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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder why, if a GP, managed to do my smear today ...

33 replies

Disenchanted3 · 09/06/2010 15:50

with no pain at all, then how come the nurse that did the smear clinic 6 months ago torture me with a speculum??

Surely if you do smear clinics regularly you should be able to do it without the woman having to do 'birth breathing techniques'?!

She was so so so rough.

But the one I had this morning, I didn't even flinch!

OP posts:
slushy06 · 09/06/2010 16:04

I personally found that many of the women who have done examinations are quite butcher like but but the men seem to be more gentle.

Sorry I know that is sexist some of the women were gentle.

Original poster
Disenchanted3 · 09/06/2010 16:05

It was a woman GP

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 09/06/2010 16:07

that's because the men aren't sure how much presure they should use and how much they could hurt you.
nurse thinks "oh bogger it, it's never hurt me, "

my nurse is the same, Dis.
she has great pleaure in making every visit as physcially and emotionally painful as possible.

but i'm too embarrassed to see the male doc for the smear.
might try to get the female dr when i go for mine soon...

Longtalljosie · 09/06/2010 16:07

Some people are just better at it than others. It's a shame we can't rate them!

nickelbabe · 09/06/2010 16:07

the 1st part of my reply was to slushy. btw

i thought "dunno if male or female doc"

biddysmama · 09/06/2010 16:08

i had a check up in the early pregnancy unit where the male dr had a 'trick' of cutting off the finger of a latex glove and putting it on the jack speculum

when i had my first smear 10 years ago the nurse didnt wind the jack speculum back down before she removed it

Original poster
Disenchanted3 · 09/06/2010 16:08

The smear had 6 months ago was my frst ever, so I asumed thats how it wa - utterly painful.

So I was really suprised today that its was so quic and painless I was worrying for nothing.

OP posts:
fascicle · 09/06/2010 16:09

I suppose there are a few things that might make it more or less comfortable - position of cervix, where you are with cycle, how relaxed you are etc. But techique is definitely very important, a bit like having blood taken, which for me varies from barely registering to hurting quite a lot.

ExitPursuedByABear · 09/06/2010 16:10

biddy - ooh, pelvic floor wince there. Dis - I have found they have got more painful as I have got older - sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

plusonemore · 09/06/2010 16:13

biddysmama you made me wince out loud!

best i ever had was a gynae, hardly felt a thing. Horribe with nurses usually, especially if they manage to get a hair caught...

muggglewump · 09/06/2010 16:19

Did you hide your knickers?

Original poster
Disenchanted3 · 09/06/2010 16:20

I did, I put them in my tights and tried to tuck them behing the table lkeg

OP posts:
biddysmama · 09/06/2010 16:21

tbh now i'm on baby number 3 that stuff doesnt bother me now lol... its the ones where you are talking to the dr/midwife about something 'down there' and they say whip your pants off and get on the bed, i'll have a look..... i do prefer to give it a wash and check i have no loo roll stuck in my pubes tbh..

lazarusb · 09/06/2010 16:24

At my last smear the nurse told me my cervix was at a funny angle...and looked at me as if I could do something about it...I'm not sure that I could?

biddysmama · 09/06/2010 16:26

At my last smear the nurse told me my cervix was at a funny angle...and looked at me as if I could do something about it...I'm not sure that I could?

" ahh, yes sorry i seem to have put it in wrong today.... "

LunaticFringe · 09/06/2010 17:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

bebespain · 09/06/2010 18:52

lazarusb - the nurse told me that too and that it as very high up which was in response to me crying out loud due to how much she was hurting me.

Last time a male gynae did mine and it was absolute bliss (not sure if that´s a word I should use to describe a smear) I didn´t feel a thing and it was over and done with in seconds

It always concerns me that causing a woman such pain could mean they are reluctant to go back next time...

bebespain · 09/06/2010 18:53

Oh and no OP YANBU

SparkyMalarky · 09/06/2010 18:56

Was it a different kind of speculum? IME the new plastic ones are much gentler than the old metal ones. The nurse who did mine recently reckoned it was because the plastic is a bit more 'bendy'!

OrientCalf · 09/06/2010 18:58

I don't know how nurses are trained but my medic friends (male and female) were trained to do smears by women who had had previous bad smear experiences

Hassled · 09/06/2010 18:58

I had some iffy results once and went through a stage of having to have a smear every few months. One of the nurses - hurt like buggery. The other one - I barely knew she was there. Weird. They're doing the same thing with the same equipment - I don't understand.

Longtalljosie · 10/06/2010 08:46

The thing is, we never say, do we? Perhaps we should. How will they know there's a problem otherwise?

hairytriangle · 10/06/2010 08:51

This happened to me this weektwo speculum exams one fine one painful both women!

Same happens with blood tests.

FessaEst · 10/06/2010 08:56

My Mum had a terrible experience with her practice nurse once, and has always gone to the family planning clinic since. She advised me to do the same and I have never had a painful one - I guess cos it's their speciality?! Can really recommend them (as much as you can recommend an invasive procedure! )

hairytriangle · 10/06/2010 10:17

My two were both done in gynae wards - the first one was done by what seemed like a very good, very experienced gynae doctor and the second by what seemed like a twelve year old GCSE student