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Author Topic: Are pap smears very often abnormal?  (Read 14416 times)

CLKD

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2016, 06:42:13 PM »

I've never been warned nor have I asked.  The letter is back within 10 days and has, to date, told me that all is 'normal'.  Interesting point, the amount/not of 'abnormal' results.
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20032003

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2016, 08:39:42 PM »

I've never been warned nor have I asked.  The letter is back within 10 days and has, to date, told me that all is 'normal'.  Interesting point, the amount/not of 'abnormal' results.

I swear that it was a 10-day turnaround on pap smear results last time I had mine. I thought it was absurd when she said 8 weeks and I even blurted out that I thought that it would take about 10 days to get the result back....
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Claireylou

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2016, 09:01:02 PM »

The longest I've ever had to wait was four weeks. The surgery I've been with here for years is usually around ten days.

Maybe ring the surgery for some clarification?
« Last Edit: January 18, 2016, 09:06:59 PM by Claireylou »
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dahliagirl

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2016, 11:09:56 PM »

http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18932/nhs-cervical-stat-eng-2014-15-rep.pdf

From what I can work out, over 90% of tests come back negative.
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BrightLight

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2016, 11:30:04 PM »

Hi - are you in the UK 20032003?  I am fairly sure they need to get you the result within 2 weeks. It sounds to me as if the nurse doing your test was talking too much :)  I don't think she has facts straight.  I would say similar to earlier post, that it isn't the norm for tests to come back abnormal at all and that if they do, a large majority are for minor issues that are treatable.  I think the leaflet I was given the last time around said all this - saying that you need not be alarmed if you are recalled for another test.

I have had regular smears, I was late for one I think.  I have had two recalls and both were because the sample they took was not good enough. 

I hope you can get the result sooner, 8 weeks seems too long.  Another reason I think the nurse was having an irrelevant chat with herself ;)
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20032003

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #20 on: January 19, 2016, 04:01:55 AM »

No, I'm ln Sweden. The woman who did my test is a midwife.
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limpy

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #21 on: January 19, 2016, 11:34:58 AM »

For me, it's usually 3 weeks before the results come back.
Last time it was 2 - scared me to death it coming so quickly/ Unnecessarily as it turns out, everything was fine  ::)
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coldethyl

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #22 on: January 19, 2016, 12:26:45 PM »

I'd missed my smear by several years and eventually plucked up courage to go last October. My surgery is part of a new testing scheme which takes a brush sample and looks for the HPV virus rather than abnormal cells. It took less than a week to get result back which was clear and I may not now need another one. My GP said that if they found the virus you automatically get seen at the clinic and that there was now a lower cut off point for treatment so not to be to worried if I was recalled at that stage.
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CLKD

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #23 on: January 19, 2016, 12:41:01 PM »

Nurse has been using a brush here for years  ::) - mine is probably 'due' before the end of 2017  :-\
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20032003

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #24 on: January 19, 2016, 02:37:52 PM »

Brush was used for me too, but I think they analyze cells. She talked about the HPV virus as being the cause of most changes.
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Sunnydays

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #25 on: January 23, 2016, 01:10:45 PM »

When you say pap do you mean ordinary smear tests? If so, I've had them almost annually for the past 25 years! I first had an abnormal result all that time ago. The test was repeated 6 monthly for a couple of times to check it wasn't just 'error' and then I was sent for a colposcopy and they found the cell changes were such that I had to have an immediate cone biopsy (some centres used laser treatment apparently, others use the one that I had).

So because of this I have more regular smears and every so often there's an abnormal that corrects itself. I've one other colposcopy since but fortunately everything has always been ok.

My results from the smears have always come back with 2 weeks, although they always say it can take longer.
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CLKD

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #26 on: January 23, 2016, 02:01:13 PM »

I think we're talking tests taken in Sweden  :-\ …….. and a far longer holding time that I think is necessary or 'good' for the condition of the slides????
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dahliagirl

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #27 on: January 24, 2016, 02:35:53 PM »

There was a time in the UK when results took six weeks or more.  I remember from when I first had my smear, and from spending a short time in a cytology lab that this was very controversial at the time and a lot of work was put into reducing the time.

It always sounds like our screening services are limping along from the reports, but they do get some things right.

I hope you hear sooner 20032003, and that it will be good news.

There is loads of info on the UK screening services here: https://www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes.  (You can spend quite some time perusing all the documents  ::) )
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20032003

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #28 on: March 07, 2016, 05:09:44 PM »

Update :) ! I FINALLY got my results back - all normal  :) ! The letter came on day 1 of week 8. Yes, I've been counting....
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Claireylou

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Re: Are pap smears very often abnormal?
« Reply #29 on: March 07, 2016, 05:49:56 PM »

20032003

That is brilliant news! Oh I'm so pleased for you, I know how frightening the wait can be.

One less thing to worry about  :)

 :foryou:
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