Women's health.

[Base2019]

Hi
New to this thread.

Didn't know it existed.

Ah man i am going through hell at the minute.
Back story i had severe PMDD (think pms on steroids) that eventually led me to having a hysterectomy with ovaries, cervix and uterus removed.

This was in March 2019.
I am still struggling with getting my hormones balanced with HRT.

PMDD is caused by bad reactions to normal hormone changes.
My hormones are still going crazy.

HRT tried so far.... Patches. I am allergic and they dump all the estrogen quickly rather than lasting the 4 days they are supposed to

Gel- it just doesn't absorb

Oral - love it. Worked well. No longer working. I don't know why. I really need to know why.

So yeah. Not looking for advice really. I just wanted somewhere to write this down.

Going to read through the posts now. Hope everyone is well

There is a thread for menopause on here. You might like to read it aswell Fellow HRT taker here lol

Questions for those who have been through menopause

Did you find that your PMT symptoms were worse leading up to menopause (extra-angry, pain that lasted longer, etc.?) If you opted for HRT, how did you know you needed to go on it, and what sorts of things did it help you with? Once your periods stopped, did you find that all the PMT symptoms you...

tattle.life

 

[knivesnflowers]

completely forgot to update and say thank you for all the advice re. internal scan! went almost two weeks ago now but they refuse internals if not sexually active - assuming this is a trust by trust policy but idk. they did the normal scan with full bladder which took two goes bc i guess i needed more than two pints. said there wasn't much to see but that i did have a tilted uterus which made things harder. i have a long term medical review with the gp next week so will see if they have had a look / what they think!

 

[GiftedNotFree]

I had the scan yesterday. I’d say most of it was a waste of time due to the fact on the letter it stated I need to fast for 6 hours prior to my appointment - so of course, I went in with an empty stomach and a full bladder as stated. Turns out I needed to eat but I did let them know the letter said I shouldn’t Anyway, they couldn’t see everything clearly because I didn’t eat anything, they could see one ovary and could see clearly that it was on the larger side than ‘normal’. They couldn’t make out the other one so I am being booked in for a re scan. It’s extremely frustrating as I am still having these awful pains every day and have been for 8 weeks now. My period is late again this month, as stated in my first post, this is unusual for me. Hopefully in my next scan, they can give me a proper diagnosis and we can start looking into things. Thank you for asking x

This is so frustrating . It must be so hard being in pain every day. The sooner you know what’s going on the better. Wishing you luck from afar x

 

[bongsandstuff]

Im really sorry to hear about what you’re going through it seems cruel they make you wait so long for a diagnosis or results…have you considered going private?

Thanks for being so kind! Unfortunately I’m a young estranged student who can barely afford to pay for food and essentials let alone dream of going private so all I can do is wait🥲 still heard nothing back… waiting over 3 years and counting for any answers

 

[judgejohndeed]

It’s suspected to be adenomyosis right? Which means the treatment options are management of symptoms with medication which is contraception medication or a hysterectomy. It’s not “lazy medicine” if there has been a diagnosis and there are only limited options manage symptoms. What other options are there??

As the OP says - 'suspected' and 'potential'. That means there isn't a diagnosis? She's being told not to worry etc and she wants an answer. If she goes on the pill now she won't get one because they'll say her symptoms are being managed so no further investigation is needed. She's also said she doesn't want to go on the pill, which is her choice. Leaving her to it all this considered is lazy.

 

[Pixipoppy]

@Pixipoppy thank you so much. It’s so much better when you know exactly what to expect. Did you find the injection painful?

In all honesty I think I did feel something, I don’t remember finding it excruciating but maybe on a par with getting an injection at the dentist. It’s hard to compare pain, it was definitely less painful than a piercing but lasted a little bit longer. If you try and distract yourself and take a few deep breaths it’ll be over so quickly (they don’t necessarily do the injection to take a biopsy, I think it’s because he wanted to take a larger area than what a punch biopsy would take).

 

[Gembo]

I can totally understand the fear of going for a smear, I’ve had to have 2 lletz and I found the first one so unbearable they decided to do the second one under a general anaesthetic. My last smear was last year and I cried, although the one before I didn’t but they are horrible. I echo what a previous poster said about please confide in your Dr. I also thought I read somewhere on here (but maybe a different thread) that someone is sedated for theirs due to vaginisimus, perhaps that could be something to discuss with them.

 

[bunnyhun]

Was meant to have my smear on Monday but they cancelled it last minute due to staff sickness, i have rebooked it for the end of this month. How long does it currently take to get results back?

Very worried as sex has become painful and I keep spotting, I’m on the pill so I rarely have periods at all. It’s been happening every other day for 3 weeks now and I’ve thought the worst had a telephone GP appointment earlier and she wasn’t helpful and told me off for not having my smear done sooner! I only received my letter a month ago and I just feel like her moaning was unnecessary

 

[Amyx1518]

I just got my letter for my first smear I’m going to book in this week. I’m really excited for some reason

Well done you, that’s great to hear!

