My Top 5 Tips : Preparing For A Colposcopy & Cervical Biopsy

 

Hi everyone!

I shared my experience with having abnormal smear tests and cervical biopsies on my Instagram stories and in my blog post My Cervical Screening Story: High Abnormalities, LLETZ Treatment And Recovery. My LLETZ treatment was fully successful and now back on regular routine smear tests every 3 years because I am healthy. Hooray! 

I wanted to share my top 5 tips for preparing for a colposcopy and cervical biopsy as I've been through a few of them myself and I want to help other ladies who are going through a similar situation. I'm not a medical professional, I just want to offer some advice and reassurance. So if you have been informed you have an abnormal smear test via letter and have been invited to attend a colposcopy screening then here are my suggestions to help and prepare you before you go.

1. Have A Bath

If you are a bath lover like I am then make sure you have a nice bubbly bath a few days before your appointment. This is because when you have a colposcopy the doctor usually decides to take a biopsy of your cervix to take a closer look at the abnormal cells. Your cervix can take up to 4-6 weeks to heal and you aren’t allowed to submerge yourself in water. No baths, hot tubs or swimming. I had a colposcopy a few weeks before Christmas and it was difficult not having a bath as it’s one of my Christmas traditions to have a bath with a lush bath bomb for a treat. 

2. Take Painkillers

If you have a cervical biopsy you may experience cramping which is similar to period cramps which can feel uncomfortable. So I suggest to take a form of pain relief with you. You may get offered pain relief at the hospital but if you don't then you have some just incase. 

3. Eat Something 

Before your appointment eat something light. Keep your blood sugar in check. Take a sugary drink with you too. 

4. Treat Yourself

After your appointment, do something nice for yourself. Buy yourself a chocolate bar, watch your favourite TV show, Netflix or facetime a friend. 

5. Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust

I'd recommend visiting Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust website as it's a fantastic website full of information about HPV, cervical screenings, colposcopy and so much more. The chat forum really helped me to connect with others about what I was going through. It provided me with comfort knowing that you aren't on your own and how common it is.

I wish you all the best with your colposcopy. 

Good luck!:)

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Celebrating My Birthday In Lockdown

Hi everyone.
I recently celebrated turning 33.

We are all in the same boat with having a lockdown birthday and it sucks. I miss physically seeing people and having the freedom and options to do things if I want too.

It’s funny how much things can change within a year. This time last year I was getting all dressed up, celebrating with friends, drinking in a pub and hitting the dance floor. A time when we were all blissfully unaware about what was to happen in the world and I made so many plans in my mind of things I wanted to do which have now all been put on pause. But the pandemic has made me embrace the little things in life more such as filling my body with good food, taking daily walks and learning new crafts.

Watch my birthday vlog below:-

I hope everyone is staying safe.

Bunny Hugs,

Hayley

xx

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Hello 2021

Hi everyone

I'm back on my blog!

How is my little corner of the internet doing?

We've got some catching up to do from last year.

2020 well, what can I say?

No one expected a worldwide pandemic that's for sure.

Life has been turned upside down and there has been so much struggle and difficulty. Being in a national lockdown and not being able to see loved ones, hug each other or go out. It really makes you appreciate the little things in life and face to face communication.

On a personal level I've found it so overwhelming and draining at times. I've barely posted anything on here due to focusing on my well being. My creative projects and ideas started out well at the beginning of the year but have now completely faded. I hope to get some inspiration back because I'm not ready to quit just yet. I've made a start with returning to YouTube.

Check out my video below.

Losing Magic back in October was hard as she has been there for me over the past 7 years especially this year when I've found being in lockdown tough. Having animals has always been apart of my identity so it's been interesting to see who I am now and now my focus has been on my health. The mantra "health is wealth" comes to mind during the pandemic.

But amongst the darkness there has been moments of light. My favourite highlights of this year have been celebrating my 32nd birthday pre-covid times. I'm extremely lucky to of celebrated my birthday as I did because everyone from March onwards didn't get that. It must be difficult celebrating the milestone birthdays such as 16,18,21 or 30 because when I look back at my life so far I realise how lucky I am to of shared those birthdays with the people that I love and doing what I want.

In 2020 I also joined Tik Tok and found joy in learning dances and playing different characters (I felt like I'm back in drama class when I was at school and I love it)

Another favourite moment is when Tiger King came out on Netflix when we all got put into national lockdown number 1 and all the memes that came along with it were hilarious (I'll never financially recover from this)

Zoom and Netflix parties have been a blessing. I don't know how I would cope without the internet.

Bunny Hugs,

Hayley

xx

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