68 days ago I sat in a doctors office and was told there was a problem.
How could that be? It was 2 weeks before my 30th birthday, surely it can’t be that bad??!
2 days later I was seeing a specialist who was pushing me for a radical hysterectomy and sending me to counselling sessions in preparation for this. A stuff up in the cone biopsy procedure meant they couldn’t give me a definite answer.
15 days ago I got a second opinion from a private specialist. He also told me surgery was the most likely option, and all points indicated I had cancer.
After the longest 15 day wait of my entire life, I have been given the fantastic news today that this has been caught in time and I don’t have cancer. My specialist was extremely happy to be proven wrong in this instance, and although I still require surgery, it’s minimal.
Before this I had been having smears annually. Due to family history and previous irregular results. My last normal result was 12 months ago. How do I go from normal to the distinct possibility of cancer within 12 months? The gynaecologist thinks the previous smear may have been incorrectly processed, or not swabbed correctly, which is terrifying.
I cannot stress to every woman I know enough to have regular Pap smears. It is 15 minutes of discomfort for the sake of your health, children, and all your loved ones.
To all the men, I plead with you, please ask your wives, mums and sisters and girlfriends if they are up to date.
It is truly not something that can be missed!