What happens when the person who usually knows what to do…doesn’t?
In this deeply personal solo episode of Friends with (therapy) benefits, Elizabeth shares the story of an abnormal Pap smear during the height of COVID-19 that led to a diagnosis of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2 (CIN 2), painful testing, multiple procedures, and some of the most frightening moments of her life.
But this isn’t really an episode about a cervix.
It’s about health anxiety, medical self-advocacy, women’s healthcare, and learning to trust your own voice when everyone around you seems to know more than you do.
Elizabeth reflects on being told not to worry when she was terrified, undergoing a painful colposcopy without anesthesia, walking into a hospital alone during COVID, and realizing how difficult it is to advocate for yourself when you’re scared, overwhelmed, and don’t even know which questions you’re supposed to ask.
She also explores the belief she carried for years: the doctor knows best, so what do I know?
The lesson wasn’t to stop trusting doctors or experts. It was learning that their expertise doesn’t require you to abandon your own.
Sometimes advocating for yourself means asking another question. Saying something hurts. Asking for more information. Getting another opinion. Or simply believing yourself when something doesn’t feel right.
Because no matter how many experts are in the room, you are still the expert on your own life.
🎙️ In this episode: CIN 2 and abnormal Pap smears, health anxiety, women’s health, colposcopy and cervical procedures, medical self-advocacy, trusting yourself, finding your voice, and what it means to become an active participant in your own care.
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