9 Aug 2015

my week #173

This week was my first week of my penultimate year at medical school and intense was one word to describe it. However, it was nice to get back into the swing of things and see some familiar faces too. It's all becoming too real too - talks now focus on 'what we need to know as an F1' and though that felt like an age away when I first started in 2013, it now feels very, very real.

On Wednesday, as I'm approaching my 25th birthday, I had my first cervical smear. Here in the UK, women are called to a screening service that happens at three-yearly intervals and this starts at the age of 25. I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to this 'landmark' event but there is a serious message here. One of the prerequisites of screening programmes in the UK is if there is a life-saving treatment available for said condition if found at an early stage. There are other criteria it must fulfil but that one is the key one I want to highlight here. It's one of the key reasons why a smear is worth those five minutes of discomfort and embarrassment.


How has your week been?

4 comments

  1. In the US, it is recommended (from what I've heard from two doctors, at least xD ) that you start getting *those* exams done when you are between 18 and 21, and at max every three years afterwards. It's not a fun thing to go through, but it is for sure a good peace of mind to have it done! Plus, it really is about five minutes, and you're done and out the door.

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    1. Definitely agree with everything you've said! In a lecture I had last year, the lecturer said he thought screening should start at 20 or even earlier - but here, we can't go any earlier than 24/25 unless we go for private healthcare x

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  2. Love the colours you used this week!

    I also had my first smear last week - cost me $300! Grumble... - and it wasn't anything as embarrassing or uncomfortable as I'd imagined it to me. I still think there's a lot that can be done to raise awareness about the whole experience (:

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    1. Definitely agree on the awareness front! $300 woah (or wahhhhh as they'd say in HK hehe), that's a lot of money for a five minute procedure! x

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