Cervical smear test 'inadequate' - for the 2nd time

Pollycat

silvercar wrote: »

Non-virginal nuns do get it. If you have had anything "interesting" in your life in the last 20 years you should have the smear test.

Many years ago I worked as a statistician analysing results. Think logically, if it was as straight forward as saying anyone not sexually active since their last test was not at risk, then that is what the guidance would say. But that isn't at all true, so the guidance is that anyone who has been sexually active at any time should be tested regularly (in the appropriate age band).

Great advice. :T


Of course, it's entirely up to the individual whether they have smears or mammograms.
I was only considering my next move if this last one had come back 'inadequate' as it would have been my last one ever because of my age.
If I was in my 40s or 50s I think I'd have persevered, regardless of how painful.

Ms_Mop_123

Ladies....Ladies...Ladies....Do not ignore the letter telling you you need to have a smear.

My daughter aged 38 had her letter to make an appointment and because she lives such a busy life nearly didn't. Just started a new job, divorced with two teenage children etc etc.

She went, had results saying abnormal cells. We all expected just having laser treatment when she went to the hospital, but no, biopsy done. Nine days later she was given the terrible news it was cancer....all of us devastated. The following week she had mri and ct scan, then we had to wait for the results to see if had spread. From being told it was cancer to getting the results of the scans was two weeks. You can imagine it's been the most horrendous two weeks of my life. The fear, the what ifs?, the feeling of being empty inside and sheer helpless. My minds taken me too some not very good places.

She got the good news a few days ago that it's not spread and she's having a hysterectomy done in a few weeks, they'll check to make sure they've got it all, but the outcome looks very good. Right, she's got cancer but it could of been so much worse than it is. If she hadn't of gone for the smear we could of lost her. At the moment we're all very positive that once the ops done it will be gone.

I've found out that the hpv virus can be dormant in your body for years. So, even if you've had no sexual activity for several years you still need to have them done. I know it's not a pleasant thing to have done, but it could save your life, like it probably did for my daughter.

Pollycat

Glad the news for your daughter is postive, Ms Mop.

I've always had smear tests whenever they've called me.
I too had an 'abnormal cells' result many years ago which were dealt with by lasering/cauterising(?).

It was only that I was close to my 65th birthday (cut-off for testing) when they called me back in Nov 2017 and because 2 tests failed that I was considering what to do next if the 3rd test had failed too.

When Jade Goody got cervical cancer, it raised awareness of the advisability of having tests although I believe she did ignore a letter about abnormal cells at some point.

I think, sadly, that was a short-lived effect.

Latest statistics show attendance of cervical screening in England is the lowest for two decades, having fallen to 72 per cent.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/jade-goody-cervical-cancer-tests-14118808
January 2018

Carly
You're almost at the stage I was at when I started this thread.
I did say to the nurse "we're both going to have to make this work this time".
Hope your 3rd test goes OK.

Ms_Mop_123

Thank you Pollycat for your reply.

Jade Goody death kept going through my mind. I have phoned a cervical cancer support helpline and I was told that she ignored letters with appointments to go and have a colonoscopy twice, because she was either frightened or didn't understand what was what. When she started having symptoms she was misdiagnosed, apparently the doctor thought she was too young to have cervical cancer. (Can't understand that really if she had had a smear with abnormal cells found). Then when she was diagnosed it had already spread to her ovaries.

I really can't emphasise how important it is too have regular smears done. If it's caught early it can be sorted.