Scriptwriting
Medical Procedure Video Script: Getting Your Pap Test [excerpt]
Okay, well a Pap test, sometimes called a Pap smear or a Cervical Cancer Screening...
Is an important test for anyone with a cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that sits above the vagina.
A Pap test screens for cell changes that can, over time, turn into cervical cancer. These cell changes are considered “abnormal,” or you may hear them called “dysplasia.”
Since you usually can't feel cervical changes in their beginning stages, you can look at a Pap test as a tool to catch these changes early.
And the earlier you catch them, the sooner you can treat them. And that means you’ll be less likely to have problems in the future.
Human Papilloma Virus (or HPV), is a sexually transmitted infection, and a common cause of dysplasia. So an HPV test may also be done during a Pap test.
Okay. I know you just heard the word HPV, so some of you may be thinking, "I'm not having sex, so do I still need a Pap test?"...
Health Video Script: What is a Colposcopy?
A colposcopy is a medical procedure that many women may have to undergo in their lifetime -- but may also have no idea what it is:
Colonoscopy. Colposcopy. Not the same thing.
Colonoscopy deals with the bum. Colposcopy deals with the cervix and the vagina.
So this video is going to briefly describe what a colposcopy is and what to expect if you need to have one. Let's get started!
What is a colposcopy?
A colposcopy is procedure which allows your doctor to get a very close-up look inside your vagina, particularly your cervix, in order to see if there have been any cell changes, which may be an indicator of cancer. If your pelvic exam or pap smear results return abnormal, your doctor may recommend a colposcopy.
Women who have HPV tend to have abnormal cell changes on their cervix, which prompts abnormal pap smear results, which then prompts your doctor to recommend a colposcopy.
What happens during a colposcopy?
You're usually going to be recommended not to use tampons, douche, have sex, or put anything inside your vagina within 24 hours of the procedure.
Once you get to the hospital, you're going to be in a very similar situation as you would be during a pelvic exam. You know: feet up in stirrups, bum edged all the way to end of the table. Your doctor will then take a speculum, the thing she uses to open up your vagina, so she can get a better look at your cervix. Once you're all opened up, she will take a tool known as a colposcope, hence colposcopy, which is similar to magnifying glass with a flashlight on
the end and place that at the opening of your vagina.
The colposcope DOES NOT go inside the vagina. It stays on the outside, just at the opening, so she can have a better look in.
With the colposcope, the doctor now has a magnified view inside your vagina and your cervix.
She may also apply an iodine solution with swabs in order to get a better view of any potential cell changes. Depending on what she sees, she may then perform a cervical biopsy, which is just a few quick snips of cervical tissue that she'll send to the lab for testing, and this is done with elongated forceps that look much more daunting than they actually feel.
After the biopsy is complete, she will apply a paste like medicine to the cervix wall similar to a liquid band-aid. From there she will take out the speculum; turn off the colposcope; and you're done!
Does a colposcopy hurts?
It depends. Like any medical procedure it really depends on the person. Your doctor may have to open you up slightly more than they do during a pelvic exam in order for the colposcope to get the best view inside your vagina. This may be mildly uncomfortable for some, but not excruciatingly painful. Nothing like getting fitted for an IUD.
If you have to get a cervical biopsy with your colposcopy, it feels like a quick pinch over in a matter of seconds.
What should you expect after a colposcopy?
Immediately following your colposcopy you may experience mild cramping and slight pain. Your doctor may also give you a pad to wear home because light bleeding and spotting is common.
Key thing to note: If you had a biopsy with your colposcopy you may experience black discharge the days following the procedure. Nothing to be alarmed about! This is just the paste like medicine the doctor put on your cervix discharging from the body. It’s okay.
Your doctor will also recommend that you don't use tampons, douche, have sex, use internal sex toys: Don't put anything inside your vagina for up to one week after your procedure. Your doctor will let you know when to expect your test results and from there they will guide you through any further steps that may need to be taken.
So again, this is just a very quick video on colposcopy and what to expect if you need to have one. It is nothing to be nervous about. It's a very quick procedure over in matter of minutes. And like with any preventive care methods it's always better to know than to not know.
Health Video Script: Fibrocystic Breasts
Fibrocystic breast changes refers to changes in breast tissue that may feel lumpy. A key point to emphasize before we begin is that fibrocystic breast changes are not breast cancer. These changes are normal and more than half of women experience them through their reproductive years.
