Smear question - anyone help any nurses possibly.....

[sahara]

I had my smear test 3 weeks ago a year early as I want to try for another baby soon, which would mean I go overdue if I didn't have it. Having health anxieties I felt that wasn't good and my Dr agreed.

I made an appt to see the nurse to get it done and this is where my worries begin.

1st she told me off for coming early and basically implied I was wrong to do so despite my Dr saying it was fine.

She commented on my notes that the Dr had noted I was anxious about it - and that she doens't even know whether the hospital will check it because I have come to early - ie before my 3 years!!!

So now I have had a smear test that I don't even know whether I will get the result for. Its bad enough that I worry for the weeks when I have had it done, but not knowing whether I will get anything back is torture.

She got me so flustered I also got the dates of my last period wrong. I said it was 5 days later than it was, so I am now worried they might not read it right and I get they miss something bad.

I feel totally gutted because I felt I was doing the right thing and have been made to feel a complete idiot for it.

Many thanks
Sarah

[belle]

If you've had a smear, you will get the results, they can't not send it off, they HAVE to.

There is a window i know of when its best to have a smear done, if its slightly out of these dates, i'm sure it won't make any different...especially not between normal and an abnormal result.

x

[sahara]

Thanks Belle, the Nurse said she was going to send it off, but said she didn't know whether the hospital would read it when they got it.

I don't know why she said that.

[Rhian_78]

hi, i am a nurse and 5 days won't make a difference

she had no right at all to comment on you being anxious earlier, specifically when she had read the notes and knew you were anxious about it, for goodness sake, she should have put you at ease not made you feel worse

the hospital will test it, but they will also comment on the fact you had it done only two years ago. try not to worry honey xxx

[sahara]

Thanks Annie,

I really appreciate that you have really helped me :hugs:

I was just so worried that they would read it and then muddling up my period dates made me even more worried.

to top it all off my period came early that month so goodness only knows where I was in my cycle!!! I forgot to mention that will that make a difference?

This smear test has caused me nothing but worry when it was supposed to reassure me.

Thanks again
Sarah

[Rhian_78]

sometimes the only difference it can make as regards the time of your cycle is that the test might come back:

too many cells/not enough cells/unreadable

THIS DOES NOT IN ANY WAY MEAN ANYTHING BAD

it simply means that the cervix is lined with cells that would nortmally prepare your body for pregnancy, so it is thicker and the cells they view to check for cancerous changes, are not viewable as they are obscured by the other cells, if you get that?

so don't be surprised if that is the result, it truly is nothing to worry about. also, if there was anything wrong, you would have heard by now sweetie, you would also have heard if they had decided not to test it just as quickly.

onn my last smear i felt the same, as previously i had two tests were the cells were insufficient, and it scared the hell outta me, but please don't worry if it does, it simply means another re-test

you'll be fine chicken xxxxxx

[sahara]

Thank you - I understand. Thank you for the explanation. Its good to know how it works and thanks for taking the time to explain it to me xxx

It was frustrating because I never had my 1st smear until I was 28 (I am now 31) due to my health anxieties and to build up your confidence and have done is a big thing, so when you go and have your second and that happens it doesn't help much!!!

Its also good to know if there had been any problems I would have heard by now. My last smear test took 9 weeks to come back - all OK - I was dreading waiting that long again to be told they hadn't read it or there was something wrong!!!

I would have asked my Dr, but I do tend to plague him with questions and although he is the kindest most patient GP I know - I like to give a break sometimes. Bless him. I see him once a month as it is for my anti depressants and phone him at least once or twice a month with questions!!!

xxxx

[Rhian_78]

all hospitals are different, but the longer time elapses, the more reassurance you can get, i do believe now that the tests are quicker as a new, more efficient technique is being used, they use a brush as opposed to the lovely wooden stick!!

i am exactly the same, i've jsut been through three months of thinking i had a brain tumour, optical neuritis and MS, i cuurrently have none!! so i know where you arre coming from.

my counsellor said to me - take solalce that you have an awareness of things and that you are sensible enough to seek help if you think soemthing is wrong.

i really am trying to turn around my way of thinking, its not easy, but we can support each other and get there together

HUGS XXXXX

[sahara]

Yes I noticed the nurse swilling it around in a jar as opposed to putting it on a slide which is ehat I thought they did. and my Dr mentioned when had it 2 yrs ago they had changed the method and he said that is why it took so long as they had a backlog or something!!!

I am sorry to hear you suffer so badly too. Its such a crippling illness and I hate it. :hugs:

Amongst the cancer I worry about HIV and hepatitas C!!! These are the most common ones with me. But I have had MS before too.

I must be mad contemplating coming off my anti depressants to have another baby because I really struggled when carrying my daughter - but in the end she was soooooo worth it. She is my world and the best therapy ever when I am down or worried. She is 2 and 1/2 and has me laughing all the time :)

Its nice to find support amongst people who understand. Most of my friends think I am mad!!

HUGS to you xxxxx

[Rhian_78]

hey, we would get along so well!!

believe it or not, i had HIV for three years, until i was tested for it when i was pregnant, my beautiful baby jsut turned three this week and she is our world.

i really feel better talking to others about it, as until i found this site, i thought i was the ONLY person in the world who would feel like this. iikind of get annoyed by it too, as being a qualified nurse, i feel i shouldn't even feel like this, i forget at times i am human too

we'll be all ok

xxxxxx

stay in touch!!

