Pap test/Cervical smear question

[Seshat]

Valium can help relax muscles as well as calm nervousness.

Your description of the exact problems does sound like it's a pelvic floor muscle issue - popping it out like that is what happens when you tense the PF muscles. And the hips lifting like that is the result of excessive tension (due to pain/fear reaction) in the corset muscles.

THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT. It's instinct. You went into adrenalin reaction, fight/flight/flee mode. In fact, it's to your credit that you neither punched the nurse nor fled the room. You CONTROLLED your instinctive reactions, quite well.


Now I'm even more certain that in the long term, the exercises I described will help. I will suggest that you see a gyn or a gyn nurse or a gyn physiotherapist if you can, because IANAD. I'm just a well-informed layperson.

You may well have 'something wrong' anatomically or physiologically that makes you spasm like that when your cervix is touched. If you spasm when your cervix is hurt - well, that's normal.

When I had my IUD inserted, they had to push a sound through the channel in the cervix that babies go through - only, of course, mine was closed. (Not being in labour does that. :P ) There was the gyn doing the insertion, and a nurse being 'witness' who encouraged me to hold her hand. Even with a valium in me, me meditating and consciously relaxing, I ended up gripping that poor nurses' hand like WOAH, and I'm sure my PF muscles spasmed a few times.
Trying to protect the cervix is normal behaviour for the PF muscles.

I don't know how they do pap smears elsewhere, but here they just use a kind of very long cotton bud - rub that against the cervix to get loose cells. I can definitely feel them doing it, but it's not any more painful than rubbing a cotton bud against any other sensitive body part. And they only get blood on the smear if it's done when you're too close to your period.

Finding a polyp, however - yeah, that could be a signal of something wrong in there, or it could be a random uniqueness about you. (We all have random uniquenesses - freckles, moles in odd places, whatever. I have a deformity in the skull behind my left eyebrow. Totally benign, but it's a random uniqueness.)

The sharp sensation - and the cause of the blood - may have been her removing the polyp to send it to pathology and make sure it was benign. And coming back may be to have another look at where it was, and ensure it's healed and not regrowing or anything stupid like that.
Or it might not - I wasn't there, I don't KNOW. If I were you, I'd ask. And if that was what happened, at least you know a normal pap smear won't have that sharpness. And you can ask that if they're going to do anything like that, they warn you and give you the chance to take a valium and some paracetemol beforehand!

Anyway... I completely understand your reluctance. If it was anything like the experience of getting my IUD, going in unwarned would have been a shock and a horrible experience. I, at least, knew to expect that the insertion would be painful.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

Seshat, funny you mention NOT punching the nurse...XD

This is going to sound funny, but hear me out. About a month ago, I decided I was going to book the appointment and get it over with. While looking up on the NHS website about it, I saw in the comments section a girl of about my age had said she went in for her first smear and was left pretty much traumatised. The nurse was mean, rude, cold, careless, and actually inflicted a minor injury on the girl, resulting in a significant amount of blood.

I was starting to feel put off, when I thought:

"Hang on a second. Why the fuck didn't she kick up a fuss?"

So I promised myself that if I had the nasty rude nurse who was hurting me, I would just punch her teeth out.

And I only told myself that because I honestly didn't believe it was going to hurt, that under "normal" circumstances it would be fine, and the promise was just for my own wellbeing if I was unfortunate enough to get Bitchy Nurse. Does that make sense? ^^;;

(I'm lucky I didn't get Bitchy Nurse, she's really rude, she's the one who called me fat for being 144 lbs about 6 years ago- and she's way bigger than me).

Probably sounds really stupid, but at the time, telling myself that actually made me feel loads better about it. I can remember that yesterday morning, I didn't feel apprehensive, just...grim...and annoyed...^^;;

I'm not sure this "promise" will work next time. But if I do get the bitch, I may just punch her for my own self-satisfaction. Regardless, if I have a heartless bastard inflicting pain on me, I'm not going to sit there and be passive about it. I would fucking cop, and I think knowing that makes me feel just a teeny bit better. I guess because I'd rather be angry than upset

