I am due a smear test ( yeah great) but am still on chemo with 2 lots left to go. I know they don’t like doing anything much when in the middle of chemo but does this include smear tests. I rang the GP and asked but they didn’t really know either and just said they couldn’t see why not so I have booked in. I am due to see the onc tomorrow but just wondered if anyone else knew whether I could go ahead with this.
I delayed mine til a few weeks after chemo had finished. I figured a couple of months delay wasn’t crucial for the smear test and I didn’t want to risk problems / infection / being more uncomfortable than the smear test normally is
I was advised by my onc to wait until treatment is over before having a smear test. The main reason being that chemotherapy drugs are highly toxic and it was more of a risk to the nurse than it was to us.
I mentioned it to my GP and he made a note on my file that I could arrange one when active treatment was over, so that’s what I did.
Nymeria x
Hi
I have got smear test booked in for Thurs this week and am still on chemo 4 to go? Was booked when I went to pick up sick note so assume they know am on chemo! Will phone tomorrow I think and see if should wait.
Jill
Thanks for raising this issue as I’d just planned to go ahead and have smear done - I’m due to make my smear appt but will now discuss with my Onc on Wednesday first - will let you know what they say.
Fran
I had mine during chemo and a note was made and sent with the test. I didn’t need to give a urine sample though.
I had my regular one done just before my op at Christmas but it came back as “couldn’t be processed”. My onc told me to wait until I’d finished treatment to have another (you have to wait three months anyway to let the cells regenerate), so seven months later I went again - that was a couple of weeks ago.
The nurse was so careful to try to get a good sample, but guess what? Couldn’t be processed again! Now I’ve got to wait another three months to have it done yet again, by which time it’ll be ten months late 
I don’t know if the second failure was due to chemo/rads or not but the nurse did put a note on the form with the sample to say I’d been having treatment.
Jane xxx
A report back on smear and what my Onc said - she said definitely leave it until after chemo so many thanks to those on this thread for alterting me to the issue. Where would I be without you all???
Fran
x
Yes my onc said to leave it until chemo is finished too. Strange they don’t volunteer this information, it would certainly make life easier.
i managed to work out that i would be due my smear during chemo so went and had it done early. It was just one more thing to wait for, but thank goodness came back clear.