[snowdrop]

awwww Sahara, this whole smear thing is so scary with the jade incident but please take reassurance especially from Annie (who sounds like a great nurse btw!) I am sure they will send it off hun, just sounds like you had a very uncaring nurse and if they can't read it I am sure they will tell you and you can have a repeat.

I think you have done the right thing getting it done early, I had mine about 2 weeks ago and told the wait is approx 5 weeks because they have had a 100% increase in women getting testing and the labs are swamped at the mo...I think its a great thing, who cares what that nurse thinks, you have to look after number 1 hun!

Let us know how you get on

x

[sahara]

Hey Anniew,

How wierd is that we do sound sooooo alike. Unfortunately my HIV worries have returned since my test when I was pregnant - but that story is for another day. Nevermind the Hep C one LOL. I gotta try and laugh!!! I try to keep it to one anxiety at a time if I can!!!

Its just so reassuring to find out that there are people like me, because even though my Dr has told me and previous counsellors you can't believe it until you find somebody like it. I really did think was insane for a while, but I have learnt to cope with it better. It has taken a bit of a set back as my Mum died of lung cancer just before Christmas, but I am coping and I think thats because of my daughter - she keeps me going!

I have also been battling OCD for the last 2 years - and I have started winning yay!! So I know I can crack this eventually!!

You shouldn't get annoyed with yourself being the way you are. As you say you are human too and being a nurse you deal with health issues all the time which for me would only feed my anxieties.

Congrats on your daughters third birthday they are amazing aren't they. I have just been toilet wrangling with mine!!! She keeps me focused and I really hope to give her a little brother or sister soon :)

Yes defo keep in touch - thanks again for all you help xxx


Thanks snowdrop. I know you are right. Its just so silly on the part of the Nurse to be like that and yet I have seen her before and she was fine. I guess we all have bad days, but even so....

She said 4-6 week wait, but I am reckoning and some due to the 'Jade Goody effect' She has done a good thing raising the profile.

You are right - look after No 1. Hope you get your results soon and everything is OK

xx

[Little Miss Anxious]

Hi

It really winds me up when I hear nurses make patients feel like this about issues that they are anxious about.

I have had a problem with a nurse in the past regarding smears. I am 35 & never dared have one due to anxiety about finding something bad out. A couple of years ago I had a run in with a nurse at my old pratice about it (I have since change doctors !) I went for something else & she just started talking at me about a smear, wouldnt listen when I tried to explain why i'd not had one, she just talked over me - she said I was behaving like a silly little girl !! It really upset me & I just ended up clamming up about the issue & burried my head even further in the sand, it made me scared to go to the doctors about anything else in case I got lectured again & made to feel stupid.

About 3 months ago the I couldn't get the fact i'd not had one out of my mind (mainly due to the meadia coverage on Jade) after several sleepless nights I rang my local family planning clinic in bits, I spoke to a nurse, blurted all my anxieties out, the fact I was scared to have one, the fact I felt bad for not having one etc & the nurse was a star, told me not to worry, to go in & ask for her personally so she could deal with me. After my bad experience at the surgery I was convinced I would get another rollocking.

When I went she was lovely, explained what would happen if it came back with a result which needed further attention. She told me not to beat myself up for leaving it sp long, all that mattered that I was doing it now. I cant tell you how much easier having someone understanding made the whole thing.

After all the palarva it was fine anyway so i had 10 years + of worrying about having one & avioding it all for nothing. i've learned my lesson now & will go when I'm called :roflmao:

At least its good to know there are lots of good nurses out there, its just unfortunate when we have a bad experiene.

Annie, one of my best mates suffers from H.A, she is a ward sister, she puts it down to having too much knowledge. Every small thing her or her family have she automatically thinks worse case scenario.

I never ring her for advice about symtoms - she'd scare me half to death, lol.

[bex1970]

If it makes you feel any better - I had some problems with a smear two years ago and had to have some surgery to deal with it (don't panic, not cancer, just abnormalities). Since then, I had to have smears every six months for a while. It's now gone back to being yearly - but I spoke to the nurse and told her that I couldnt' cope with yearly and she said I was well within my rights to have smears whenever I wanted.... (well, within reason!). So the nurse that dealt with you was obviously having a bad day and bullying a bit (and let's face it, nurses work incredibly hard and have a very tough job)... in the light of Jade Goody and everything else (and the nurse I spoke to is well aware of my anxiety and was incredibly kind and reassuring) - you do whatever you feel like - one month early is hardly a massive issue!
Also, if it helps - I had one a week ago, they asked me when my period had been or when it was due - and I was out by 10 days!! Made no difference to my result, which, thankfully, was normal... I hate smear tests - and frankly, any nurse/doctor/clinician who has to deal with them.. should be more sympathetic but don't worry, she'll definitely send off your results.

[sahara]

Thanks ladies - I guess my biggest worry is that the lab won't read it. The nurse said that she would send it off, but as I was early they might not bother.

How unfair is that?

Its 4 weeks and I haven't heard anything yet, but hopefully it won't be long.

A friend of mine said she read in the papers that labs weren,'t reading smears if they were under 25 or early. Dunno what paper it was, but you know doesn't help to be told that *sigh*