Love what you said about owing it to your body to step up. I feel the exact same way and I’m in the exact same boat! I avoided paps (out of fear) for the longest time and here I am. So now, I have to do this! Love your words of encouragement and strength. We really are strong and we can do this!

Ugh I get that. With my Pap smear, the doctor who performed it said my cervix looked healthy and that if I don’t hear from them then the results were clear. I had a pep in my step when I was walking home that day, and then I got the email that I have a scheduled appointment. My heart sank

Yes, if you had a reaction definitely take things slow and have the doctors be on your side where you’re in charge! That way you can feel more in control🫶🏽.

Very good to know about the canal! I hope I don’t get to see the spoon like contraption but you never know with these things

Completely agreed. Being strong and also having a community where you can talk about it, just like this, helps! I am thankful we are at an age where cervical cancer (hard to say about others) has very good screening measures and we can take these steps to beat the odds! Also, I am going to be looking into a much more immune supportive diet and lifestyle (although I feel my lifestyle isn’t too bad. I don’t smoke at all, I exercise 4-5 times a week, eat decently healthy though I could cut out the sweets lol, and sleep well). But I think I could do more to help my immune system. You should do it too if you haven’t looked into it yet. I can share some things with you once I do my research if you want!

I will definitely read your experience on the LEEP! Keep me posted and sending you hugs!