(TW SA) Well, I've just had a smear done under general anaesthetic

[thebartenderatethethief]

And I want to say to someone, somewhere how at the moment I am so grateful for the NHS and for how I was treated.

Not sure if anyone remembers my thread asking if anyone else has had to have this.

I've got severe vaginismus due to a traumatic sexual incident and was referred for a smear under G.A. I was very apprehensive as I've never had a G.A before hence asking about it on here. Plus in all honesty I am quite embarrassed to have to have this, and cost the NHS £ when I feel I should just be able to have it normally. But it had to be done.

And I was very nervous about the whole thing.

Honestly? It was amazing.

That may sound odd but it really was. Early morning appointment. Hospital/ward was quiet-lovely woman came over to measure me for stockings/gown and take some details. Asked me to wee in a cardboard commode thing.

All documentation said partners/family members couldn't stay as the wards were too busy-partner came in with me to just say 'bye and be a support but then said she'd leave and they said she was welcome to stay. She was allowed to stay with me right up until I walked to the pre-theatre room and they were really kind to her too.

Another woman came and took my blood pressure and was chatty and friendly, then the anesthetist came, again, lovely woman, very smiley and bubbly. They all explained everything so well. Then my doctor came, said she was very sorry but she had a meeting straight after my procedure and although she always talks to patients after they come around, she expected I'd prefer to go home as it is such a simple thing so she may not get to see me. I had had a long telephone call with her prior to this happening and she was amazingly understanding.

I was first into theatre, there were only two other women there. I wasn't the least bit nervous which I was surprised at as I can be quite anxious about medical matters but they were just all so nice! I walked in, got on the bed, there were five or 6 women all smiley and chatty and looked like they just all loved their jobs.

Asked me all sorts of things about myself and were just really caring. Stuck some monitoring equipment to me, put the canula in (which I expected to hurt but it didn't at all!) and then asked me if I was ready for a nice sleep.

Talked to me for a minute or so and the next thing I knew I woke up. Woman who'd come to see me second of all was monitoring my heart and lung function, then told me she'd wheel me back to the ward but she didn't know how to do it 😂so she went and got someone else, they helped me get from that bed to the ward bed, I text my partner who came and got me.

They offered me toast/cereal but I'd brought some crisps and fruit. I wasn't the least bit hungry so didn't eat anything but did down a bottle of orange I'd brought with me, they also brought me some water which I was grateful for.

Then I was allowed home.

Honestly it felt like I was being pampered. I dont know if because of the trauma I'd suffered they handled me with 'kid gloves' more than normal, but they were all so sweet-as if I was a child they had to look after and I'm a woman in her early forties. I have sent them a thank you card for the ward. Just so grateful for them and how nice they were.

I hope I can have the tests 'normally' in future but I just feel like I had to say this somewhere!

Just to say on GA vs sedation, I had an endometrial biopsy done under sedation (after I insisted, as the usual practice is to do it without anything; even my GP said there was no way she’d have this done without sedation and that some women end up in cervical shock) and it may as well have been under GA. I was completely out of it and only became aware of what was happening when I came around in Recovery. As with the OP’s experience, everyone was very lovely, and they also gave me a pre-med to calm me down before I went down to theatre.

@GCAcademic Glad you had a good experience too. I've never had sedation for anything.

Well done OP, you did an amazing thing. And sharing your appreciation is lovely. x

@ouiouiouioui and @VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia I am so sorry to hear of your experiences. It actually makes me really angry! Especially that we're just kind of expected to accept it-of course take personal needs into account but we shouldn't be expected to be in pain and be okay with it-we have the means for it not to happen now.

I absolutely could not go through the camera down throat thing withoutu being under. You're braver than me!

I do indeed love Stereophonics :)

So glad your experience went well. I can manage smear tests ok but for two other gynaecological procedures I had to have (loop excision for cancerous cells and hysteroscopy) I insisted on GA, even though they tried to get me to go with local. I’m fed up with women being told procedures won’t hurt (or the famous line ‘it will just sting a bit’). One time after a follow up appointment after the examination I was bleeding a bit and the doctor said he would put silver nitrate on it - ‘you may feel a slight cramp’ he said. Oh my god, I have a high pain threshold and I was in absolute agony, nearly vomited from the pain. I had to lie down for 20 minutes until I stopped feeling dizzy. I know that everyone’s different, but really we shouldn’t have to press for GA for really quite invasive treatment. As you experienced, everyone was lovely to me when I went in and didn’t make me feel like I was wasting their time.

@BridgetRandomfuck silver nitrate-to cauterise? That sounds absolutely awful I am so sorry

I think I'd have rather let the wound heal itself although I know that risks infection. I've had the cryogenic 'freeze treatment' on a skin condition on my vulva (basically something that looked like warts but wasn't warts-I still wanted rid of them as they looked nasty!) and that was bad enough!

I didn't suggest this, the GA for smear test-they did, I don't think I'd have ever suggested it or thought it was an option! I'd have just expected them to eventually manage it but he said I was just tensing too much and he could tell my demeanor was quite relaxed, so it was psychosomatic and I'd not be able to help it.

