Thank you for sharing. I’m in a very similar situation to yours (I’m 33 now) and it’s extremely hard for other people to understand. I get very frustrated with myself over it all.I am 27 and haven’t been for my smear since I got the letter at 25. I know it’s bad but I’m struggling to pluck up the courage to go. I had one aged 15 at a clinic and it was a really horrible experience. I also had traumatic experiences as a child (sexual abuse) and so I find the whole thought of it daunting
I am 27 and haven’t been for my smear since I got the letter at 25. I know it’s bad but I’m struggling to pluck up the courage to go. I had one aged 15 at a clinic and it was a really horrible experience. I also had traumatic experiences as a child (sexual abuse) and so I find the whole thought of it daunting
I think it’s really hard to share stuff like this, especially if the reasoning is something very personal. It’s not like you can openly say it when smear tests occasionally come up in conversation. And although I know you can tell the nurse, I don’t want to as it’s not a conversation I want to have.Thank you for sharing. I’m in a very similar situation to yours (I’m 33 now) and it’s extremely hard for other people to understand. I get very frustrated with myself over it all.
don’t beat yourself up, if it’s hard for you then it’s not something you can magically change.I think it’s really hard to share stuff like this, especially if the reasoning is something very personal. It’s not like you can openly say it when smear tests occasionally come up in conversation. And although I know you can tell the nurse, I don’t want to as it’s not a conversation I want to have.
On the other hand I’ve just started trying for a baby and in the back of my mind I always think it’s something I should have had done, but I just can’t.
I get frustrated with myself too but we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves x
getting the implant out is easy, don’t sweat it.Im ok about smears fortunately, I do end up putting off actually booking it for a couple of months but the fear of not detecting something spurs me to do it in the end. It’s awkward for a few minutes then I can get on with my day. I think what helped me personally was giving birth twice. It really helped me get past that barrier of feeling embarrassed because you realise the nurses really have seen it all and they don’t care. I had a room full of people looking at and poking around my downstairs at one point during labour, after that a smear seems like small fries. I have so much sympathy for women who have fears and anxieties around smears, I’m very similar when it comes to procedures involving blood.
The one I’m struggling with now is sorting my implant out. It needs to be replaced as I’m quite a while past 3 years now. I’m just freaked out about the procedure of getting the old one out and them putting a new one inif I could be put under general for it then it would be fine but obviously that’s ott for such a small and quick procedure. I just think I’m going to faint or be sick and make it into a whole drama. Add to that the current situation, and I don’t even know if my doctors surgery is open or what the procedures are or which just makes me put it off for even longer. I know it needs to be done but it’s so daunting.
Sorry you had to go through this, but so glad everything is okay. This is the exact reason why smears are so important. Yes they aren't comfortable but they can save your life. It's more than worth it!I used to be scared to death. Fortunately I’m of the age when smears were done much younger than they are now. Luckily for me too as I had stage 3 pre cancerous cells. If untreated this stage can develop into cancer. I had them all removed followed by ten years of yearly smears. If the age for getting smears was what it is now, I would most likely have had cervical cancer and not known until it was possibly too late.
back then also the wait for me to be seen on the NHS was 16 weeks!! Now 4 months when you have stage 3 is a pretty long time to be left in my opinion! Luckily my parents paid privately. I was assessed in the day, the surgeon called me from his personal mobile at the night, and said this needs removing immediately and he did it the next morning. It’s annoying to think that some people might not be as lucky as I was! I’m not sure what wait times are now.
So long story but if you’re scared, don’t be. It’s over before you know it. It doesn’t hurt it’s just uncomfortable. I’d rather have a smear than my ears pierced again.
A couple of minutes of feeling exposed and uncomfortable is nothing compared to the treatment for cancer.
Well done! I’m going to book mine after reading this too.An update after my post last night... I’ve booked my smear test for Monday. Already feeling panicky about it, wish me luck!
good luck!An update after my post last night... I’ve booked my smear test for Monday. Already feeling panicky about it, wish me luck!
