You Should Prioritise Yourself and Your Health

A few months ago, I had a health scare.

I went for my routine cervical screening, hopped in the car and drove home to continue working from home and didn’t worry a single jot. Why should I? It was my fourth (they screen earlier than age 25 in Hong Kong, where I lived for a portion of my twenties) and I’d never had any abnormalities flagged.

Three weeks later (and a bit – due to untimely Royal Mail strikes!), I received my NHS letter.

I opened it, assuming the usual short sentence letting me know all was clear and that my surgery would be in touch in three years for my next appointment.

Instead, there was a two-page letter accompanied by two leaflets. They’d found abnormal cells and needed to book me in for a colposcopy, something I hadn’t even heard of until that moment. Blind panic coursed through me. I was a healthy, active 31-year-old. I had a pristine cervical screening record. How could this have happened?

Of course I’ve already written about my result – clear, thank goodness – but it was certainly a wake-up call that health is not a given. While I take care of my mental wellbeing with therapy (currently paused) and my physical health and strength with regular gym training sessions, there is always a little more that can be done. I’ve since scheduled GP appointments to check on my periods and nutrition. I’m also much more steadfast about taking my daily vitamins – especially the B12 that is essential as I eat a vegan diet.

In worrying myself endlessly about the colposcopy, I sparked another bout of acute stress which meant my hair began to fall out at pace again and my psoriasis flared too. Back in 2013, I experienced hair loss due to acute stress from my first baby steps into full-time employment, and it often returns when I’m, well, stressed. It was a stark reminder that these things often have a snowball effect and, months later, I’m only just beginning to get back on track again.

There’s little that can be done, really, to foresee and prevent abnormal cells in your cervix. But I am forever grateful to have gone to that cervical screening appointment. Not only did it flag up genuine concerns that I then managed to have checked out, it reminded me to take care of and prioritise my health overall.

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