Today I had my colposcopy appointment at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, following my smear a couple of weeks ago. Here is how it went…
When I arrived I was informed they were 1 hour behind schedule, however the staff were very good at keeping everyone updated with this and were very apologetic throughout the wait.
When I went into the examination room, there were two female nurses and one male doctor. They talked me through the procedure step by step and tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances.
Upon initial examination, the doctor informed me that he would like to take a couple of biopsies to send to their pathology lab in order to rule out abnormal cells, he did this first and then told me that he would then perform my smear test as the nurse who I seen a couple of weeks ago was unable to take the swabs due to the cervix looking abnormal.
Overall the procedure did not take very long.
However, it was not a pleasant experience and was rather uncomfortable.
I know a lot of people who have put off going for smear tests due to fear of if being painful. I would not say that the level of pain/discomfort was severe, however it was not comfortable. I would highly encourage each of you to book in for your smear test if you are due one, or see your GP if you have any concerns around your health in that respect. As the fear is definitely outweighed by the benefits of these procedures!
After the doctor had taken the biopsies and conducted the smear test, he then put a medical paste inside in order to stop any bleeding and advised that I wear a pad for my journey home; which they provided for me.
They then provided me with a couple of letters; one stating the procedure that I had had today and one explaining the possible treatments that I may need going forward (depending on the outcome of the biopsy).
They also tried to put my mind at ease by explaining that the biopsy would likely show one of the following things (neither of which are cancer)
– No abnormalities
– Grade 1 changes to the cervical cells (no need for treatment unless they do not change back in the space of 24 months)
– Grade 2 changes to the cervical cells (treatment would be given to return the cells to normal)
-Grade 3 changed to the cervical cells (treatment would be given to return the cells to normal)
In very rare cases would a biopsy show abnormal cells that have already developed into cancer.
I won’t know the results for up to 6 weeks and treatments for various other symptoms are yet to be discussed; but I am just glad that things are finally moving in the right direction.
In the meantime, I am slowly getting back and the gym in the hope to boost my mental health and start to feel happier with myself! Small steps are still steps!
