Hi all , I am new to this page. This is a big thing for me to put this on here for people to see so here goes. In 2018 I was raped , I don’t want to go into details but that’s all you guys need to know. In 2021 I was sent a letter inviting me for the cervical screening , I knew I needed to attend so that morning I made it to my doctors surgery all good ,nurse calls me in anxiety took over , then it came to the actual examination in floods of tears and screaming the trauma and flashbacks had arrived a 10 minute appointment had turned into I can’t even remember how long. Anyways eventually the nurse managed to comfort me enough and was able to get a sample I then left still traumatised and thinking I would never go back. 2 weeks later a letter comes I have HPV , I have to go back in a years time for another screening. So here I am a year later , it’s booked and 8 days until my appointment my stomach is turning , I have been crying and thinking I can’t go through with it because of the trauma , the pain I experienced of flashbacks from having the last test , what if I still have HPV? What if I need further treatment? How can I deal with this , the trauma? Another reason why I am here is when I try and explain why I get so upset about the screening people tell me “it’s not that bad” “it’s only 2 minutes” “your assault was years ago now you can move past that” why does no one under stand my trauma around the cervical screening? I feel like I have no one I can talk to who fully understands.
Hello. I can’t imagine how difficult must be for you to go for a smear. Have you considered getting a hpv test and doing it at home? If is negative you don’t need to go for a smear test. Because HPV is the cause of cervical cancer or abnormal cells. no virus no need to test the cells for abnormalities.
Sorry for what you been through I hope you can find a way to get checked that you are comfortable with. Take care.
Hi Jane
I haven’t had a similar experience but I’m so sorry about what has happened to you; it’s great that you reaching out for support. I know from my diagnosis of cervical cancer that only those who’ve had a similar experience can really understand, which is why support groups can be invaluable. If you haven’t found it already this website has some information about cervical screening after sexual violence - see link: https://www.jostrust.org.uk/information/cervical-screening/cervical-screening-after-sexual-violence
Well done for getting a smear test last year; that must have taken so much courage and I’m sorry it was triggering for you. Have you had any counselling? As Hop1 suggests HPV self sampling may be a suitable option for you; kits can be bought on-line.
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