Thanks for the advice VPers, that's made me feel a little better.
Would they know if I actually already had cancer from the pap tests alone? I asked the nurse if she would be able to tell if there was anything seriously wrong with my cervix during the pap test, and she said she would have a really good look. She said my cervix was quite a deep red colour but that it didn't look like inflammation or anything to be concerned about - more likely that I had a good blood flow to the area and it's my natural colour. She said there was nothing unhealthy looking about it and that if she saw a pic of my cervix in a textbook she would say it was 'normal.'
My biggest fear is firstly that I will be diagnosed with cancer during this colposcopy and have to go through rigourous, painful treatments. My next biggest fear is that even if I don't have cancer, they will want to cut/freeze/burn away abnormal cells, and this will lead to me not having a normal sex life for a long time. It has already affected my sex life - since my first abnormal smear, I have been reluctant to have regular sex with my long-term boyfriend in fear of it either hurting or making my 'condition' worse.
I used to have a very active and enjoyable sex life - didn't need much 'warming-up' and certainly never thought twice about a quickie in the middle of the night etc. Now my boyfriend is lucky to get sex a couple of times a month, with lube, with me being very cautious. It's ridiculous and I hate being like this but I simply haven't been in the mood and now feel less confident than before.
After you had colposcopies, did it take v.long until you could go back to normal sex lives?
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Thanks!
Date: 2010-07-23 09:50 am (UTC)Would they know if I actually already had cancer from the pap tests alone? I asked the nurse if she would be able to tell if there was anything seriously wrong with my cervix during the pap test, and she said she would have a really good look. She said my cervix was quite a deep red colour but that it didn't look like inflammation or anything to be concerned about - more likely that I had a good blood flow to the area and it's my natural colour. She said there was nothing unhealthy looking about it and that if she saw a pic of my cervix in a textbook she would say it was 'normal.'
My biggest fear is firstly that I will be diagnosed with cancer during this colposcopy and have to go through rigourous, painful treatments. My next biggest fear is that even if I don't have cancer, they will want to cut/freeze/burn away abnormal cells, and this will lead to me not having a normal sex life for a long time. It has already affected my sex life - since my first abnormal smear, I have been reluctant to have regular sex with my long-term boyfriend in fear of it either hurting or making my 'condition' worse.
I used to have a very active and enjoyable sex life - didn't need much 'warming-up' and certainly never thought twice about a quickie in the middle of the night etc. Now my boyfriend is lucky to get sex a couple of times a month, with lube, with me being very cautious. It's ridiculous and I hate being like this but I simply haven't been in the mood and now feel less confident than before.
After you had colposcopies, did it take v.long until you could go back to normal sex lives?