Chapter 28: The Pap Smear

A pap smear is a medical procedure to test for cervical cancer in people with cervixes. During a pap smear your practitioner will use a speculum to open the vagina. Then a sample is taken from the cervix. The provider will also use two fingers to feel inside the vagina and the outside of your abdomen.

The test usually only takes a few minutes. It's very important to catch cervical cancer early, so this test is necessary. I go every year, but I always dreaded the blinding pain. When I had my first one at 18, i nearly passed out when I stood up. Every year since then I've had to take a Xanax and some ibuprofen to get through it. This seemed so much more dramatic than what my friends described as a "quick uncomfortable pinch." None of them were describing excruciating pain and the fear of fainting upon standing after the exam. Most of them carried on conversations with their doctors during the exam. I couldn't even imagine being able to do that! I was always concentrating on my breathing to get through the exam!

The difference this year was incredible. I didn't take Xanax or ibuprofen before the exam because I wanted to see how things were without the help of drugs. The blinding pain wasn't there. It was just a little uncomfortable and a bit awkward (which is normal when your feet are in stirrups and your vagina is cranked open in someone's face). I could talk to my PA during the exam and ask her questions. I was able to concentrate on our conversation and participate in it, instead of breathing and counting ceiling tiles until it was over. This is what my friends had been talking about! I wasn't being dramatic, I just had a chronic condition that wasn't being treated, taken seriously or addressed at all!

I had a nice chat about endo with the PA. For context, I saw the same PA from the age of 22-29. She was nice but never really explored the endo thing too much. Finally when I went off the pill and couldn't take it anymore, she tested me for PCOS. I don't have it. Then she referred me to the doctor she worked under. He was a complete asshole and dismissed me completely. He offered to do an ablation on me, which is the worst thing you can do to an endo patient (i blogged about this more in past entries).. I kind of dropped it and suffered until I found my surgeon, Dr. Ghomi, last May. I scheduled surgery with him in October and then had a pap in june. My PA had retired and a new, younger PA, Mia, had taken her place. She believed me that I had endo, but at this point I had already found a surgeon outside of the practice. She also worked under the same doctor that was a dick to me before, which was unfortunate because I liked her but the practice works in teams. I refused to see the doctor that dismissed my concerns again. For some reason, this practice really hates it when you switch among doctors, so they only allow you to do it once. I switched to the other doctor she works under, but i haven't had to see him yet. Any endo issues I have i will go to Dr. Ghomi for. She's great for paps and general women's health though, and I'm glad I finally found a PA who takes my pain seriously. I'm also relieved that the pain wasn't in my head and the surgery seemed to work well. I'm still considering pelvic floor PT, but things in general are so much better.

So here's your reminders for the day: wash your hands, wear a mask, continue to practice social distancing, and if you have a cervix, make sure you're up to date on your paps!