Be brutally honest, it's cancer isn't it?

[hopefulmummytobe78]

I had my first smear test today, I'm 24.

I bled during it and the nurse saw a yellow spot on my cervix. She said it's a normal cyst, called a nabothian cyst, but she also referred me for a colposcopy.

She said it was just to be safe, but why would an overstretched NHS do that? She's definitely seen something awful, hasn't she? She said I would be seen very quickly too.

Why would she do that if it wasn't sinister? It's cancer, isn't it?

Stop it! I've had cysts on my cervix the gp removed! And polyps. This is normal.

Ah fair enough, my relatives health anxiety made them treated everything from a common cold to a cancer scare with the same level of anxiety so a lost referral for anything would have had them frantic

Op I have had a referral for possible Glaucoma - which if present could lead to blindness. This has been put off for at least a years wait.
On the other hand a strange lump on my toe was seen within a couple of weeks as it was strange enough to flag up as possible (but very very unlikely to be cancer).

Also most cancer if caught early enough is highly treatable.
I suggest you seek help for your anxiety after your family history.

She said the NHS is awful

I had a lump on my cervix during pregnancy and it bled horrifically every single day. It was very distressing. At one point during an examination I literally left a puddle of blood on the bed and yet it was totally benign. Biopsied while pregnant and removed after. It isn’t always cancer but she has done the right thing referring you.

Ok I'll go. 🙃

Yes, a referral could mean that the nurse suspects you have cancer and wants to confirm one way or the other. Sorry, OP.

In the context of her other posts it was very obvious she meant awful as in overstretched.

You need to get a grip @hopefulmummytobe78. The nurse has told you what it is. There is zero need for you to be so insistent you have cancer. You have a cyst which will be checked in a colposcopy clinic. As pp’s have said : if it was cancer you’d be straight to gynae not the middle woman.

I’ve had more colposcopies than I can remember. Not once has it revealed cancer, just a very annoying HPV infection that won’t budge. I’m always referred super fast after smears & am grateful for it rather than seeing it as a death sentence. Compared to most other departments, cervical issues are dealt with swiftly & efficiently.

As someone who has had cancer, I get the fear, but you are being completely irrational and more than a little self indulgent which helps no one.

Very kindly OP.

These are the facts:
-Abnormalities do not mean cancer- it just means further investigation.
-The nurse is following protocol and many women have been in this situation.
-Dr. Google doesn't have a medical degree.

I would very calmly suggest that the issue here isn't the referral but your response to it. Concern is a normal response, but you have crossed over into catastrophising which causes unnecessary stress. I would strongly advise you that this is something that you should seek help for.

I have had abnormal smears. I see the gynecologist. They take a punch biopsy. Every time it has come back no action needed. I then go for regular check ups get discharged back to Smear and GP and then end up back under gynecology.

A friend biopsy came back as as needing treatment which was Lazer to remove cells. No problems since

These are seen as early catching or monitoring of potential problems (pre cancer cells) avoid cancer development.

Even if it is cancer there is treatment

Stay positive

My oldest friend had cervical cancer followed by further spread a few years later. Her symptoms weren’t the same as yours. BTW the NHS saved her life, literally.

perhaps visit Jo’s Trust, they have a forum and there are more users on there with experience of it including health professions.

Good luck.

I had an abnormal cervical scan when I was your age, OP. It was abnormal cells. They looked into it, found all was fine, and then I had more regular cervical scans for a while after that to keep a close eye on the cells. I am now 42 and all is still fine. So try not to worry!

I think you'll more than likely be fine. Most women have nabothian cysts and they can change throughout the cycle in size etc.

Not true.

My smear was abnormal. They did another, also abnormal, then they did a biopysy, decided I was pre cancerious, so they burnt the cells via laser. Here I am 25 years later, multiple births and never an abnormal smear again.

Your nurse sounds amazing. Very efficient and factual. You need to calm down. It will all be fine.

