smear test

elsien

bluebeary wrote: »

back then it was an unpleasant and cold experience with a huge metal implement but definitely worth the two minutes of discomfort to prevent whatever may happen in the future

just back from the surgery and it was probably easier than having a blood sample taken and that's probably easier than brushing your teeth !

Still is a painful experience with a cold implement and most certainly not as easy as a blood sample.
My last one was a dreadful experience that I'm not planning to repeat any time soon. I'm aware that I may regret it if I become ill, but it is my choice, and my choice is currently not a chance. I may change my mind in the future, but in the meantime a long list of people telling me I'm being silly is not going to make the slightest bit of difference. I'll reconsider in my own time, not because people tell me I should.

Armchair23

I'm currently watching a friend die from cervical cancer.
She missed a smear thinking as she was post menopausal it wasn't so important to have the test any more.
She's had daily radiotherapy for three weeks, followed by chemotherapy and brachytherapy (radioactive implants). She will die from this it's just a question of when.
I wouldn't dream of telling her off for missing a smear test, it was her choice.

theoretica

As with most tests it is a personal balance between a tiny chance of a great good - the chance that you would have died of cancer and now won't - against a much higher chance of various smaller ills - including being very worried, and further tests and treatments of things which wouldn't have turned into health-threatening cancer. It certainly used to be the case that some biopsies of the cervix (as a further investigation when a smear test showed something) presented a risk of premature birth in later pregnancies. The numbers I can find quickly give about 600 women with something other than a straight negative test for one life saved.

It is certainly a personal choice but I do feel both sides of the question deserve to be presented.

Armchair23

You make some very good points theortica, informed choice is what we hope should be the norm for all of us.

If we remove the statistical possibility of miscarriage from the post menopausal it may make it more acceptable and reasonable in that cohort.

And worrying is not confined to those who have had a test.

So lets hope women are well informed in the future and make the choices they feel right for them and their families.

Mrs_Ryan

It is possible to be removed from the list yes but it's extremely difficult to do. I had a radical hysterectomy for cancer of the womb in 2012 for which I am followed up by the oncology team.
I no longer have a cervix and I kept getting reminder letters next time i was due. I kept asking them to please remove my name from the list but they never did (despite no longer having a womb or a cervix) in the end my GP wrote a letter pointing this out and I finally got a letter to say my name had been removed from the list so yes it's theoretically possible but practically impossible!

theoretica

My GP told me it is so hard to be removed because of a woman who asked to be removed from the list and when later diagnosed with cancer tried to sue the NHS for not having invited her to screening. They need it in writing on their form to cover their backs.

POPPYOSCAR

I really like it that the NHS are proactive in offering tests.


We were about to go into Homebase on Friday and were asked in the carpark if we would like a free NHS healthcheck in their mobile unit.


It only took about 15 minutes and we found it very useful and informative.

donnac2558

Okay, I am a weird shape internally long thin with a very sharp turn to the left. My cervix likes to play pee a boo during smear tests which makes them uncomfortable. Last one she had to try three different ducks as I call them( hey they do look like duck bills:rotfl:), it was not a happy experience. But I get called again I just go(I was told to ask for the nurse who was a midwife as she is better at doing smears, next time). No woman should feel so embarrassed she is willing to die.:o

Horseygirl123

theoretica wrote: »

My GP told me it is so hard to be removed because of a woman who asked to be removed from the list and when later diagnosed with cancer tried to sue the NHS for not having invited her to screening. They need it in writing on their form to cover their backs.

I've not had a smear test for 25 years. I used to get the odd reminder but not had a letter for 5/6 years. Ive certainly never signed anything.

I had a letter re mammogram test and phoned to say I wouldn't be attending. They asked if I wanted any further reminders and I said not so presumably I'm off that list too.

System

heartbreak_star wrote: »

I suspect those who don't have a smear test would still expect treatment if they got cervical cancer though?

HBS x

Thankfully the NHS provides treatment without judging who is morally deserving of it.

People who smoke can still expect treatment for emphysema and lung cancer. People who overeat can still expect to be treated for type II diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other illnesses caused or aggravated by carrying excess body weight. People who cross the road while texting and end up under a lorry can expect to be able to access medical help.


Alhough the risk of cervical cancer is considerably lessened by a reliable smear test, it is important to remember that no screening test is 100% reliable, and there are always pros and cons to screening. And if (as has been implied above) some women are failing to attend other medical appointments for fear of being arm-twisted to have a smear test, there is a danger they may end up dying quite unnecessarily of something else!