Yesterday I telephoned to get results of pap smear and mammogram. Latter fine, pap smear not. Yuk. This is a first time for me, and means a colposcopy is scheduled for treatment and biopsy. Nothing urgent and I am doing it when I get back from the States.
But all you women out there with a cervix – please don’t neglect this. The reason this is not urgent for me is because I have a smear done regularly and therefore the abnormality is caught early before it becomes a cancer. And this applies to you youngsters too – my daughter was in exactly the same boat just a month ago and she is in her early 30s.
Another thing to think about: the doc doing the breast ultrasound (which should be done as a matter of course together with the mammogram) said it is even more important to do a monthly self-breast examination than to have the mammogram/ultrasound – simply because it is monthly.
Don’t neglect yourself because you are “too busy”. You are never too busy to die.
Irregularities in my cervix were picked up on a normal post-natal examination after the birth of my third child when I was 26. Further investigation revealed cancer in situ, which was dealt with by a simple operation called a cone biopsy. I would never have known about thae cancer had the doc not done that smear test at my post-natal visit. And I could have died.
I second what you've said, Glenda: all women should have regular Pap smears as well as mammograms, no matter how young they are.
I third this. The problem in some parts of the world, the US being one, not everyone can afford to have such tests done.
I forgot again, I do hope it really isn't urgent Glenda. When do you get back from the US?
Very good advice indeed, Glenda.
Ewwww! Hugs.
Oops, seems I accidently deleted a line of this post re monthly self breast examinations. Am correcting it now…
They don't seem to do a regular ultra sound here Glenda, only a mammogram. Not sure why not.
It is standard at the hospital I go to, Jo. Automatic. Mind you, this is a private hospital. For gynae checkups I go private – and for everything else I go public where I get it free as part of husband's pension package.
Why? Because I found a lovely doctor I have faith in, and I was just loth to go elsewhere, where I'd usually end up getting a different doctor each time.
I'm glad it's been caught early and can be dealt with.
Good advice about breast care too. Interesting about the ultrasounds. Here too they don't automatically combine ultrasounds with mammograms although the Government funds regular mammograms at special clinics staffed by women for women over fifty.