smear test under anesthesia?

[winterspinach]

Hi, I’ve had two almost smear test but they hurt so unbelievably bad that the poor nurse had to stop. She was very lovely but I am extremely nervous about foreign objects entering me even when I try to relax. So i was wondering if i could request to have a smear test under local anaesthetic? is it possible and has anyone done it?

also before anyone decides to say “just do it, it’s important and suck it up” which i’ve had in the past. I have tried, believe me. I wish I could do it ease but its not possible within extreme pain :(

That sounds really horrid for you. Have you spoken to your GP about diazepam or similar before a smear test or is this something you’ve already tried?

Not sure if this is a thing, but it can't hurt to ask! Sorry you have suffered so much with your smears.

I totally get you op. I had such a horrific experience that I didn't have another smear test for 13 years afterwards. However, I now have a dose of Valium prescribed by my GP prior to having one and I am absolutely fine. Give it another try with the nice nurse you have found and take the Valium about 20 minutes prior to the test.

Do some clinics offer gas and air?

I’d just do a self swab HPV test. The NHS doesn’t actually look at smear samples anymore if the initial HPV screen is negative so it’s basically the same thing. You can get one online from Boots or Superdrug for £50.

An injection of local anaesthetic into your cervix would be incredibly painful!! Much more painful than a smear test.

It doesn't make sense to me, and I'm happy to be wrong!! But it doesn't make sense that you'd want a needle to be injected into your cervix but can't tolerate a swab being brushed on it.

Am I understanding right?

I work in obs and gynae and I can honestly tell you the time and sting it takes to get the local in place will be more stressful for you as we'd still have to use a speculum to get in to numb the cervix, plus that would be even more foreign objects in there if rhats the part thats causing you issues, it would literally be causing so much more stress and pain for you to have it numbed honestly. I've had similar requests at work and explained the same thing. If it's severe you can ask for it do be done under a general (you're asleep) but this is very rarely practiced unless it's part of another procedure (if you're in for a hysteroscopy anyways for example).

Definitely ask about a tablet instead of injection. Some kind of Valium?

It's not actually.

I had one just last week when I had my loop biopsy. Could barely feel the needle.

But still had to use the speculum to get at my cervix to give it which will be a problem for OP

Hi Op, there was a similar thread recently, maybe you can find it?.
Lots of helpful answers.
Self swab may be best for you or persevere with kind nurse.
General anaesthetic definitely not advisable or practical.

Oops, you said local, not general.
Otherwise, did the nurse try smallest speculum warmed to body temp?
That can help.

Sometimes it can depend on the person doing it, the speculum, the location of your cervix....

I've had many nurses do it and it's always been a bit painful (the speculum, not the smear). A gynae doctor did one and I could barely feel it.

I wonder if something like gas and air would help.

I have a friend who complained of the exact same thing and she had something called vaginismus. I'm don't know how she's treating it but I'll post a link to it.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaginismus/

I think it would be worth having a conversation with a HCP about whether it would be better for you to self swab for HPV infection. They don't even check the cells in HPV negative women these days, they just bin their samples. I find it quite disrespectful.

So if you are HPV negative and either monogamous or sexually inactive you don't need further smears?

I guess you could have a general anaesthetic? Like for a D&C procedure.

I had mine done at colposcopy at the hospital recently and have to say it was so much quicker and less painful than ones I've had at the GP with a nurse. I would ask for a referral there for your next one, I believe they deal with difficult smear tests for a number of reasons.

I'm not going to dig out references but I believe the argument is that HPV can "hide" and then re-emerge, so even if you are monogamous or sexually inactive you can become positive again after previously testing negative.

I take Valium for smears. It makes a massive difference.

That’s right.

I got referred to a special "difficult smears" clinic at the local hospital. They can offer you gas and air and I think you can take a Valium before you go in as well. Even with that they almost had to refer me for a general anaesthetic smear so yes they are possible, but it got done without in the end.
Could you ask and see if anything like that is available in your area? They were very good.

I struggle massively with smears.

When I was pregnant I spoke to a midwife and told her I was petrified of the pain of being "checked" in labour and she said to request gas and air. When I went in initially the midwife went to automatically check me without it and I asked for it. The difference was unbelievable!!

So I'd ask for it. Alternative something like diazepam should help. I've done that for getting a coil in.

I just do the swab test now. I will not put myself through a painful smear unless I start testing positive for HPV.

Practice nurses will not give gas and air to do a smear. We don't even have it in the surgery, let alone be trained in administering it.

A few years ago, I had a horrendous experience where I screamed in pain and was terrified of my next smear. It took the nurse about 5 attempts and she used 3 different speculum.

The next time, I genuinely felt no discomfort and it was done in seconds. It was a gynae who did it.

IME it depends a lot on who does it, so you could request it is done by someone more specialised in a hospital perhaps?