It doesn’t just mean cancer - my husband had eye scans on thurs- he gets a letter today saying he now needs a lazer intervention and will be seen next week. Urgency is not just for cancer!

The nurse has followed procedure - your notes say she thinks its a cyst therefore that is what she thinks it is. She will also have had a number of years of experience and will have done hundreds of smears so she will have a reasonable idea of what particular issues will be. However she is being sensible and referring you!! Please stop googling most of the diagnostic stuff on there is total nonsense.

Don’t listen to all these “why didn’t you get the HPV vaccine” comments.

For what it’s worth OP, I had the HPV vaccine in 2008 when I was 14. Last year I had a smear and I am HPV positive and now have to have yearly smears to monitor it.

I bleed a lot during smears. To me they’re excruciating, as well as bleeding and painful sex. (I’m being investigated for endometriosis).

It’s scary when something is found and that you have a referral to be investigated further. However, the worst thing you can do is start Googling. No wonder you’re terrified.

It’s highly unlikely you will have cancer, but it needs ruling out. The nurse is following protocol and is doing her job. Please speak to your family/friends about how you are struggling with this and keep off websites about cancer.

OP there are dozens of things it could be. One of which is absolutely nothing. And the very worst of which is cancer. With many things in between.
She mentioned 'cyst' because she saw that. And is referring you to a specialist because that resource is available and that is what specialists are for.

You haven’t been told you had cancer. You have a nurse who has given you a clear view of what she thinks it is, which isn’t cancer, but who by the sounds of it is good at her job and wants it double checked. Having a referral made doesn’t automatically mean cancer, whatever state the nhs is in.

In regard to your question about what the point of a smear is, the point is exactly what’s happening. Tests that try to highlight issues early, so that there is a greater chance of catching anything alarming in the early days.

Finally I think it’s safe to say that you’re suffering with health anxiety, which is understandable given your family history, but you really need to learn to manage this. You should have a local iapt you can self refer to for cbt. I would treat that as a priority while you wait for your next appointment.

They're just bring thorough. They have a 2 week pathway if there's any reason to suspect it could be anything sinister. The NHS isn't always terrible!

Sounds like they're fairly certain.its a cyst but being careful. I was 2week pathway for a cyst under my armpit. Turned out fine.

You may have bled during tge smear test because of the timing in your cycle, could even be that you're pregnant (happened to me lol)
I bled and the nurse was quite sympathetic, I said I'm sure I'm just about to come on my period. It's due about now.

Found out I was pregnant tge next day.

Oh hon this kind of thing happens after smears all the time, the amount of colposcopys I've had, they practically do them at the drop of a hat 💐

In my experience, gynae stuff is referred more quickly.

I was referred very quickly because of a bit of bleeding. Had polyps removed.

The nurse will be following protocol and guidance. She is referring you for a procedure that can confirm that it is a cyst, as she suspects. Try not
to worry.
I’ve had referrals for lumps and bumps that my GP thought were fine but it’s “belt and braces” to do what’s needed to confirm that all is well.

I’ve had two 2ww referrals in the last couple of years.

One for one for some dodgy moles (not cancerous), and one for gynae symptoms (not cancer).

The NHS IS very stretched but that is exactly why the potentially serious stuff gets rushed through - as it’s actually a priority. 99 times out of a hundred though, it’s nothing alarming.

No. Simillar age I was referred for coloposcopy due to abnormal bleeding and gp spotting "area of abnornality", refered for biopsy etc. Hpv detected but not cancerous. Had clear smear next test. Hope all good news for you, I remember it being a worrying time.

I have had an abnormal smear test result and had to have a colposcopy, then was diagnosed with CIN2 and had laser surgery. After a year it again gave an abnormal test result so another colonoscopy and another laser treatment. Now been clear for 7years. So please calm down, the nurse is just being thorough. And it might still be worth getting the hpv vaccination even if you have to pay for it.