Getting Results

Back in April I did that horrible thing that all women do when they reach 25 - I had my first ever smear. At 25 and generally healthy, I did not expect for anything to come back from it, until the letter arrived on my doorstep 6 weeks later.

I t was from a doctor, asking me to make an emergency appointment with her. Panic filled me. STI's? No, I'd always been careful. Cancer? Surely not. 24 hours of waiting for the appointment nearly killed me.

The Doc tells me I have a high number of abnormal cells in my cervix. I have to go in for colposcopy, and most likely, minor surgery. Shock hits me. A million questions that I'm to stunned to ask, the worry of taking time off work, and, most importantly, the possibility of cancer.

Before I know it, my mum is driving me to the hospital two weeks later - I'm answering the doc's questions and preparing for an hour of someone fiddling with my bits.

The being naked from the waist down with 2 nurses and a male doctor didn't bother me. Having my legs in stirrups was a bit awkward. I was told they'd run tests and do cell counts using microscopes - this process would take around half an hour. Within 2 minutes the Doc was telling me that he was going to operate immediately - my entire cervix is covered in abnormal cells. I want to cry.

Diathermy is the method he decided to use - a heated wire loop which removes all the cells and cauterizes the wound. The first injection of local anaesthetic didn't work. Nor did the second. On the third, the stinging from the tests stopped. Before I know it I'm feeling intense heat inside of me, my brain is telling me its pain, but actually its just sensation. What I wasn't prepared for was the huge amounts of blood and padding he was having to use. It was scary.

The process took about 10 minutes, and when it was over and they sat me back up, I was faint. I lost a lot of blood and three local anaesthetics took a while to recover from. While I was dressing the Doc showed my mum a before and after photo - a large amount had to be removed. I couldn't bare to see it.

As we drove home, the anaesthetic wore off. I guess this is a similar feeling to the start of child labour. We get home and I cry. It suddenly hits me what has happened - I'd been in denial and thrown myself into my work so I didn't have to face what I was about to go through. I felt violated and the pain was bad. I'd even lost the basic right of going for a wee. Helplessly I lay on the sofa.

But, in true Bridget fashion, I was straight back at work and being busy within days. I can't dwell on what the results are going to be - I'm hoping that the abnormal cells were just on the surface, that they caught it early enough, that no further action is required. Yes, there is a chance that they could be cancerous, but life is to short to dwell on maybes.

Three weeks on, I'm still bleeding, but there is no real pain. This means I'm not healed yet, so still have to take it easy - and no swimming, which is gutting seeing as I'm off to Spain next week for a two week beach holiday.

But, imagine I didn't have my smear - in three years time, I could be battling Cancer. I hope that if nothing else, my story inspires other 25 year old women to go get your smear done - before its to late.