Getting another appointment is going to be fucking murder though >.<. If the blood was just because my period was too close by (I had been cleaning, and bathing and checking <.< the blood I had yesterday was properly red though, and very fresh, not smelly, so I assumed it was from an abrasion of some sort)...well...I was still stuck. I set the appointment 2 weeks ago for yesterday because I knew I was on holiday this week (this has been one crappy holiday...love my tattoo though). I only got my rota for monday onwards this evening. My job are so damn unorganised right now, I literally get my rota for the following week 3 days in advance, nothing more. And when you couple these difficulties with how shitty the receptionists are and how difficult it is to get an appointment, you can see how I was really stuck. It seemed perfect for me at the time, just do it while on holiday! Don't have to lose money by taking time off for doctor's appointments etc (I definitely know now that I can't do this BEFORE work...I'd be in a state the rest of the day)

Good to know that my reaction wasn't...unreasonable. As for the "cotton bud"...its a plastic brush thing, only turns out it looks a lot stiffer and harder than I was lead to think, they aren't proper bristles. Maybe the pain was actually the brush? I'm not sure. What was actually popped out, the speculum? (Felt small and round, but of course, I couldn't see...).

...If I had nice nurse and Dr M I would...consider retrying. But I think some sort of...supplement maybe required. And a smaller speculum. So many people have suggested it was too big so that has to be considered. Surely, you'd think they'd automatically use a small one for a first-timer?

However, Dr M's admission to me is making me think this is something of a farce. She actually admitted to me (and then also admitted she probably shouldn't have said it) that she no longer has ANY smear tests done on herself anymore, because she doesn't like them On one hand, I think this may mean I will get sympathy from her, but on the other...

[Seshat]

That 'plastic brush thing' is very different from what our lot use.

And yes, it would have been the speculum that popped out. The brush-thing would have been put in through the hole in the speculum, so you couldn't feel it while it was in that hole, or in the internal void - only when it touched surfaces.

The top of the speculum is round, that's probably what you felt.


Here - read up about a cervical cancer vaccine. Use that as an initial resource, and study the vaccine and pap smears. Once you feel informed, make an appt with Dr M. and discuss your choice.
Obviously, the 'suspenders and a belt' approach would be the vaccine & pap smears. But you might be more comfortable choosing JUST the vaccine.
It's not a viable choice for me - I'm too old and have been active too long - but it might be for you.

The down-sides are: 1. It's new, and thus long-term studies aren't available. 2. You'll probably have to pay for the vaccine yourself.
In Aussieland, the govt chose to pay for it for all women under .. some age, I forget what .. as long as they started the routine by a given date. And now it's part of the standard vaccination set for girls, given a bit before puberty (same as the rubella vaccine). It's available to women who don't qualify under those stats, but they pay for the vaccine.

Anyway.... check, check, research and check, and then discuss with Dr M.

And for the sake of your pelvic health and .. having more fun with your love (wink) .. do consider doing the pelvic floor exercises.
(Strong, consciously controlled PF muscles will hold your abdominal organs in place better than weaker ones, ergo the 'health' part. Also, using the loo is easier when you have them under conscious control.)

[KatherineB]

The down-sides are: 1. It's new, and thus long-term studies aren't available. 2. You'll probably have to pay for the vaccine yourself.
In Aussieland, the govt chose to pay for it for all women under .. some age, I forget what .. as long as they started the routine by a given date. And now it's part of the standard vaccination set for girls, given a bit before puberty (same as the rubella vaccine). It's available to women who don't qualify under those stats, but they pay for the vaccine.

Re 2, when I last looked into this, the three shots that the vaccine needs cost approx AU$500. I see from that website that it's now $460 if you are over 26 years old. It is also NOT a guarantee of protecting you from cervical cancer, and it is recommended that all women who have the vaccine ALSO have their regular pap smears, so it won't mean that the OP is safe from that anyway.

The vaccine is good, but only under very specific circumstances...

[kpzra]

I've always had the brush thing to collect the sample during my paps (looks like a little mascara brush). I have some spotting and minor cramping, but nothing too bad. I used to tense up but after having a baby, I don't care anymore. So many people saw everything during labor, but they were professionals. Talk to your doctor, they many be able to give you something to relax. I know it's scary, I had to have several in a row when they came back abnormal but it's better to get it over with than have something seriously wrong. I'd also ask if she did remove the polyp while she was in there.

[Andara Bledin]

My first test was done by my fiance's mother. Talk about embarrassment factor.

Fortunately for me, my body is pretty chill about everything, so other than the usual rise in blood pressure from being near medical professionals (thankfully only a mild phobia), it's a fairly simple procedure.

^-.-^

[AmbrosiaWriter]

My first test was done by my fiance's mother. Talk about embarrassment factor.

