Well after all the drama last year (erosion, possible dysplasia, which turned out to be normal, and resolved itself), I got my just-in-case annual smear today.
And guess what!
The erosion is back again!
The nurse was lovely, and very gentle, but I was in quite a bit of pain.
Then I got dizzy and had to sit in the chairs for 5 minutes.
Then I went home (5 minutes from the clinic) and threw up.
I’m bleeding quite heavily, cramping a little, and still feel like crap.
I’ve taken some painkillers, drunk some warm milk and whisky to settle my stomach, and now I’m sitting here with the Dope rather than going to my lectures.
I know exactly what is going to happen. The smear will be normal, I’ll get called in for another pelvic exam, the erosion will have disappeared, and I’ll have to come back again for another smear, which will show an erosion…
Why is it so difficult to understand an organ which has been around for zillions of years? Why are those cervixes (cervices?) so darn tricky and difficult to interpret? I’m sorry Paps are apparently so painful for you; I’m sure the tension about the results doesn’t help. Would your gyno mind if you went in a bit tipsy or something? If the exams are so painful for you, maybe they can give you something beforehand to relax you rather than creating so much pain and anxiety and the need for painkillers afterward anyway?
Barring that, I recommend lots of chocolate and a warm, fuzzy cat. I’m sorry this sucks so badly for you.
Aw, irishgirl, I’m so sorry to hear that. Paps are never fun; I do hope it comes back ‘normal’.
Would it make you feel better to know that my recent mammogram & Pap came back ‘abnormal’? They have mashed my left boob seven ways from Sunday between icy cold plates, and I get to have an ultrasound this coming Friday of Leftie. Depending on the ultrasound results, I may get to have a Fine Needle Biopsy (yes, M’am, they’re mighty fine!)
And my doctor wants to do a colo-py thingie on my cervix, regarding the abnormal Pap. I should feel like the rare and prized subject of a bird-watching society, as the doctor and nurse will view my cervix through a high-tech pair of binoculars, with great magnification.
I plan on yelling “Yee Haw!” when I mount the stirrups.
I hope you feel better, and soon. You have my sympathy.
Colposcopy with a biopsy… fun stuff! “Let me peer at your cervix, swab it with vinegar, then snip bits of it off for posterity, so that it sloughs off dead stuff for 6 weeks!”
And cryosurgery. Even more fun! “Let me freeze your cervix so that it sloughs off dead stuff for 6 weeks and you feel like you’re peeing for a month!”
And LEEP. “Let me sedate you, then take an electric loop and zap your cervix to kill all the cells, so that again, it sloughs off dead stuff for a month.”
Oh I’ve had it all. And you know what? STILL abnormal. As long as we don’t go more towards precancerous, I’m done with the removing bits of my cervix.
Hugs for all you ladies with the girly troubles. That’s no damn fun at all.
Would be nice if modern science had a rudimentary understanding of our physiology, wouldn’t it? Or at least a diagnostic method that didn’t feel like internal fingernails-on-a-chalkboard (at best).
Hope all the ouchies and yuckies go away! Best wishes for those abnormals turning into normals.
Abnormal pap smear-check (about 4 or 5 different times, actually)
Colposcopy–check
LEEP procedure–check
Second LEEP procedure–check
Promise from my doctor to do a hysterectomy if I get one more abnormal–check
Rasa, you were sedated? My doc didn’t do that (either one, it was two different gynos). Of course, I have a high pain tolerance and am not particularly squeamish…I got to see my cervix during the colposcopy, then the, um, removed part that they took in the first LEEP for biopsy… That’s a body part that you don’t see very often–at least not your own!
irishgirl, I feel your pain. I’ve had a “punch” biopsy and cyrosurgery for an abnormal pap. All has been well since so I’ll send good wishes to you, too.
And now to sound like your mother…knock off the painkiller/whiskey combination, ok?
Thanks all.
I know it could be worse, but at the moment I’m all about the self-pity
Ladies with abnormal ANYTHING you have my sympathy, and good wishes.
I think I find it painful (apart from the whole eroded thing) because my uterus is retroverted, and my cervix is in a really odd place. They couldn’t find it at first last year!
That means she has to grab it with the speculum and pull it somewhere she can see it…not comfy!
I considered painkillers before I went, but the appointment was at 9 AM, and it seemed a bit like overkill. I’ll know for next time.
Oh dear, Rasa! Should I stock up on Depends then? Or stuff a pillow in my jeans (mimicking pregnancy) and exclaim “My water just broke!” when the dribbles occur? I’ve tried to keep a sense of humor about my health issues lately, but it’s hard.
I was just diagnosed with HepC three weeks ago, and then the abnormal mammo and Pap smear came along for the ride at the same time. My girlie parts (and liver) are ganging up on me, I swear!
irishgirl, I’m sending you tons of cyber-sympathy for your troubles. I mean, WOW! They couldn’t find your cervix without fishing about with the speculum. Yeowch, that’s gotta hurt. You deserve your Whiskey and milk. Sip it in good health. I hope this post finds you feeling better and fully recovered.