The Mirena coil is still hormonal though, although in a lower dose and directly in the uterus.Glad to see a thread about this. I've got to bite the bullet and book an appt. My periods are just so heavy it's getting me down. I've had to stay in today as I'm worried about leaking whilst I'm out. Has anyone had any experience of this. Hormonal contraception is a no no for me and all I keep getting suggested is the mirena coil.
Yeah they have, I've always had heavy painful periods since a year after I started then at 14. They get better after I've had a baby then over the years just get worse and worse it's been 4 years since my last baby. I'm lucky in that they only last 3-4 days but I'm so heavy that I still leak with a moon cup and two large sanitary pads. I had a scan just before I fell pregnant last time and they said my womb lining was slightly thickened but weren't concerned about it, just warned me that it could affect fertility which it didn't.The Mirena coil is still hormonal though, although in a lower dose and directly in the uterus.
Have your periods always been this heavy??
book in to see your GP, you don’t have to suffer in silence!!!
I have never been able to get on with any kind of hormonal contraceptive apart from Dianette, which they stopped being prescribed solely as an oral contraceptive (typical). Everything I tried before and since made me sick. After our 4th child I had the Mirena. Was supposed to be a miracle solution but it was awful for me. I know its only a low dose of hormone but I think I must be particularly sensitive to any changes in my body's normal make-up, because I had nothing but problems with it. Continuous spotting, night sweats, spots, too many other things to mention. I gave it 4 months to see if it would settle down but getting the damn thing out was such a relief.Glad to see a thread about this. I've got to bite the bullet and book an appt. My periods are just so heavy it's getting me down. I've had to stay in today as I'm worried about leaking whilst I'm out. Has anyone had any experience of this. Hormonal contraception is a no no for me and all I keep getting suggested is the mirena coil.
I have never been able to get on with any kind of hormonal contraceptive apart from Dianette, which they stopped being prescribed solely as an oral contraceptive (typical). Everything I tried before and since made me sick. After our 4th child I had the Mirena. Was supposed to be a miracle solution but it was awful for me. I know its only a low dose of hormone but I think I must be particularly sensitive to any changes in my body's normal make-up, because I had nothing but problems with it. Continuous spotting, night sweats, spots, too many other things to mention. I gave it 4 months to see if it would settle down but getting the damn thing out was such a relief.Glad to see a thread about this. I've got to bite the bullet and book an appt. My periods are just so heavy it's getting me down. I've had to stay in today as I'm worried about leaking whilst I'm out. Has anyone had any experience of this. Hormonal contraception is a no no for me and all I keep getting suggested is the mirena coil.
YepBut they just push the mirena .
hey there! I never usually comment but I’ve just read your post and felt the need to reply!I'm so grateful to see this thread!
I went to the doctors in Jan of this year because I kept getting blood after sex. She examined me and said she could see some abnormalities on my cervix so did an urgent "2 week wait" (cancer) referral to my local hospital. I asked for a smear there and then at the appointment but the dr was adamant she could not smear me due to me being under 25 (I was 24 at the time, turned 25 in October) and said I must instead go on the hospital pathway.
I was seen in the gynaecology clinic 5 days later. I had a biopsy of the womb taken (no pain relief, and the most painful experience I have ever been through) and the consultant diagnosed me with "cervical ectropion" otherwise known as cervical erosion.
I've now had my letter for my smear but I'm petrified to book it! The whole experience of being referred on the cancer pathway was traumatic and worrying enough, I'm worried that the nurse is going to take one look at my cervix and put me through it all again. Although I'm fully aware she can see my record and I can chat to her about it, I can't budge the feeling of dread. I know I'll also be horrendously anxious for weeks waiting for the results.
I feel like I'm guaranteed to have an abnormal smear due to the ectropion (despite the fact I've googled and googled and googled and there seems to be no connection between an ectropion and cancer). I feel like I've already convinced myself my smear will be abnormal before I've even had it done. I have health anxiety as it is!
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