I finally plucked up the courage to go for my smear yesterday after delaying for a year. It was excruciating, and the nurse noticed redness on the vaginal wall I think. She took a swab as well as the smear.
I told her about the bleeding and pain I have been having, and she said to wait for the swab results and speak to the GP in a week. Now I am worried that I have some red flags and should speak to a GP ASAP, even before the swab results are back. No idea what the swab was for.
Any support or advice would be gratefully received.
The swab is to test for infection. When I went to my GP with symptoms (abnormal vaginal discharge) the first test they did was a swab. I’m not an expert but I’m fairly sure your GP will want to rule out infection before doing any further investigations so I think your nurse has given you the correct advice. I know it’s hard not to worry, but waiting a week will not have any significant effect on your outcome if it turns out you have cancer.
