As Halloween draws closer, I can’t help but feel like I haven’t fully immersed myself in the spirit of the scariest month of the year. I haven’t been to a pumpkin patch, I haven’t seen many Halloween films, and I’ve barely even smelled a pumpkin candle. I then realized, though, that I was about to do the scariest thing of all: I was going to get my first Pap smear.
The Pap smear is essentially a procedure to screen for cervical cancer. It collects cells from the cervix to be tested for any abnormalities, and it’s recommended that people who need them begin getting them at age 21. This procedure was a looming threat to me before I got it done for the first time:
The Pap Smear Reputation
Of course, when you look online, you’ll see video after video of various people saying their Pap smear was one of the most traumatizing experiences of their lives. Everyone is different, naturally, but when hundreds of thousands of people say the same thing, it gets scary.
One of the scarier videos is an animation of what happens during a Pap smear. In my opinion, it’s not pleasant. It shows a speculum inserted into the plastic model, immediately followed by a small spatula and a brush. Basically, a bunch of things that don’t look like they belong up there.
The other type of video is the experience video. There will be people who’ve had the Pap smear done, telling the camera about their experience. A lot of the time, these people claim that it was one of the most painful experiences of their lives. With everyone saying the same thing, it started to make me feel like this procedure might be the scariest thing on Earth.
What confused me even more was the differing things coming from healthcare professionals versus the people getting Pap smears. You’d think I’d pay more attention to what the actual medical professionals were saying, but for each reassuring video I’d see, two more would pop up telling me my insides would be ripped to shreds.
my Experience
When I went to my doctor for a consultation, my APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) told me that the procedure wouldn’t be painful at all and that what I saw online shouldn’t dictate how I see it. I wasn’t sure, though; if nearly everyone was talking about how painful it was, was I really going to be in that perceived minority of those who experience no pain? I eventually realized, however, that the only way I’d find out was by getting it done.
On the day of my appointment, I woke up early and ate a light meal to make sure my body felt comfortable before I arrived. When I got there, the nurse took my general information and said that it would be fine. However, I still wasn’t feeling very sure about that. When my APRN asked if I had questions, I realized that the only question I had was whether it would hurt, like everyone had told me it would.
Thankfully, she said no. I then asked if I could get the smallest speculum possible. Surprisingly, she told me that they always use the smallest one. Imagine my surprise when we entered the room and she showed me not a giant, metal thing, but a small, plastic speculum, around the size of a somewhat longer baby carrot.
Once I changed into the patient gown, she re-entered the room and talked me through everything she was doing. The first thing she did after inserting the speculum was use a small, spatula-shaped tool to collect cells from the cervix, followed by the straw cleaner-looking thing on the inside of the cervix. I fully expected that last one to hurt, but I barely even felt pressure.
These two objects weren’t used for more than five seconds each. I simply laid down, and in under 30 seconds, I was done. I was almost embarrassed about how easy it was! The procedure finished without a hitch, and I returned to my apartment to nap for three hours.
My final review is that taking care of your health is worth thirty seconds of awkwardness. Honestly, I’d do it again in three years — it seems the Pap’s bark is much worse than its bite.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest!