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?

OP I know you said you haven’t had a blood test before but I saw from a previous post you had lots of issues with needing physio through both the nhs and privately. You seem distrusting of health professionals but you need to understand you aren’t likely to have cancer and no one is lying to you.

You're clearly not familiar with the thought processes of people with extremely severe health anxiety.

As I've said above. I am not a troll. I'm a terrified young woman with nobody else to turn to.

Join any of the many health anxiety Facebook groups and you'll find many other people with the exact same mentality. There is literally no telling them.

She's just being thorough and getting you checked out, it sounds very unlikely that it's cancer but if it is something more serious than it's much better to catch it early. I know it's stressful but try not to worry too much, get it checked so they can give you the all clear x

Op - I've had many colposcopies due to having persistent HPV. I've also had CIN3 which was treated by LLETZ. Your nurse is following protocol and also, as others have said, if she suspected cancer then you would have a referral to Gynaecology NOT colposcopy.

Colposcopy waiting times can be very long though so its good that hopefully you'll be seen quickly.

May I ask why you didn't have the HPV vaccine? My DD is 23 and she was given it at school. Its a no-brainer really?

If I were you I would be spending my energy trying to find out why my ENT referral wasn't followed up on. Lost notes? Computer error?

I would honestly go to your Gp first thing and ask for a referral to healthy minds or something similar. You have extreme health anxiety and no amount of reassurance will help you. Health anxiety is a form of OCD and you are in a vicious cycle right now. The colposcopy will likely be fine but your health anxiety needs treating too.

But you don't have the presentation that leads to those 6 out of 10 referrals. And even if you were, abnormal cells are not all cancer.

You're already in the 4/10 being referred for something other than abnormal cells. And then in the even lower number of those who have been referred with what look like Natbothian cysts. And then there's around 1/100 of those Natbothian referrals that are something else.

You're stating you've a 60% chance of cancer. No, you have less than <rolls sleeves up for the maths>

4/10 for not having abnormal cells on smear but being referred for something else = 40%

Say a quarter of those have cysts (it's not, but just for the calculation) = 10%

Out of those 10%, 1% have that particular type of cancer = 0.001%

There's less than a 1 in 1000 chance before you even start looking at things like it would be even more rare below middle age.

I'd bet money that you don't have cancer.

In all honesty, I was young, terrified of needles and said no. My dad didn't push the matter

Try not to worry too much 2 week referral is what she would have put you down for as that is the cancer route but the majority of times it is not cancer but they don’t mess about I had the same thing when I had a lump in my breast 2 week referral but was fine was a cyst. My sister has similar situation to you and was a cyst. It’s hard when this happens but most of the times it will be fine x

Why would they waste money on your referral if it's definitely cancer? Why would they waste money on all the colposcopy that they do every year - may as well just say 'yep cancer' at the drop of a hat.

OP, you need to ask yourself how this anxiety is helping you... because it isn't.

Anxiety is telling you to prepare for the worst because then it'll be easier when it happens, but that's not how it works. You are 'borrowing trouble' unneccessarily. People here are telling you how it's overwhelmingly likely that issues that get checked out further as a result of tests are not cancer, but you seem to be waiting for someone to come along and say 'Yes this happened to me and it was cancer'. Stop. Step away from the thread. Step away from google.

Listen, you haven’t been referred for cancer, nobody has suggested cancer, the nurse hasn’t seen the smear results but she has seen a cyst which certainly does not mean it’s cancer.

I’d never heard of a nabothian cyst but just had a quick Google and everything says they are rarely cancerous and usually need no treatment. In the nicest of ways there’s nothing you can do about it right now so please try and stop panicking and for the love of god stop googling.

Also consider getting the HPV vaccine privately - it has reduced cervical cancer cases in young women by almost 90% in just a few years, wonderful vaccine.

@hopefulmummytobe78 I was 2 weeked because my GP thought a lump on my arm was cancerous. It wasn't. Please try not to panic x

OP: "Have I got cancer?"
PPs: "No, almost definitely not, or you'd be on a different pathway"
OP: "OMG I'VE GOT CANCER!!!"

That is health anxiety. It is fucking horrible to live with.

Please try not to panic

I think that ships sailed

OP I'm so sorry you lost your mum so young, and that your nan died too. That all makes it understandable that you're anxious.

Do you have someone you can talk to in RL?

Hi op -
Can you still get the HPV vaccine done after your colposcopy? May be worth asking, I know you can get it done privately but its quite expensive. Something to think about perhaps.

(I have health anxiety so I understand where you're coming from.)

OP the NHS still refer under the two week pathway as a matter of standard practice. Lots of breast lumps are normal but they still refer to rule out cancer. The nurse is doing her job . You are massively overreacting! It’s horrible waiting but it’s most likely nothing to worry about or something very treatable. I’m wondering why you didn’t get the hpv jab as they were offered to you if in U.K. at that time via school as my DD is 24.

Please get the HPV vaccine.

Stop googling it only makes things worse, it definitely seems as though you have health anxiety.

Ive been referred under the 2 week wait 3 times for different issues and none of them ended up being cancer, I was also told all 3 times that I was being referred to rule out cancer. It’s better to have the extra tests and know.

From my knowledge they have to be honest, they can't say it's one thing and then you be completely dumbfounded shocked when you find out it's another thing.
She thinks it's a cyst, and it probably is, but she's referring you to rule anything else out.
Similar happened with me with a lump on my breast, the Dr said she wasn't concerned, but as it's there protocol is to get referred on the 2week cancer pathway and it did turn out to be nothing.
Nurse has seen something, thinks it's a cyst but as something is there protocol must be followed - you getting referred.
Hope you're feeling ok :-)

A referral for an abnormal smear is obviously cancer...

It's really not. I got referred due to bleeding and had a cervical ectropian. She has already said it's a cyst so it seems odd that you are so categoric that a referral equals cancer

Stop winding yourself up