"The team were absolutely amazing"

For a lot of women, going for a smear test can be a worrying time. When I received the letter saying abnormal cells had been found I immediately started to get anxious. The letter informed me that the hospital would be in touch to arrange an appointment for a colposcopy and sure enough, the next day a letter arrived with my appointment. I had never been to the Pilgrim Hospital before, having only recently moved to the area. My husband came with me for support as I was absolutely terrified.

 We were greeted by a lovely volunteer who gave us directions to the department we needed. The ladies in the women’s health department were absolutely fantastic. They were friendly, welcoming and I knew straight away that I was in safe hands. The doctor and nurses at my appointment were very informative about the procedure I was going to have and what would happen next. My anxiety was quite high but the ladies chatted to me during the procedure which helped calm me down. It felt like we were long term friends having a natter over a coffee- they really helped to distract my attention from what was going on “down there”! 

After the procedure was complete the ladies offered me a coffee and a chance to look at the aftercare leaflets. The colposcopy team were absolutely amazing and made my first visit to the Pilgrim Hospital a less scary experience.