 

[bcfc999]

I have my smear next week and I'm so anxious about it. I'm 29 so had my first one a couple of years ago and have been avoiding this one for a year... Don't know why I'm so worried about it because the last one was uncomfortable but not traumatising - I did cry before and after but it was nowhere near as bad as I expected. Weirdly I think knowing what will happen is making me worry more about it?

 

[Gertrude]

Thanks for this x Can I ask what makes the difference at a private clinic?

Even though the actual procedure is the same.. for me, the environment makes the world of difference. Firstly it looks/smells far less 'clinical' then a regular surgery. Also, it's a gynecologist doing the procedure (not a nurse, who is responsible for all kinds of things) so she's specialised in that kind of thing. Also, as they are under far less time pressure than a NHS clinic, they have a lot more time to help keep you calm/distract you. Do try a local private clinic, if you can afford to. I promise you will find the experience so much better and less traumatic

Just for reference, I live in Sussex and it costs a little under £200 to get it done where I go.
x

 

[judgejohndeed]

thank you for this! The nurse didn’t explain it to my. My second one was clear so my body must have cleared the virus! I was so confused but I was too worried to call and ask I just wanted to believe the clear result

Ah this gives me hope! I'm debating putting it off a few months to give my body longer to clear it. It doesn't really make sense. If I got HPV the month before my smear last year, then it hasn't been two years so I probably still have it. And I'd have to go through a colposcopy to potentially just be told there's nothing wrong. I'm so glad to hear someone has had it come back clear quickly though. Will have to think about it.

 

[Amyx1518]

I had a kind of opposite experience. The radiographer asked me, mid exam, if I could "hold onto this for a second" as he needed to reach for something else

that’s hilarious!!

 

[unidentified]

Thank you I had a debrief from my first labour (where the trauma stemmed from) and while it confirmed what I thought and I got an apology, the damage was done lol.

I’m very sorry to hear Birth trauma needs to be taken more seriously

 

[Jmx]

I hate smear tests, I know I shouldn't say it, but I find them intolerable and I think there should be more help for women like me who really cannot cope with them. For those of you who say 'it's only a couple of minutes embarrassment/discomfort, you're very lucky. To me, it's torturous, truly unbearable and I have made the decision to opt-out. I also don't agree that the age should be lowered, results can vary wildly in the young and women have to undergo unnecessary treatment.

You’ve opted out from smear testing? If you don’t mind, do you find them physically intolerable or is it mentally?

 

[Amyx1518]

Did you get seen? I was really lucky, I rang for an app on Friday and was seen today!!

Glad it’s all done, just waiting on results now. She said there’s a delay and results are taking 6-8 weeks now, not sure if that’s everywhere though!

It is where I am, south west England. Try not to worry, worrying won’t change the outcome either way

 

[Base2019]

@Pixipoppy @Gembo thank you both I find the information they give you really lacking. I’m not even actually worried about having cancer at this point, just the procedure itself and the aftermath (smears give me nightmares for weeks )

I’m really sorry that happened to you. I just wanted to say definitely give your GP a ring and they will give you diazepam for sure. Also, the nurses are lovely and will definitely be a great support to you if you do have to have the lletz procedure you can request that you get it done under GA if that would be more comfortable for you. I hope it goes well

 

[Souffle]

Hi all. I’m glad I’ve found this thread. In November 2020 I had a smear which showed I had the HPV virus and was told to go back a year later. I was a bit late and went in April this year instead. I’ve had the results back and the HPV hasn’t cleared so I have to go back again next April.

Has anyone else been through this? I’m dreading yearly smears (if it comes to that) and worried about cancer.

I don’t know if this is related or not but I go through phases where I have no periods for 2 years and then it comes back as normal. This has happened 3x in my life. They’re always really heavy (to the point where I’ve called 999) and quite painful for the first couple of days. I realise the two things probably aren’t linked.

 

[blackmasque]

I just had an appointment last week with a gynecologist for an ovarian cyst that showed up on a hip MRI ordered from my rheumatologist. (It's been hurting for months now, but the mri was to check for arthritis issues). I haven't had pelvic exams/pap smears in over 9 years due to PTSD from sexual assault. I messaged the gyn beforehand asking about sedation, like a Valium. The office said to speak with the doctor when I come in so I did. She was so dismissive of every thing I had to say and treated me like I was just a drug seeker. She refused meds so I refused any exams. It took a lot for me to even be able to show up to seek help and being treated like that just felt like a "fuck you just get over it" especially from a female dr too. I won't go back to her office and unless my pain gets worse to the point I can't handle it, I don't think I'll be going back to any gynecologist.

 

[judgejohndeed]

I had a HPV positive (no abnormal cells) result this time and I've been so panicked about it I'm going to try the shiitake mushroom extract as, well it can't hurt, and I'm worried my immune system is focused on covid and not the HPV so I wanna give it a booster! Cancer is my biggest fear as it took my Mum (not a related cancer though and a non genetic form of BC). I know so many people who've had HPV+ but it just looks bloody terrifying on paper. I've never missed a ST either and barely ever have sex with anyone so in like

If there's no abnormal cells atm try not to worry, I've read that most people get HPV at some point and its quite rare that it actually does anything. I know it's easier said than done though, I'm still taking the mushroom and I hope it works because I'm absolutely sick of all these tests!