Colposcopy? Anyone had one?

shelly

I had a colposcopy done a couple of months ago now. I rang them up to make sure they had the right person when I received the letter as I hadn't had a smear for 3 years so wondered where they got the info from that I had abnormal cells Mine was quite painful. The local anaesthetic injection wasn't too bad but when she used the hot wire loop thingy she strayed to a bit of cervix that hadn't been numbed and once she started she couldn't stop :eek: Had bleeding and cramps for a couple of days and wasn't allowed sex for 6 weeks. Apparently they were alerted to my abnormal cells as I'd had a miscarriage in April and when they done the D&C the cells were brought out with the remains of the pregnancy. The miscarriage was a blessing in disguise really as I was then diagnosed with cervical cancer on 25th May and had my cervix removed nearly 4 weeks ago. If I hadn't lost the baby we would have had to make the decision to terminate or carry on and risk my life. Hopefully the cancer hasn't spread to the remaining part of cervix or my womb because then I'll have to go back for a full hysterectomy.


Not all experiences end like mine though so don't worry too much

skystar

I have had a colposcopy 2 or 3 times.

It all started 4 years ago with a routine smear at the docs that was referred to the hospital for "further investigation". This resulted in the "abnormal cells" letter which worried the you know what out of me.

Since then I am on yearly smears as there are always "abnormal cells" which now seems to be quite normal for me.

Anyway I have a very low pain threshold (so low that massages hurt) and was absolutely fine. Nipped a bit and a bit of period like pain and some blood but seriously the procedure is nothing to worry about. Also the doctors and nurses always make you very relaxed and my nurse even let me hold her hand!!

across

this post is great as it shows you that lots of us have had them, dont worry as it's ok ive survived to tell the tale! had mine over ten years ago and luckily never had any abnormal cells since so it was well worth going they just lazered them away whilst nurse a held my hand she was lovely and then they told me to lie down on the ward for a while with a great bumper pad on like youve given birth!!!! the more annoying thing i thought was having to have yearly smears for the first five years after i hated that but i always remember that without them things could have been very different so we are very lucky and must always encourage everybody to go and have a smear, good luck i think having a filling at the dentist is worse i hate the numb feeling in my mouth so it cant be that bad!! take care! xxxx

whatamess_2

I had cin111 several years ago and had a colposcopy then, procedure wasnt as bad as I thought thankfully.

I did watch it on the screen!!!!! They sprayed the cervix with something that smelled like vinegar!!!! The abnormal areas turned white looked a bit gruesome but fascinating.

Messy

specialK

I have had one about every 6 months for the past 10 years.

It really is not as bad as it sounds, (maybe because I am a pro at this now!)

In December I was offered a procedure called Cold Coagulation, (this was actually hot discs placed on the cervix to burn bad cells). I went for my checkup six months later to have a smear test and a few weeks ago I got given the all clear! The hospital discharged me

I can't imagine going to my GP now after going to the hospital for all these years!

Even though it can be daunting, you want to think of it as a blessing. You will be getting expert care, and treatment if needs be. And prompt at that!Although it seems embarrassing, it's what they do all day long, You can never be too careful with these things. And like I say, it's not really that bad, it's over before it's begun.

But ((((hugs)))) to you, I can remember my initial letter and my first visit and fear is only natural.

You will be absolutely fine!!

Good luck.

arnie&caseysma!

I've had 2. One in May last year, and one May this year. Got another one coming up in November. I would describe it as a bit like a smear but with something that looks like a big cotton bud that they poke around a bit with. You can watch it all on the screen if you want and Doc will explain it all as he or she goes. If they decide to do another smear at the same time, or any other treatment (I didn't get any) then I would think it will hurt a bit (see other posts for more help). I did hurt a bit for a few hours afterwards but it was just due to the cotton bud..........the whole procedure is uncomfortable rather than painful.

Got my fingers crossed for you Lyns (and everyone else going through it), I can sympathise with what you are going through - at the end of the day, prevention is better than cure so please do not forget to attend your appointment. Good luck

arnie&caseysma!

Oh - and another thing - don't know if its just a local thing but I had to sit on the edge of a very strange shaped chair with my legs in stirrup type things! Not very flattering but heyho, I coped. On a positive note, if you have a mirena you will get to see that it's still there without having to go for the annual checkup for it.......

lynzpower

specialK wrote:

Even though it can be daunting, you want to think of it as a blessing. You will be getting expert care, and treatment if needs be. And prompt at that!Although it seems embarrassing, it's what they do all day long, You can never be too careful with these things. And like I say, it's not really that bad, it's over before it's begun.


You will be absolutely fine!!

Good luck.

If only this were true. Everytime Ive been in this hospital Ive had nothing but crap care. In fact I use the word "care" out of frustration of not knowing what else to call it. I was nil by mouth for a week, and told to change my own f-ing canuala. :mad: So there was me on the phone to my mate whos a nurse going "how do I do this" . On the plus side, I lost a stone in a week :rolleyes:

Having significant pelvic pain and recurrent PID, makes me crap it. ive been looking on the internet ( i know, bad idea) and it seems that cervical cancer can cause PID & the pain Ive been having, as they have (supposedly) checked everything else via laproscopy last year, trying to reassure myself, but with a bit of luck it will be a median ground of yes, this is the reason youve been unwell , but its early enough to salvage your fertility out of it, and we can cure you. I live in hope!

thanks to all well-wishers it really is appreciated

VickyM_2

Sorry you've had such a grim time in your local hospital - is there nowhere else you can go?

You may well find that the section where they do the colposcopy is completely different to the rest of the hospital in the way they treat you. Our local hospital has a pretty poor reputation so I was dreading mine, but the nurses and the doctor were such sweeties, who took such care and attention that it was a far nicer experience than I could have anticipated.

(Apart from looking at my cervix on a TV screen, whcih really I wouldn't recommend (haven't been able to fancy a doughnut since).)

snoopkat

Hi there,
I had one of these a few years ago and I'm not going to say it was fun, but i survived.
The only thing I would add to that is that if they do a "cone biopsy" it can potentially cause you some difficulties later if you have a baby as it can shorten your cervix. These are really rare though and now they do what I think is called a "stanp biopsy" which is where they kind of clip bits off.
I know this cos i'm pregnant and had to have all this checked out!

I have to admit to fainting when I had mine, but I did insist on watching the whole thing on the screen!

Good luck

Kathy