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vaginapagina2011-12-17 11:02 pm
gavinsmommy84.livejournal.com) wrote in vaginapagina2011-12-17 11:02 pm
Refusal for Pap at health department
I had this experience happen yesterday morning, but have still be so disgusted that I haven't been able to think about it much.
Where to start...I'm recently married (got married in June), and I haven't had a past test since before I began sleeping with my husband (February 2010). I went for my yearly appointment in January 2011 and was told that I didn't need a pap because the guidelines had changed for women in their 20's only needing a pap every two years if there hadn't been an abnormal one in so many years. So, I decided not to get one and save the trouble of it. Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago when a friend of mine says that she has cervical cancer. Upsetting news for her (she's also pregnant), but my husband has slept with this friend before he and I began dating in 2010. I know that the HPV virus can cause cervical cancer, so, naturally, I figure that I should have this checked out for myself , if anything just for piece of mind. Plus, I've been wanting to change my birth control anyway. So, I made an appointment at my local health department, where I've been going for years for my birth control needs (they have always been helpful) since I'm still a student and don't have insurance yet.
I get into the exam room with the nurse practitioner, and she looks over my chart and medical history and says that I don't need a pap since it hasn't been two years since my last one (it was in February of 2009). I tell it that I don't care, that I want one anyway. She still insists that I don't need one. I explain to her why I want one...that a friend of mine has found out she has cervical cancer, and she has slept with my husband, therefore, I want the pap test to see if I have abnormal cervical cells. She proceeds to act like I have no idea what I'm talking about...that they don't do the kind of test that would show HPV since I'm only in my twenties (I'm 27), and they only do those for women in their 30's, and that even if I was exposed to HPV that if I am healthy, my immune system would automatically fight off the virus without needing to have intervention.
I was shocked. I mean, I know many women in their 20's (especially for reading here on VP) that have had to have intervention due to paps coming back abnormal. I think I was more offended with the fact that this woman acted like I had no idea what I was talking about, and then refused to give me a test that I would have to pay more for. So what if it proved to be worthless, and only helped my piece of mind? I was paying for it, and I think she provided me with misinformation anyway.
I also told her that I thought I may have a case of BV or yeast. I suspected BV, but she came back saying that I had a minimal amount of yeast that didn't even necessarily need treatment and because I'd just gotten off my period, it was normal to show that some yeast (but I thought that being on your period usually made yeast disappear??). But I know I still have some sort of infection, but don't know what to do about it.
And I don't know what to do from this point on. I had tears in my eyes the entire rest of the exam, and on my way home to talk to my husband. I don't think I've ever been treated this way at a doctor's appointment. But I guess I just need some advice on where to go from here. I am lost. Also, sorry for the length of this post.
Where to start...I'm recently married (got married in June), and I haven't had a past test since before I began sleeping with my husband (February 2010). I went for my yearly appointment in January 2011 and was told that I didn't need a pap because the guidelines had changed for women in their 20's only needing a pap every two years if there hadn't been an abnormal one in so many years. So, I decided not to get one and save the trouble of it. Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago when a friend of mine says that she has cervical cancer. Upsetting news for her (she's also pregnant), but my husband has slept with this friend before he and I began dating in 2010. I know that the HPV virus can cause cervical cancer, so, naturally, I figure that I should have this checked out for myself , if anything just for piece of mind. Plus, I've been wanting to change my birth control anyway. So, I made an appointment at my local health department, where I've been going for years for my birth control needs (they have always been helpful) since I'm still a student and don't have insurance yet.
I get into the exam room with the nurse practitioner, and she looks over my chart and medical history and says that I don't need a pap since it hasn't been two years since my last one (it was in February of 2009). I tell it that I don't care, that I want one anyway. She still insists that I don't need one. I explain to her why I want one...that a friend of mine has found out she has cervical cancer, and she has slept with my husband, therefore, I want the pap test to see if I have abnormal cervical cells. She proceeds to act like I have no idea what I'm talking about...that they don't do the kind of test that would show HPV since I'm only in my twenties (I'm 27), and they only do those for women in their 30's, and that even if I was exposed to HPV that if I am healthy, my immune system would automatically fight off the virus without needing to have intervention.
I was shocked. I mean, I know many women in their 20's (especially for reading here on VP) that have had to have intervention due to paps coming back abnormal. I think I was more offended with the fact that this woman acted like I had no idea what I was talking about, and then refused to give me a test that I would have to pay more for. So what if it proved to be worthless, and only helped my piece of mind? I was paying for it, and I think she provided me with misinformation anyway.
I also told her that I thought I may have a case of BV or yeast. I suspected BV, but she came back saying that I had a minimal amount of yeast that didn't even necessarily need treatment and because I'd just gotten off my period, it was normal to show that some yeast (but I thought that being on your period usually made yeast disappear??). But I know I still have some sort of infection, but don't know what to do about it.
And I don't know what to do from this point on. I had tears in my eyes the entire rest of the exam, and on my way home to talk to my husband. I don't think I've ever been treated this way at a doctor's appointment. But I guess I just need some advice on where to go from here. I am lost. Also, sorry for the length of this post.
no subject
The "pap smear" test collects cells and looks at them under a microscope, and compares them to a standard of normalcy, to look for precancerous changes. This test is the same for everyone - there is no "over 30s" version.
There are also DNA screenings for HPV that you can have done to test whether you have been exposed to HPV. The one used most screens for all the high-risk HPV subtypes in one test. It is a separate test from the pap.
She might have meant they only do the HPV DNA test on women over 30 "normally". However, I am SHOCKED AND DISTURBED that someone who came in presenting a specific situation of concern was denied the tests that they requested.
Write a letter of complaint to the department.
no subject
And thank you for the suggestion. I just wish I knew what I could do *now* to ease my concerns besides trying to find an actual gynecologist that I know I can't afford...
no subject