Smear Panic one for the girls

[heath]

Hi can anyone help me. I am 28 and have not yet had a smear (please dont all email saying how bad it is this makes things ten times worse)

I have terrible health Anxiety and panic over every kind of test you can imagin and have done from being young dont know why. Can anybody let me know if they also have not had one?? I have booked myself in for next week to have one how I have done this I will never know for the past 2 weeks I have cried had many many attacks of panic and feel total dispair over the thought of having one. I feel like i am the only person like this and everybody else is normal but me. I find myself looking at people thinking there all ok and if I am honest I am even finding it difficult just posting this. this is a horrible horrible feling please help.:weep:

[mothermac]

Sorry to hear you are feeling very worried about this,I have had about 5 of these and they are not that bad at all.I hate having anything remotely done to my body and panic considerably when I go to the doctors.I get very high blood pressure sometimes and they think I have white coat syndrome cos as soon as I leave the surgery or hospital I feel ok,being pregnant 5 yrs ago eased it slightly as I was just glad to be with people who knew what they were doing which was comforting.
Taking the first step of booking one was the right thing to do and well done you for doing it.On the day ask the doctor or nurse if you could have a ipod on or personal steroe to blot out what is going on and it may get you through it.It doesn't take long and you will get peace of mind which is priceless believe me.
Don't beat yourself up either for not having one sooner lots of folk hate invasive tests and it is not stupid to feel frightened it is quite normal.
Post a message and tell us how you are when you have had it done,good luck.

[heath]

Thank you for your reply I still feel very scared just hate being like this I wish I could be normal

[marie1974]

hiya hun its common to feel like you do and i have had quite a few and i just want to say although its easier said then done, they do not hurt, its just the thought of wot they do. if u relax like they say its done so quick and takes a few seconds. its really ok i promise and a possible life saver. hugs xx

[yorkylover]

Hi Heath I understand exactly how you feel.Im 41 and still havent had one,although it wasnt my fault the last time I went and tried.

A few month's back I plucked up the courage to go,I was in a right state.The doctor managed to give me the examination,but it turned out my womb was tilted and she couldn't do the smear.It was not as bad as I thought,wasn't painful just a little achy as she was having difficulty.

Can I suggest you explain your worries before hand,and then they can book a longer appointment so they can take it as slow as you need.They are very understanding.:hugs:

[heath]

Once again thankyou for your reply I am not bothered about having it done it is the fact of what is is for that I am terrified of what with has been in the papers with jade goody I keep thinking or my god. My dad past away 6 years ago with it and I am terrified of it and I can not stress enough when I say terrified to the point I have called and spoke to a nurse who said i should wait a year and maybe then think about having one done because of my fear I know 100% that if i have this done I will have my attacks back straight wawy and its horrible even thinking of going back there.

[kellie]

I sypathise with you hun, i know how scary it can be to have tests done for ... IT... i have health anx and IT is my biggest fear.
But the chances of you having IT is very very slim at the age of 28
The fact that your dad died from IT is fueling your anx and making your mind do over time.
I know jane goody has got it but that is not very often for a person that young to get it
You will feel better once the results come back and they say everything is fine.

try to relax about this im sure everything will be ok

take care

[EmmaJane]

Hi Heath,

I know how you are feeling. If I have to have a test of any kind done, I'm convinced it will be a negative outcome. Our fears and worries are usually a lot worse, than the reality of things.

A smear test, is more of preventative screening than anything else. I used to put mine off until I sat and spoke to my nurse.

She said that if it detects abnormal cells, that does not mean you have cancer. It means they can keep an eye on you and help prevent it. Also an abnormal result, could be as simple as an infection or even could correct itself.

There has been a lot in papers/news etc about wrong results etc in the past, but lets face the news wouldn't be news to the media unless it was negative. Very rare do they hype up anything positive!!

I am due another smear in February and if I said to you I wasn't worried, I would be lying. Although, I am alot more relaxed now with it than I used to be. Knowing that an abnormal result doesn't mean a definate cancer has helped me. Hope this helps you a bit.

Take care

Emma

[nomorepanic]

Heath

Wouldn't you want to know though?

Ignorance is NOT bliss where cancer is concerned.

You must get this done and find out or you will worry forever not knowing.

Good luck

[eljay]

I agree with Nicola it is best to know, not going will only make you think that you have it anyway but going you will know you havent. The results can take 6 weeks but I tend to relax after 2, bad news always travels faster than good. Please go it will be one less thing to worry about it x x :hugs:

[PaulaRubyLove]

I'm 21 and I haven't had one. My Doctor said I don't need to until I'm sexually active... But I was gonna have one anyway... I got halfway through, the Doctor was like "relax, you need to relax, you're too anxious and that's making it harder." I was like "Um, hello, you are a stranger and you are sticking a cold plastic thing in a very private area, how in the hell am I supposed to relax?" LOL. Anyway, then it was getting too uncomfortable so I was like "no, ok, STOP." So she stopped and we never finished.
Maybe do what I did and just tell the Doctor straight out that you're really scared, and that if you say stop at any point, she should just stop. I never thought I'd be able to get that far through it, but I did. Just try not to think about it before you go because that tends to get you more freaked out.

[Alabasterlyn]

As EmmaJane pointed out having a smear picks up any abnormal cells before they turn into anything sinister, so by having regular smears you are protecting your body.

I am now 53 and had my first smear when I was 23. I have now had at least 10 of them as I had a slight abnormality on one some years ago and had to have them down annually for 5yrs. If they were available every year I would have one done annually like they do in the USA as I think it's good to have them done regularly.

They can be slightly uncomfortable, but they are not painful and it makes me cross when people go on about how painful smears or mammograms are as it just puts people off going to have them done. Compared to going to the dentist I think these tests are a piece of cake to be honest :ohmy:

[Danuella]

I had my first smear test at 14 and regualry ever since,Just like Lyn says they are slightly uncomfertable (relaxing will help with that) and they arent painful.I can understand you being scared but the chances of you having C is slim,and it so much better to catch it early,i mean my mum had a lump in her breast the size of a pea,n she didnt wanna get it checked out cos she thought it was nothing,but we bullied her!! in to getting it checked and we are all sooo glad we did because it WAS c,but because it was caught early it could be treated.So if you do have c (which the chances are slim) then the way to look on it it that the earlier they catch it,the better for you.
I'v had a couple of frights with my smears coming back abnormal twice,luckily enough it was due to thrush.
SO take a deep breath and know what you are doing is for the best
Good luck
xx xx