The Spoonie Mummy

I recently spoke about women’s health and how having an ostomy has impacted my reproductive health on the Pelican/Respond podcast Beyond The Pouch.

On there I mentioned that last year, I had a smear test that showed I was HPV+. There were no abnormal cells present, so I was asked to come back after a year to have another smear. HPV is a virus and the body can often clear it by itself, but it is tested for as it can lead to cervical cancer, so needs to be monitored.

Well, I returned for my smear at the beginning of September. I received the results a couple of weeks later – this time HPV was detected again, but my sample also showed mild dyskaryosis, changes in the cells of the cervix which are pre-cancerous. Dyskaryosis can be deemed mild, moderate and severe – but just a reminder that ALL of these are PRE-cancerous. This is what smear tests are designed to pick up, before you develop cancer and it is the reason it is so important to stay up to date with your smear tests. These changes can be spotted and treated before developing into anything more sinister when detected.

I was invited to the colposcopy clinic on the basis of these results and my appointment was made for mid-October. I was shocked and obviously nervous – I already have enough health stuff going on and don’t need to add any further issues to the list! M mum is a cervical smear screener though, and it was great to have her support and her knowledge about the whole process behind me.

So the appointment day was coming round and a week before i had a bit of a wobble. I messaged my Mum and asked her to come with me, I also had offers from Tom to take time off work so he could be there to support me and my best friend Emma too. My people really are the best! On the day of the appointment, me and Mum went for some lunch when she finished work and then headed to the gynecology department. I got called in by one of the lovely nurses that was in my appointment. The specialist colposcopy nurse was great, explaining the procedure and going through my medical history…. ha ha, we were there a while!

Some important information they needed to know about was my bowel surgeries. Following my hemicolectomy/stoma surgery, I was told due to scar tissue, my womb was adhered at an angle towards my left side. I was then warned before my panproctocolectomy, that it would almost certainly cause my uterus to tilt backwards, which had been confirmed as being quite a serious tilt post-surgery. They also ask about things like your last period, any issues you are having with them contraception and if you have any pain/bleeding after sex.

I was then gowned up and taken into the second room which was more theatre like. I got on the bed and they asked me to put my legs in the stirrups. As they knew I had arthritis and my hip relaced, they were constantly checking I was OK with the position and that’s one piece of advice I always give – people can’t help you if they aren’t aware of what you have going on. Any time I go for a gynae procedure I let them know about my arthritis and limited movements I can make due to it, and they are always super understanding and helpful, making sure I am comfortable while they do things.

First, they take a good look at your cervix, then they brush a solution on. This solution highlights any ‘problem’ areas that they may need to take biopsies of. I had two biopsies taken from a very small area of concern, however the nurse did say she didn’t think it looked like anything nasty and she was doing it just to make sure. Better safe than sorry I say!

The whole thing was pretty painless and was jut like a smear test really, that took slightly longer! They said the biopsies may slightly pinch but I didn’t notice them as the nurses in the room kept me chatting about all sorts of other things to take my mind off what was happening. Following the procedure I went to the changing room and got dressed. I had taken a sanitary pad with me just in case, but they did have some there that they said I could use.

After I was dressed the nurse explained again, what she had seen and what she had done. She said I could expect the results in the next 6 weeks and explained what to do if by that point, I hadn’t heard anything. She explained if no abnormal cells were found on the biopsies, I would return to normal 3 yearly recall. If something was found, I would be invited for treatment accordingly. She did say that my uterus is extremely tilted and due to this, any kind of treatment would need to be done under general anesthetic as it would not be possible to do anything without causing me extreme pain – thanks again body of mine!

However, that does not need to be worried about for now as the biopsies came back showing slight inflammation and nothing more! I experienced some mild period type pain that evening but nothing some painkillers and a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix. To say I was relieved is an understatement. Despite knowing the changes detected were mild and pre-cancerous, it is still a nerve wracking thing to go through, as I am sure any woman who has gone through it knows. I shared a couple of videos about my experience on TikTok and was blown away by the response – so many women thanking me for clarifying that mild, moderate and even severe dyskaryosis were all pre-cancerous, as they thought they had cervical cancer. Many people said they were pleased to hear about what happened at the colposcopy appointment as they also had to go and now they knew a bit more of what to expect etc. Due to this I wanted to share it here for those that read my blog and might want to hear abut this as well!

I am happy to answer any questions and if you want that to be privately, you can email me at thespooniemummy@hotmail.com

Knowledge is definitely power and the support of others who have been through something similar cannot be underestimated, so I am always here to try and help where I can. Later on this month we have Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, led by the amazing Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. You can visit their website here and they have loads of great information, advice and support too.

Take care and if you are due your smear, go book it now!

Natalie

The Spoonie Mummy