It was a usual frosty Monday morning in Glasgow when I was power walking along to the doctors surgery, amongst the 9am rush hour of kids piling in the gates of the local primary school and shop keepers on the high street lifting the shutters and setting their stands out for the day ahead. I was a little apprehensive as I approached the doctors, then sat nervously in the waiting room tapping my toes and refreshing facebook obsessively while I waited for my name to be called. Sweaty hands, dry mouth, and butterflies in my stomach as the nurse greeted me warmly and invited me to have a seat on the bed before what normally feels like the longest 5 minutes of your life, a cervical screening test. I've not shared this story on here before, but as the 22nd-28th of January marks Cervical Cancer Prevention week, it feels right for me to have a sit down, cuppa, and a wee chat about something which could ultimately save your life (and did, in fact, save mine)
The NHS provide Cervical Screening (aka smear test) every 3 years for women from the age of 25. For someone who struggles to use tampons, and doesn't like any sort of invasive procedure in general, I have always found a smear test to be quite unpleasant but my mum has consistently drummed it into me how important it is, and how lucky we are to be provided with such a service in the UK. After a few minutes of slight discomfort it was all over and done with for another few years, what a relief! I awarded myself a badge of bravery in the form of a Vanilla Latte on the walk home, and literally forgot all about it until I got a phone call two days later. The test had flagged up cell abnormalities, and the doctor was requesting to get me booked in for a colposcopy the following week. Once the hospital appointment was booked, reality began to set in and I had a million and one questions and thoughts running riot through my head. We all know that googling anything medical can be the worst idea ever, however I stumbled across Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust (the only UK charity dedicated to women affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities) and read the whole damn website from start to finish. It was an invaluable source of information, and also reassurance while I was having a bit of a flap and didn't know what to expect from the colposcopy. Having a cervical abnormality does not mean that you have cancer. It means that you have changes in some of the cells in your cervix that, if not treated, might develop into cervical cancer in time.
Fast forward to the next week, my Mum and my Gran came up to the hospital with me. My mum came into the doctors room while my Gran sat in the waiting area. Just having them both there with me was really comforting and reassuring. I have major fear of the unknown, and if a loved one holding your hand (literally) at an appointment like this brings you comfort, then don't hesitate to ask for that support. The doctor and her nurse were both absolutely fantastic throughout the colposcopy (you can read what happens during one, here) and made me feel as comfortable as possible, as well as my Mum, who was fanning my face with one of those cardboard pottys because I'd gone a bit light headed haha. The ink they applied to my cervix highlighted the abnormal cells almost immediately, so I then received a local anesthetic and large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) - which is essentially a heated wire loop that is used to remove the abnormal cells. The advantage of this treatment is that the cells are removed rather than destroyed, so the tissue can be sent for further tests to confirm the extent of the cell changes and make sure the whole area of your cervix that contains the abnormal cells has been removed. My biopsy results were confirmed a few weeks later as CIN3, so I'm extremely grateful I was able to get them removed there and then.
As soon as we walked out into the hospital corridor I burst into tears. I was completely overwhelmed. No, I didn't have cancer but it was upsetting thinking what could have happened if I ignored my smear test appointment, or ignored the nurses call those few days later. Almost half a million young women aged 25-29 did not attend cervical screening last year, and Cervical Cancer Prevention Week aims to change this. Did you know...
- Every day in the UK 9 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer
- Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under 35 years
- 2 women lose their lives from the disease every day
- Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing, yet 1 in 4 women do not attend when invited (and this drops to 1 in 3 in women aged 25 to 29)
- Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under 35 years
- 2 women lose their lives from the disease every day
- Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing, yet 1 in 4 women do not attend when invited (and this drops to 1 in 3 in women aged 25 to 29)
The main reasons for women not attending their smear test are that they feel they're not important to them, they don't have time to attend a GP appointment, or that they feel embarrassed or scared about the procedure. I might have thought a few of the above points previously, but after my experience I can't stress how important it is to attend. My friend Jessica is an ambassador for Jo's Cervical Trust, and her blog posts about recovering from Cervical Cancer bring me to tears every time I read them. Amanda also recently wrote about her experience and why you need to go for your smear test. 6 months after my procedure, I went back for another cervical screening and was thankfully given the all clear! So now, my next smear test won't be for another 3 years, and it is definitely something that I won't take for granted or intend to miss.
I hope this week you will join me and thousands of other women in sharing your Smear For Smear selfie, to help raise awareness of the importance of smear tests in preventing cervical cancer♥ I truly hope that you attend your own smear test too - a few minutes of discomfort could end up saving your life.