Put simply, fibrocystic breast changes occur when cysts within your breast glands begin to grow or fibrous tissues begin to collect, and become easy to see and feel on your breast.
While it’s not entirely known what cause fibrocystic breast changes, many doctors believe changes hormones, such as estrogen, is a key factors.
Symptoms of fibrocystic breasts include:
Lumps that blend into the surrounding tissue, usually on the uspper outer part of the breast.
These lumps are generally painful or tender to touch & they increase in size the days leading to your period.
Some women may also experience a green or drown discharge from their nipples.
It’s always scary when you find a lump on your breast. However, if you only notice them right before your period, it’s very likely that it’s just a common fibrocystic change.
However, if you are unsure about any breast changes you feel, it is always best to go to your healthcare provider. The following symptoms may suggest something other than fibrocystic breast changes:
The lump continues to grow in size
There is worsening pain in the specific area
Or if the breast change continue after your period ends.
If you have breast changes feel like these, then you should get checked out by your doctor. It’s always better to know than to not know!
Research Findings Video Script: Alzheimer's & Herpes 6/7
Scientists recently published a paper on research findings linking Herpes Viruses 6 & 7 to certain aspects of Alzheimer's Disease.
What does this mean?
Well First, when they refer to Herpes, it’s probably not the type you’re thinking of.
The Herpes virus that causes cold sores (Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and the sexually transmitted Herpes that causes genital sores (Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2.) These are not the Herpes Viruses they’re talking about.
Human Herpes Virus 6 & Human Herpes Virus 7, commonly known as HHV-6 & HHV-7, are best known for causing Roseola in infants. Like all herpesviruses, they can also remain dormant in the body for years without causing any symptoms. So it’s likely that many adults may have HHV-6 & 7.
What does this have to do with Alzhamiers? Well - researchers found that levels of HHV 6 & HHV7 were twice as high in the brain tissue of people with Alzhiemrs compared to those without.
And these Herpes viruses were observed interacting with genes known to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.
And These interactions triggered responses in the brain that influence Alzheimer’s progression.
What does this mean in a nutshell?
That These findings don’t prove that Herpes Viruses play a direct role in developing Alzheimer’s.
Rather, What these findings do prove is that there is strong evidence to support that HHV 6 & 7 may influence the course of Alzheimer’s. And this recent discovery could help researchers get one step closer to eventually finding a cure for the disease.
Medical Video Script: COPD & Your Lungs
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. It changes the structure of your lungs and how they function overtime. To get a better idea of this change, let’s take a look at healthy lungs.
These are your healthy lungs.You breathe in oxygen that travels down your trachea, commonly known as your windpipe. This windpipe tube allows oxygen to pass to and from the lungs.
After the oxygen is breathed into the windpipe, it flows through two other large tubes known as bronchi, which lead into your lungs.
Once inside your lungs, these two tubes section off into many smaller tubes, called bronchioles, similar to branches on a tree. Each bronchiole branch ends in a group of tiny air sacs known as alveoli.
The walls of these tiny air sacs are lined with capillaries, which are the tiniest blood vessels in your body. These capillaries can be viewed as “bridges” between the lungs and the bloodstream. When you inhale and the air reaches the alveoli, your capillaries allow the oxygen to cross from your lungs into your bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide, the waste product made from your breathing process, is allowed to cross from your bloodstream into your lungs. Once you exhale, the carbon dioxide passes through the lungs and out the body.
This is a continuous process for healthy lungs because they have a natural elasticity, similar to a rubber band when stretched and released, that allows the breathing process to function smoothly within the lungs.
Now, let’s look at how COPD changes how lungs work.
Lungs with COPD are different. COPD lungs are not as elastic as healthy lungs due to destroyed lung tissue and mucus build up. The tubes and air sacs in the lungs over-expand and don’t bounce back as quickly when you breathe in and out, which causes less oxygen to get into your body and less carbon dioxide waste gas to get out of your body.
This can cause shortness of breathe, fatigue, and frequent respiratory infections, making it difficult for you to live a normal, active life.
Long-term cigarette smoking is a primary cause of COPD development. Exposure to air pollutants or workplace fumes may also contribute to COPD. So, quitting smoking or limiting pollutant exposure is an actionable first step you can take to help you manage the effects of COPD in your lungs and improve your quality of life.
