Reminder: book in for your Cervical Cancer Screening Test!
Hi ladies. I’m going to get a bit personal here, this will be a long one, but please bear with me.
Last year I finally went for my well overdue Cervical Cancer Screening Test (formerly known as Pap smear/test). I booked in to get my results, however then received a call to come in sooner. My heart sank as I entered my GP’s office and saw in bold red text on the screen “HIGH RISK”. I was given a print out of my results, showing high risk for significant abnormality, and referred to the hospital for a colposcopy. I then had to play the waiting game to find out when I would be seen, and I finally got the letter informing me of a 9 month wait. I knew I couldn’t wait that long, as my anxiety was already getting the better of me, so I went back to the doctor and got a private referral. I still had to wait to get in, because typically, the doctor I was referred to was on leave, but I didn’t want to go through the whole referral process a third time. I finally got in around 2.5 months after my initial test, and during the procedure they decided to do a biopsy as there was an area of concern. The cost of the appointment was just under $300, and none of this was covered by my private health (I have top cover). I then had to wait another week to get my biopsy results. Thankfully, the results came back low grade, however I do have HPV16 (one of the two strains linked to cervical cancer), and because of my autoimmune disease and immunosuppressive medication, I may not be able to clear this from my system the way a healthy person can. I will be retested at the end of the year to see if there are any further changes.
Now, you might wonder why I’m telling you this. I felt it was important to share this in a community made up of primarily female members, as I know first hand how easy it is to put off this appointment. I know it’s not pleasant, and I know how quickly time can slip away from you, but when it comes to cervical cancer, EARLY DETECTION is crucial. So, I want to please IMPLORE you, if you are due, or OVERDUE for your test, PLEASE book in ASAP! Please don’t take your health for granted, or think ‘it would never happen to me’.
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