Back! TMI!
So I'm home from the pap smear. It was...not fun. I have a fantastic doctor and she didn't baby me or anything, just told me what she was going to do and was very gentle. Well as gentle as you can be. She's lovely person, I really do like her. She does all sorts of relief trips and I think they're Mormon. She does it with her family and I think that's so damn cool. Plus? She reads Harry Potter and her favorite book is the third one. And she loved the seventh one. Hee.
It was definitely uncomfortable, especially since absolutely nothing has been inserted in the vaginal canal. Member of the V-Club, right here, and I don't even use tampons, just because I chose not to. *shrugs* I rather like pads even if they're cumbersome. So I explained it to her (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO THAT) and she was very frank about trying it but not forcing it. "If we can do it, we'll do it. If not we'll try another time, I'm not worried about you." Meaning I'm not sexually active and all that.
She didn't use a speculum which I appreciated and instead used two fingers to hold me open while finding the cervix. I suppose had she used a speculum it wouldn't have been quite as bad because the cervix would have been easier to find. However, I think (for lack of a better word) I was too tight/small for the smallest speculum, so I do appreciate her consideration. Completely appreciate, believe me. There was a lot of pressure involved which was VERY uncomfortable but not painful and the worst part was her using the brush to get the cells off the cervix. That was fairly painful and I believe I cramped a little. Given my threshold for pain is MINIUSCULE at best. ;) It wasn't so bad that I'd have panic attacks about it next year. Nor am I in pain now or did I bleed later.
Her skill as a gynecologist probably played a very big part in this. I really like her and I she makes me very comfortable. I recommend you talk about anxities with your doctor, and if you have a friend or your mom close when you go and you're comfortable with having someone there, by all means, take them. I squeezed her fingers pretty tight and we both laughed about it later.
Like I've said I'd rather have that five minutes (honestly, it lasted five minutes no lie) of discomfort than find out I have cancer or some disease. If you haven't had one done and you're of age (21 in the US) or sexually active, go talk to a gynecologist about it. It's like going to the dentist, just another part of the maintenance of your body. It may not be comfortable but it is important. I implore women all to do it. And don't let the thought of having your legs in stirrups and the like turn you away, what hasn't the gynecologist seen? Personally, I prefer female gynecologists just because I feel more comfortable with another woman "poking" around down there. Because she has one, she's seen plenty and I think she'll treat me the way I like over a man. No babying but gentle and not pushy. But hey, it's your choice!
I hope this helps someone.
Also? I'm sleepy from cough medicine.
It was definitely uncomfortable, especially since absolutely nothing has been inserted in the vaginal canal. Member of the V-Club, right here, and I don't even use tampons, just because I chose not to. *shrugs* I rather like pads even if they're cumbersome. So I explained it to her (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO THAT) and she was very frank about trying it but not forcing it. "If we can do it, we'll do it. If not we'll try another time, I'm not worried about you." Meaning I'm not sexually active and all that.
She didn't use a speculum which I appreciated and instead used two fingers to hold me open while finding the cervix. I suppose had she used a speculum it wouldn't have been quite as bad because the cervix would have been easier to find. However, I think (for lack of a better word) I was too tight/small for the smallest speculum, so I do appreciate her consideration. Completely appreciate, believe me. There was a lot of pressure involved which was VERY uncomfortable but not painful and the worst part was her using the brush to get the cells off the cervix. That was fairly painful and I believe I cramped a little. Given my threshold for pain is MINIUSCULE at best. ;) It wasn't so bad that I'd have panic attacks about it next year. Nor am I in pain now or did I bleed later.
Her skill as a gynecologist probably played a very big part in this. I really like her and I she makes me very comfortable. I recommend you talk about anxities with your doctor, and if you have a friend or your mom close when you go and you're comfortable with having someone there, by all means, take them. I squeezed her fingers pretty tight and we both laughed about it later.
Like I've said I'd rather have that five minutes (honestly, it lasted five minutes no lie) of discomfort than find out I have cancer or some disease. If you haven't had one done and you're of age (21 in the US) or sexually active, go talk to a gynecologist about it. It's like going to the dentist, just another part of the maintenance of your body. It may not be comfortable but it is important. I implore women all to do it. And don't let the thought of having your legs in stirrups and the like turn you away, what hasn't the gynecologist seen? Personally, I prefer female gynecologists just because I feel more comfortable with another woman "poking" around down there. Because she has one, she's seen plenty and I think she'll treat me the way I like over a man. No babying but gentle and not pushy. But hey, it's your choice!
I hope this helps someone.
Also? I'm sleepy from cough medicine.