Health Anxiety - Smear Test

[stressingOout]

Sorry, I did also post on womens health but posting here for traffic.

looking for some perspective, and/or a kick up the arse. I’ll start by saying I have always had bad health anxiety.

Well, I’ve had ‘THE’ letter, summoning for my regular smear appointment. I’m not too worried about the appointment, I know they take minutes but I’ve convinced myself that the news will be bad. I can’t focus, I keep getting myself in such a tizz about how I’ll cope if I have to go back for regular follow-ups, or worse.

My others have been fine, but since my last, I have had chlamydia (a story for another day 😥) but now I think that because I’ve had an infection, I’m more likely to get HPV. Literally, convinced myself I’m going to die. Also, that because I’m being so negative about it, it’ll happen….as if I’m talking into existence.

My last was in September 2019 but I’ve already had the reminder letter. Im due to go on holiday in September and I’m convincing myself to leave it until I get back so that If it it bad news, I won’t be distraught on holiday and ruin it for everyone else.

how silly am I being on a scale of 1-10 (before anyone asks, I’m a fully grown woman! I’m not a child but I’m well aware that i sound so immature).

I daren’t voice my concerns irl but I’m torturing myself x

1 in the silliness scale. But do go. The odds are very much that you'll be totally fine and in extremely rare event that something is flagged, better to know and have a plan. You will carry on worrying until you know, you know that.

Get it done, have a lovely holiday then maybe some help when you come back (I speak as a dormant sufferer - you can get it to a manageable state I promise and life is easier when you do).

I had chlamydia 10 years ago, have had 3 smears since then and no HPV! But even if you did have HPV, that doesn't mean you'll get cancer. Often HPV clears up on its own and doesn't lead to anything else. I understand how scary health anxiety is, I have it myself. You have nothing to be scared of here, it's going to be fine. Get it over with as soon as possible!

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my message, it’s really appreciated @Pheobe863 @lugeforlife

I’m booked in for the week after next. I just need to get on with it. I go through the same saga every time the appointment comes around!

I have also just had the letter after last going in Sept 2019, and am also booked for the week after next. No HPV last time and not been sexually active so no chance i have it now, but i do have cervical ectropion, so that is my sole reason for going, as i also have some health anxiety and worry what if last time they mistook something more sinister for "just" cervical ectropion. So, hand hold and good luck, but i'm confident you're going to be absolutely fine

@AlmostAJillSandwich good luck to you too 💐

I too have HA, I had HPV & CIN 1/2 just over 3 years ago. I had my smear a few months ago & it came back inconclusive so I had to have another last week. For the last 18 months or so it has been playing on my mind that it was coming up, I am now running to the door every time the postman arrives however I am so pleased I have had it done, however anxious I feel about it I'd much rather know if anything was wrong so I could get it sorted sooner rather than later.
Good luck with yours & I hope you get the all clear

@PrincessConsuela12 That would be slow torture for me. You’re right, and there’s no point in ignoring it, that would only make my anxiety worse.

I’ve everything crossed for you that everything’s fine and there’s no need for further treatment x

i just think there’s a lot to be said for catching any bad signs early (not saying they will find anything!). Too many people needlessly die every day cos they didn’t get checked up/ were too worried to do so, who would likely have survived has things been caught earlier. Much better to take a deep breath and face these things altho I do know how anxious it can make people feel

My smear came back last year as positive for HPV, so went back again a few weeks ago. Some cell changes so went for a colposcopy, and following that I’m having the cells removed tomorrow. So so glad I didn’t ignore it - I’m absolutely fine and they are “fixing” any potential problems before they progress any further.

As long as you go for your smears regularly, it is unlikely that they will miss any problems before they become bigger. Not going to lie, I was worried when they said I needed a colposcopy, but having spoken to the specialist, I am so much less concerned as they are getting in there early before real problems arise.

thank you all soo much 😘

@MarpleFan good luck for tomorrow xx

@stressingOout Thank you

You can either choose to be proactive and find out that nothing is wrong, or there is something in it's very early stages that needs treatment, and have a very good chance of beating it, or you can live with your head in the sand and not discover something's wrong until it's too late.

That's it really. The choice is yours.

You're not silly, I completely sympathise with anxiety, it's awful.
I had mine a couple of weeks ago, I worried too at the thought of going but just got it booked and went for it.
Seriously nothing to it, over in seconds and all came back fine

It depends what you mean by 'silly'. I wouldn't describe it as silly. Irrational, yes. Disproportionate, yes. But you know that already, because you know you suffer from health anxiety. You know deep down that your worries come from your anxiety and that they are not a proportionate response - you know they're a symptom of your mental health condition. So you're not 'silly' because you're not trying to suggest that your fears are reasonable - you know already that they aren't and you're asking for reassurance.

All I can say is that the chances of anything being even slightly unusual about your smear test results are absolutely tiny, and you'll feel a huge sense of relief when you get the letter confirming your results are normal. I know anxiety is a bloody nightmare around this kind of thing, and I sympathise, but you will feel better getting it over and done with.

If it's going to ruin your holiday delay it until afterwards. I did this.

@stressingOout all done. In and out in 15mins. Hardly a pleasant experience, but definitely no where near as bad as I thought it might have been, and all the pre-cancerous cells are gone. Yay!!!!

My advice would be to get it out of the way - if anything, you may test positive for HPV, in which case they will do another smear in a year to check on it, but most likely, you will be absolutely fine and can enjoy your holiday. Good luck. Xxx

@hewouldwouldnthe it’s so tempting just to deal with it when I get home!!

@MarpleFan ahhh I’m soo glad for you xxx

@stressingOout I can't believe this has come up in active, I had the EXACT same conversation with my mum 2 hours ago, right down to the holiday!

I said exactly the same as you - should I wait until I'm back since I'm convinced it will be bad news, my mum told me to book so I did (also a grown woman, how embarrassing!)

I hope it makes you feel better that others do the same as reading this thread has made me feel way less stressed knowing it's just my anxiety and others do this too!

I went for my routine smear late last year and was HPV positive. I have to go for another smear after a year to see if it has cleared up or if I need any follow up. I can't say I haven't given it any more thought but worrying isnt going to change the outcome. I just have to get on with my life and wait and see what the next smear tells us but I am glad that if it does turn out to be anything, it has been caught early.

Yes, It’s nice to know that I’m not alone and that there are others that think similarly to me. Maybe I’m not as weird as I thought 😂

Fingers crossed for you that it just clears up by itself. I assume there’s nothing that they can give you for HPV? Just wait, see if it develops and then treat, or wait to see if it sorts itself?