However, I have got much better at standing up for myself with medical matters. Some professionals are very pushy. I once had someone hover over me with a needle saying they were going to inject me for something that I knew was unnecessary-I said;

"No, I won't be having that".

(Usual line of) "It won't hurt just a sting" or something...
"I said no".

A friend was coerced into having something under sedation that she'd previously always had under GA-they even told her they'd never done it under GA and she must have been mistaken! I was so annoyed with both her for not standing up for herself, and (more so) with them for being dismissive, awful and pushy.

It is so true about the 'Ah you'll be fine' and 'It'll be a slight sting' sorts of lines. Heard them many times myself.

Sorry to post on a 5 month old thread, but I'm having this done in a couple of days and was looking for a thread to learn what to expect as I've not been given any guidance. Do i need to fast, what method is it, etc.

Like a lot of you here have written, I'm so angry about my last several smears at being told to just breath, it doesn't hurt, etc. The pain isn't even limited to the exam but i have twinges for a couple of days after because they have to dig and dig. After my last failed attempt and a horrible experience emotionally i just refused to go back. They suggested some kind of cream but by this point i felt like i was the problem and i lost trust in them. I bought the superdrug test and hoped for the best, but i did once have a CIN and laproscopy about 10 yrs ago, so i was concerned.

Then at a recent appt at my gp surgery a lovely nurse asked me about my overdue smear. I explained why i wasn't going to do it and that i had done the superdrug test, and she offered to speak to my gp to see if i could get it done under sedation. My gp said i would have to book in with her to discuss it. When I rang to book she had no availability and was asked if i minded seeing a male trainee gp. I didn't mind, it wasn't going to be a physical exam, just a discussion, and i felt the appt was to try to intimidate me into letting the practice nurses have another go and i already knew my answer to that. So when it came up I politely refused, he asked me what I wanted. I reminded him that his colleague was the one who suggested the referral to have it done under sedation. He made the referral.

I'm glad it's happening but i am anxious that i don't know the method. I'm hoping mine mirrors your experience @thebartenderatethethief .

@dudsville what do you mean about the method please?
Mine was under full anaesthesia rather than sedation. A friend of mine has just had stents fitted under sedation and all was fine. Well done for standing up for yourself!

Hi OP,

Thank you very much for speaking up about this. I volunteer in the NHS and one of my jobs is trying to get the message out to female patients about the importance of getting cervical screening. We have the most difficult time even finding out why women don't come, let alone convincing them to actually show up.

The GP surgeries get penalised for not having the numbers of women coming in that are needed. They routinely get marked down in their CQC assessments (like Ofsted) because their cervical screening numbers are low. Then the surgeries have to commit massive resources to trying to convince women to come in.

It means that the GPs then have less money for other things like hip replacements and cataract surgery, and whathaveyou. That's because they have to commit funds to making loads of phone calls and sending oodles of letters about cervical screening, for people who never show up and are too afraid to talk about why.

I think it's great that you have spoken about your experience here and I hope it will help others to come forward to and talk to their GPs about what is stopping them and what could help solve the problem. Thank you very much for doing it. You will have done a lot of people a huge favour here, and probably saved a few lives in the long run.

I also had a medical procedure last year under anaesthetic and it was wonderful. I was really scared beforehand and actually it was fine. I was practically walking on air afterwards.

Thanks @thebartenderatethethief , I don't even know the lingo! So i don't know if it's anaesthesia, sedation, what even is sedation, or the gas and air mentioned on this thread.

@dudsville disclaimer I am not a medic! But from my somewhat above-average-Josephine knowledge

Gas and Air is (as in when you have a baby) is nitrous oxide and oxygen. Breathing that in while you have a smear test could be helpful for any pain and also helps you concentrate on your breathing (in theory making you more relaxed). The nitrous oxide is a painkiller, although it wears off quickly hence it being something you inhale regularly throughout a procedure (or labour)

Sedation (sometimes called twilight sedation) is when you're not quite asleep, but are sedated to a point that you're somewhat aware what is happening, but won't feel anything or remember anything. As I've said I have a friend who had a stent put in this way, I've also known someone who had their breast implants done with it! It is meant to be very good, not quite as severe as full general anesthetic. You're relaxed and in a somewhat unconscious state, where you cannot form new memories-you'll not remember the procedure although you're semi-aware at the time. It sounds like that's what they'll do for you?
General Anesthetic is when you're fully asleep, unconscious, knocked out for the procedure.

@WhenIsTheGeneralElection Thank you-that has made me happy, reading that. I was walking on air too!

I just saw your post @WhenIsTheGeneralElection , that is very heartening. I wonder how my leaving an incomplete exam and refusing others has been noted with regards to useful data collection as it never felt like a solution focused discussion, i just felt like I was being seen as difficult.

Thanks so much for that @thebartenderatethethief, I really appreciate you taking the time to post. Especially about the sedation bit as that's what the nurse suggested, though i don't know if that's what I'm having. I'll read my letter again tomorrow and see if I just missed it. I had anaesthetic once last year so i know what to expect with that, but i was advised to fast saying that it sometimes makes people vomit.

Anyway, thanks again, I've found your thread very helpful.

I had to fast, too, sorry forgot to mention that. Not for very long as it is such a short procedure, I don't remember fully but I think I could eat early evening before but not after that.