It is stupid, I know
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It is stupid, I know
| Thu, 07-10-2008 - 10:42pm |
I have a fear of pap smears. I have to take Ambien before I get them done. I feel like my ob/gyn does not want to treat me anymore because my fear is so overwhelming. My family physician has offered to do one. I have not had one in two years. Why is this so terrifying for me?


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You're taking Ambien before your pap smear?
Have you ever suffered abuse?
Gyn exams are quite hard for me to wrap my head around. It seems very unnatural to have a stranger with his fingers in my vagina. They say women often develop an unusual admiration or crush for their gyn as a way to cope with this.
I would really recommend seeing a counselor to work through your fears since they are so severe.
Hi tdiva1 and welcome to the board.
While some anxiety before/during a gyn exam and/or pap smear is not all that unusual, being terrified is.
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Prescribing Ambien in order to sleep during a gyn exam is NOT normal procedure, I have never heard of that.
I'm sorry that you are feeling that way.
I'm just stating that it's not exactly ethical for an MD to prescribe a sleeping pill for a patient for the sole purpose of getting through a gyn exam.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I do not think it's stupid. I am overweight and I was raped so I have both a fear of people seeing me 'in the buff' because I am self-conscious and I have PTSD due to the rape. So....the other thing is being overweight can make the exam very uncomfortable (even painful depending on your weight distribution). I recently fond a GYN who uses a new wonderful table where I don't really have to do a thing and he just adjusts the table so that he can do the exam. This has made a huge difference for me.
I think Ambien is being used for some off label things and that is perfectly normal and up to the physician. Since it relaxes you and makes you sleep through it it's not a bad option as long as you don't have to drive yourself anywhere. For me, xanax works.
Rather than get worked up about what the underling cause might be, I would concentrate on finding a GYN or other doc who can make you feel more at ease.
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