/ QUOTE ] I've read that, unfortunately, you'll always have the virus in your system. Though I'm curious what the doctors have said to Dex on that subject.
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#150
10-19-2005, 02:49 AM
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Re: Genital warts and Compound W Freeze Off
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] wow, dex, great thread. Anyway, once you're rid of the last one, do you still have the virus? That is, is it like herpes where you'll have it forever but maybe not have break outs? [/ QUOTE ] I've read that, unfortunately, you'll always have the virus in your system. Though I'm curious what the doctors have said to Dex on that subject. [/ QUOTE ] That's pretty much what they've told me. Now, having said that: (This is summarized from my understanding of the more trustworthy sources that I've learned from so far. If any of this is incorrect or badly worded, please let me know.) This is a skin infection. If you are infected with HPV, you don't have the virus "in your system", but you do have it on your skin. It is different from herpes in this respect - herpes lives in your nerves; HPV lives on your skin. There is no guarantee, however, that any treatment will remove all of the virus that exists on your skin. They can remove the visible warts, but there probably will be some areas of infected skin nearby that still have some of the virus on them. For most people, the immune system will be able to "clear" the HPV infection to undetectable levels within a certain time frame. Several sources that I've seen specify this average time frame as 1-2 years or so. Treatment (having warts removed) helps with this. It reduces the total viral load and also alerts the immune system to the presence of the virus. So, while the skin is healing from whatever treatment, the immune system "sees" the virus there. Once you've been treated and all visible warts are completely gone, apparently all you can do is wait. You've removed all the infected skin that you know of; now your body's immune system has to deal with the rest of it (if there is any). The more time that passes without any symptoms returning, the higher the probability that you are now "clear" of the HPV infection. In addition, your body is now likely immune to that particular strain of HPV. The problem is waiting and the uncertainty factor. You can never be 100% certain that the infection is completely gone, although I've seen sources that say that once a significant amount of symptom-free time has passed after treatment (some say 6 months, some say 1-2 years, etc.), you can be "reasonably" sure that you're clear. So, once I'm rid of the last one, will I still have the virus? Probably. Will I have it for the rest of my life? Probably not.
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