Oh man... if that was my son I would not be able to resist commenting about having tickets to his playland, oh my god I'm going to be a horrible mother

[Moirae]

It always feels like a pinch to me but its over after a second. You do bleed a bit for a while though. Six hours may be a little long so I'm wondering if the nurse pressed a little hard.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

Mum apologised to me on Saturday night. She said she was in pain on Thursday, had been snapping at people all day (she spent much of Saturday at work apologising to colleagues apparently) and hadn't realised just how painful it had been. She also didn't realise I was worried. I think dad talked to her. She did still think I was tense, and I explained to her just how relaxed I had been, and I described the pain to her (seriously, I expected it to feel like being cranked open, but it felt like a fist trying to push through a dead end). I think she still thinks that somehow I was too tense to start with (I really wasn't, as I've said a hundred times).

She suggested I phone the doctors in about 10 days...I can't remember every thing she suggested, but she'll probably remind me, and then said she'll come with me, and we'll see Dr M together. She also feels Dr M is ideal, as Dr M has the bedside manner as well as being a competent doctor. She thinks also that Dr M will be sympathetic.

It means a lot that she apologised, but she might regret coming with me when it happens again and I grab her hand and squeeze ^^;; Last time, I remember my hand flying around trying to find something to grab onto.

(In me, this is a sign of real pain. My dentist, for instance, knows I make a lot of squinnying noises when I'm nervous, and he knows to ignore it. If my hand so much as flutters for a second (even if I return it to its position a second later) he knows I was hurting. My hand automatically wants to grab something like a metal bar and just squeeze, its involuntary).

I've seen 2 friends recently who gave me very varied experiences. One told me she found the smear very painful also, and then was extremely unfortunate to have to go and have a colposcopy (not something I could be sober for, if I'm honest. I'd be drinking neat vodka I think). The anaesthetic didn't work so she felt everything.

Then I bumped into another friend, she said she'd heard I had been depressed and asked what was up, so I told her (although I feel a lot better now). She started to say "Its not so bad, isn't it?" and then I said "Hell no, I found it really painful!" She was surprised, and suggested maybe I was too tense...I told her otherwise and said I've been told the speculum was probably too big. Now, of everyone I knew, I really thought she'd have a get-over-it-attitude, being as there's a history of cervical cancer in her family, and her friend died of cervical cancer at 24 (before the age screening typically begins in the UK), but even though her experience differed, she didn't belittle me, and did have a positive attitude about it, she did say "Well, you've done it now, and its for your own good in the long run, so it is good that you did it."

Mum was saying after 2 pregnancies (one labour of which was forcep delivery) and years of regular sex (thanks mum), she doesn't find it painful at all, but pointed out that I only have sex once a year and haven't ever been pregnant (and as a tokophobic, hopefully never will be ). Makes sense, I guess. If I get the wrong angle on a tampon sometimes even THAT fucking hurts

[Andara Bledin]

If I get the wrong angle on a tampon sometimes even THAT fucking hurts

This happens to me, too. I suspect it happens to most women, regardless of how their gyno tests work out for them.

For the record, I have a really easy time of it, myself. I got lucky in that regard. I just fear that down the line they're going to find the sort of thing my aunt had. It wasn't bad, but did require surgery and weighed over 5 lbs.

^-.-^

[fireheart]

If I get the wrong angle on a tampon sometimes even THAT fucking hurts

Same here. I only use tampons when I'm teaching swimming lessons. I always get paranoid thinking that they're falling out

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, it doesn't feel good. It does hurt a little, but it shouldn't hurt like you describe.

You need to communicate the pain and your fears to you doctor. They should be able to offer you some pain meds beforehand.

[Seshat]

For me, the wrong angle on a tampon (or a toy) only hurts if I persist - I have a discomfort zone that gives me time to stop and reposition the tampon.

It's sounding more and more to me like what I initially thought: a combination of pelvic floor muscles that aren't used to being held open, and a doctor who didn't allow for that.

Though I still can't account for the actual swab being painful, except for the 'your medicos use a different tool from ours' hypothesis.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Folks, let's not take this thread down the Fratching road. We aren't talking about greencards, laws, immigration, or the like here. If you'd like to discuss all that, please start a thread at Fratching.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

[munchkinmama]

I have had some pain from the scrapy brush thing they used but the sharp pain and bleeding sound like when i had a cervical biopsy done. Hurt like crazy and bled. Pain may be from pevic floor muscling tensing up even though you were trying to relax (had that happen during sex).