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.

Well bravo 👏

Smears aren't damaging, but nice scaremongering there.

Smears aren't damaging

Smears themselves aren’t damaging but there is a risk of overtreating abnormalities that would have spontaneously gone back to normal. That treatment can damage the cervix.

that will more than likely cause more harm than good

You're talking absolute shite.

Feel free not to have one, that's up to you.

But ffs such batshit rubbish about smears is dangerous.

I've seen what cervical cancer does to a woman and it's horrific. Not just the chemo and radiotherapy but the symptoms of the cancer itself.

Yes, this. I now have only one working kidney, and that has a stent, because my tube that empties the kidney into the bladder, is blocked by the cancer.
I had to have a nephrostomy for 6 months, when the stent got blocked, so they make an incision in your back, and a tube from the kidney, comes out of that, to drain the urine into an external bag. I couldn't lay on my back, or my right hand side because of it, and I often had problems with it. Sleeping with it was a nightmare. The next time my stent fails, I've been told I'll have to have another nephrostomy, permanently.

I have a fistula (where they touch, a hole between them has appeared) between my bowel and bladder, so often get urine infections.

I can no longer walk very far, so have to use a wheelchair when out.

I can't stay upright, sitting or standing, for longer than about 20 minutes, because even though I'm on morphine (and it's just been increased) I end up in a lot of pain.

Having a bath or shower or washing my hair, is very difficult, and painful.

I'm urine incontinent, so have to wear incontinence pants, and sometimes fecal incontinent too. My bowels cause me problems now.

No sex life. (My husband has been fantastic about this, and everything really.)

Those are the main things.

I spend my days laying on the sofa. Luckily, I got my mojo back last year, and have got back into making art, and crafting, so at least I've got things I can do during the day, to stop the boredom, and has been a real boost for my mental health.

So yeah, it's not just the chemo and radiotherapy I have to deal with.

and be made aware of the warning signs and early symptoms of the most common cancers.

I didn't have any warning signs, other than heavier periods, which as I was 49, I put down to pre-menopause.

I suppose my short answer is YABU... sort of. But I do get you. Every one in my family has had cancer. My brother is two years post pancreatic cancer diagnosis. I wear no ribbons, post no reminders nor do I share articles. If you want the info, you’ll find it if/when you need it. I’m nobody’s messenger. I just see every day lived as a win. What else can a person do?

Yes but you said smears are damaging. Which is shite. Maybe be clearer when you know that women are dying for the lack of a smear?

Motoko
I went for a smear last year a few months later than requested. Wont do that again... Though now my consultant is inspecting my cervix regularly.

I had no symptoms and it's due to the smear I have had excellent treatment and still under a watchful eye.

Just go and have a smear.

I can never hear it enough. If it saves just one life then surely you can just let the reminders pass? Consider yourself lucky you have the education and information around you to know that they are important. A lot of women don't they come from entirely different backgrounds, be it cultural, financial, educational, religious...it doesn't matter because it can affect anyone and it needs to be shouted from the rooftops.
To be fair its pathetic and selfish to be angry about the fact that people care enough to spread the word to get women to go for their smears. Go and get angry about something that matters and not about something that can save peoples lives

We are very lucky to have the option.
Although sometimes even a regular smear is wrong.
Over 200 women in Ireland who had their smear, all giving the all clear only misdiagnosed apparently another frw hundred are alsi misdiagnosed but haven't been told yet, many have already died.
Thank god for Vicky Phelan she refused to sign the gagging order when she sued them.
My friends mam was one of these women who died in 2016, they only found out in 2018 her smear was read wrong in 2014.
Yanbu to have your opinion but it is a serious preventable death sentence and women should be encouraged to go.

Yes but you said smears are damaging. Which is shite. Maybe be clearer when you know that women are dying for the lack of a smear?
No I didn’t. Are you confusing me with weareeternal who hasn’t responded?

No I was replying to her post not yours

@C8H10N4O2 that's exactly what I've had with the particular days of cycle/stupid appointments having to be made months in advance/irregular cycle/ finger wagging by bitchy receptionists.
I even @ in this morning and GMB when they were going on about smears but of course they won't dare show that side of it.

clairemcnam have you actually looked at what being "breast aware" means? Because I just have and NHS, Macmillan etc all say it means being aware of changes. How does one achieve that other than checking them regularly to see the difference?

I have smear tests regularly. They cause me a lot of mental anguish and actual pain and subsequent bleeding. I hate them. But I still have them.

But I do dislike a lot of the tone of the campaigning that goes on. There ARE issues with a screening tool that gives such a lot of false positives. Many of the women who are treated for precancerous cells would have reverted back spontaneously anyway.

I still think it is worth having the screening done, but resent being patronised into it. Smear for a Smear was GRIM, it just made me feel ill to look the words.

Well, hopefully, in the future, women won't have to have smear tests, now that girls are getting the HPV vaccine.

I don’t need reminded either but agree it’s terribly important but I did inwardly ‘tut’ at a colleague of mine who posted on FB along the lines of ‘smear test done, you won’t feel a thing ladies, it’s over in 15 seconds’. For you maybe petal, but for me it’s terribly painful as I have a tilted cervix (or something) and end up in tears/shaking as it’s so awful. So bore off with your painless/over in seconds stuff.

Wow. This is seriously misguided and spoilt. Do you know how lucky we are in this country to have cancer screening programmes? Do you know how many thousands of women cervical screening has saved? Women are failing to attend screening, risking their lives to what is now a preventable cancer, this is definitely not the right attitude.

For you maybe petal, but for me it’s terribly painful as I have a tilted cervix (or something) and end up in tears/shaking as it’s so awful. So bore off with your painless/over in seconds stuff

Yes this is fair. Great for the people who it doesn’t hurt. I wish it didn’t hurt me!

Women are failing to attend screening, risking their lives to what is now a preventable cancer, this is definitely not the right attitude.

Failing is a pretty loaded word. Women are choosing not to attend screening. It isn’t compulsory.

My fb pal posted a very honest account of hers as she is massively scared but had a very positive experience. I then decided to make the call and at the appointment realised my last was 2013. I'm a sensible, average human with no history of trauma or pain. Just forgot.

Some of the opinions on this thread make me despair.
I had a high grade abnormality detected thanks to a smear. I had no symptoms.
I had just had a very traumatic birth and forceps delivery after a long induction that went very wrong. Both my baby and I almost died. I had numerous procedures during the birth and was terrified to go for smear after as I was so traumatised. I did it and a severe and rare abnormality was found. I had surgical treatment (awake, under local anaesthetic only) and again I was terrified due to the traumatic birth, but I coped. It saved my life.
Women who decline screening should be aware of the risks they are taking. It seems many people do not realise how fortunate they are to have screening programmes.

@WeAreEternal are you for real?! Where have you got your scaremongering bullshit from? Smears save lives, there is absolutely no doubt about that. Feel free to not benefit from the wonders of modern medicine that we are amazingly lucky to have access to, but keep your conspiracy theories to yourself.

Wow. This is seriously misguided and spoilt. Do you know how lucky we are in this country to have cancer screening programmes?

We are not "lucky" we pay for a NHS which largely prioritises men's health over womens.

Women's cancer screening is by no means always accessible unless you can afford to go privately.

Its bloody painful for some women and not a quick and simple (or even available) procedure. It also produces false positives and the evidence base is mixed. Anecdata, however powerful, does not make evidence for a population.

FYI, I was treated surgically for uterine and ovarian cancer. I now get PAP smears in my vagina, because I no longer have a cervix. Just putting that out there that even with surgery, you can still have a smear.