Since I entered the era of smear tests in my gynae health journey I've sailed through all of the tests I attended. I went every three years and though not my favourite activity I know how important cervical smear tests are to catch sight of any cell changes that could develop over time into cancer.
Spring 2019 I popped along for my routine smear, I'm quite tall and have a tilted cervix so it always takes a little bit longer to get the necessary swabs. This time I found it really uncomfortable which I put down to me not relaxing and thought no more of it.
Six weeks later a letter dropped on my doormat. The smear results. This time there was no sailing just pure horror when I read the letter and saw ABNORMAL and TREATMENT REQUIRED.
The lab had detected the HPV virus which can be the cause of cell changes. My cell changes were labelled as CIN2 which meant I needed a colposcopy procedure to examine my cervix and remove said CIN2.
CIN2 means that two thirds of the thickness of the surface layer is affected and have a higher risk of developing into cervical cancer. Shit got real I needed this colposcopy.
After a cry, frantic googling and more crying I came across Jos Trust a fantastic charity that provided all the answers to the questions I had and then some. I read some stories of other women who had been through similar situations and realised I was not alone in this.
A few weeks later I attended my appointment for my colposcopy. I won't lie I was terrified but my consultant was lovely and reassuring and it helped to have the sweetest nurse to hold my hand and chat nonsense with. My legs were so shaky before the procedure I really had to zone out a bit and take some deep breaths. To be honest the whole procedure wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. After a look at my cervix some liquid was dabbed onto the cervix and a light shone onto it this showed where the cell changes were. My consultant then asked if I gave consent to remove the cells using a procedure called LLETZ when the cells are removed using a thin wire loop that is heated with an electrical current. I was given a local anaesthetic which was the most ouchy part but a few deep breaths and some shit shit shits were uttered and I didn't feel a thing after that. He then took a biopsy, the whole procedure took about 20 minutes. It helped that both the consultant and nurse talked me through it and there was even a screen if I wanted to see my cervix in all its smoking glory, for myself. I passed on that offer.
When it was over I had some tea and biscuits and took some time to rest as my blood pressure was a bit low. I bled a little after and had some period type cramps but that all subsided.
Then the waiting part began. The cells had been removed but I had to wait to hear what or if the biopsy showed. I continued to read information on Jo's Trust website and social media. It's astonishing how many women do not attend their smear tests. I had been for my routine smears since my early twenties and had no symptoms when suddenly out of the blue I had an abnormal results.
My results came back and there was nothing abnormal detected. What a relief that was! It was recommended I have a further smear in 12 months to see how the land lay.
Fast forward to March 2020 and I booked my follow up smear test. Two weeks later the results arrived and it was groundhog day. The HPV was still present and I had CIN2 again. I booked my colposcopy and went through the same procedure as I had the year before. I felt so much stronger about my situation this time round, I had knowledge and experience and yes I did feel worried I wasn't as anxious as I had been the first time round. A biopsy was taken again and thankfully nothing further of any concern was found. My next smear is due in March this year.
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