To think oh just piss off...

[KatnissMellark]

With your patronising reminders to get a fucking smear test, you self righteous bores.

I do by the way, because I have to have an in date one for other medical procedures to be carried out. But I have concerns regarding false positives and unnecessary stress and procedures. And I am so bored of so many people with what appears an absolute lack of critical thinking self righteously reminding others to go for them on social media. Are you the fucking smear police? Have you read the science or are you just on the bandwagon

On balance I'd probably still have one, even if I didnt HAVE to. But the lecturing just annoys me.

@EstrellaDamn I've been told it must be mid cycle. They always ask for date of last period to check.

@Weebitawks I don't find it offensive, I find it hypocritical that they make such a huge deal of smears yet deny them to women who have irregular cycles and/or refuse to keep an eye on other possible cancers because I can't give dates times and relationships to prove genetic risk.

No I totally believe it hurts you. Just as you should believe me saying I find the dentist painful.

What I'm saying is, we should both do it anyway. It's painful for a minute. It's not a pain that's going to kill you. In fact it might save your life.

It must be horrible going for a smear for the women who find it painful, I personally have never found it painful, so I’ll be grateful for that, I admit I find a clean with the dental hygienist more painful. It’s personal choice whether you have the smear test, I always go for mine, wouldn’t judge anyone who chooses not to though, as they obviously have a valid reason why they don’t want to

@PassTheDutchie I'd just book a date and go! Nobody has ever asked me to rebook based on the date of my last period

Reminds me of the Ricky Gervais bit. He basically talks about people being too easily offended and likens reacting like this to a FB post to reacting like this to a flyer on a wall offering guitar lessons. If you walk past, see it, don't need guitar lessons, you don't have to pick up the phone and shout at the person offering them that you don't want them. You don't have to tell everyone you don't want them. The poster isn't aimed at you. Move the fuck on.

SrSteveOskowski - Brilliant post

I am assuming passthedutchie has issues with a tilted womb. In that case as I understand it, a smear at certain times of the month is better, as it is very hard to do at other times.

estrella I believe you that it hurts.
I just get disbelief from medics, or the look that means I know they are assuming I have been sexually abused. I hate the latter most of all.

But the truth is there used to be better access to smear tests in the past. Maybe the Government should look at the practical barriers, instead of just blaming women?

@mrsmuddlepies, thank you.

Well cervical cancer killed my aunty after 5 horrendously agonising years, my mother had early cancer cells detected in her smear, and was successfully treated, and my little sister has just been told she is cancer free after treatment for early cervical cancer too. So excuse me if I don't want to see anyone else I care about suffer.

I had abnormal cells detected shortly after having DS1. Treatment was straightforward and easy and nothing untoward has happened since. I'll admit I'm a little soap-boxy with close friends about smears simply because we're open and one good friend asked if I'd go with her when she booked as she was so terrified. I went, she did it, all ok, and in another couple of years when she's due again I'll go again if she needs me to.

I wouldn't think of lecturing strangers but friends, yes I'll willingly boot friends up the arse if they need it, just as they've booted me up the arse over stuff I'm putting off.

I'm sure access could be improved - I've never had any problems personally.

Phone up, make an appointment for a few weeks' time, book time off work, done.

In a lot of instances this is being used as an excuse I think. If someone really needed a GP appointment they'd make one.

I have a tilted uterus too. I'm not the kind of wimp who makes a big fuss about small stuff like blood tests etc, but having my waters broken was the most painful experience of my life (the guy who did it was outstandingly rude and unsympathetic; I wanted to slap him)! So I know all about the discomfort this can cause with cervical screening. But I can imagine this pales into insignificance in comparison with cancer (not to mention its brutal, toxic treatment).

I have never, ever, missed a cervical screening test. Your body; your choice, that's a freedom everyone should be granted. But I make no apologies for the belief that skipping this potentially life-saving screening is absolutely mad.

Estrella You know there are people who know they have cancer who don't seek help until it is too late?
Yes people put things off. But making it harder to get an appointment makes it easier to put people off going. If it was easier, they would be more likely to go.

I've always been attentive at going as around the time I was getting to meet the requirements for my first smear, my relative only a few years later had cells picked up around the pre-cancer/ stage 1 stage. She needed invasive treatment and has had very high risk pregnancies linked to the treatments and timings.

I appreciate that what is mild discomfort and mild indignity to me is very painful or intensely traumatic to other people with different bodies/ experiences. Making an informed choice is one thing. Dying of ignorance or normal levels of embarasment is another, and there are young women at risk of more advanced cancers and death because their awareness of the benefits of the smear programme are currently low.

It is also important to acknowledge practical difficulties of booking smears. I had irregular periods so couldn't commit weeks in advance around the GP's avaliable appointments in time slots where I wasn't in work.

People sharing on SM can hit a different audience to official NHS campaigns, especially to people who don't engage much with official sources. The wonderful thing about social media is that you can scroll on, or hide or unfollow if someone is a bore or overly sanctimonius about any topic.

Most stage 1 cells would never have progressed to full blown cancer.

I'm agreeing - I put off getting my breast lump checked for months.

That's how I know. I was bullshitting myself. It's probably nothing. I couldn't feel it today. I don't want a male doctor. I'm too busy at work.

YANBU. It's not the reminder, it's the tone. I choose not to have smear tests. I've never had one. I've been called stupid, ungrateful, and told I'll probably get cancer. It's very difficult for some people to accept that not everyone thinks the way that they do or is in the same situation.

Sadly some people do need the message rammed down their throats. If it saves people's lives they can bleat on about it all they like.

With respect @EstrellaDamn, I'm not making an excuse not to bother. I have made many attempts at having the bloody thing done. I wouldn't be pissed off that they won't also treat the possibility of early breast cancer as important if it was a case of my not being bothered.
I understand appointments and services are stretched, but they are making such a big deal of my needing it done at a specific time yet aren't being flexible enough to see that, due to my insides being screwed up, I simply cannot tell them a month/2 months in advance when the correct time will be.
It is so important to get a smear test to the point where we are inundated with requests to face your smear and the rest of it, yet it's not important enough to show a bit of understanding of women like me with underlying health issues.

I am so dry internally they can't do a smear any longer. It worries me.

Massively U. Sorry that you're more confident and up to date than a lot of women who won't/don't get there smears for reasons ranging from embarrassment, fear or simply not getting around to book. My good friend had a hysterectomy last year at 28 years old because of it - if she hadn't had her smears regularly it would not have been caught and she could have had to have far more serious treatment or given a death sentence.

It's bloody important and as rates are at an all time low, some women need that kick up the arse! I don't share a lot on social media but these 'reminders' are something I post, they're not directed at anyone specifically, they're not lecturing people, if it reminds one person to book in their appointment it is worth it.

Yes, I read your posts, that's why I was making a general point, not a point about you specifically.