#but then again. nothing will ever be as bad as the HPV vaccine

[paintedvanilla]

the narrator gets the flu shot annually

[jeanfrancoisgeschwind]

Jean-Francois Geschwind It Can Be Done: How To Treat And Beat Your Cancer

Jean-Francois Geschwind Proficient tips provider. Cancer is a disease that is best known for its ability to cause the production of masses of rogue cells known as tumors. As these tumors grow, they begin to halt the normal function of organs in the body. Scientists have been battling this disease for decades, and as a result we now know more than ever about how to deal with it. Here are some facts and tips that can help you or a loved one to cope with cancer.

It is quite normal for cancer patients to feel unattractive. Self-esteem is at an all-time low and nothing seems to be right. This is a great time to pamper yourself! When you are feeling well enough, take a friend and go out to lunch. Get your nails done, or shop for a new outfit. Doing normal, everyday activities can make you feel like part of life again and change your whole attitude!

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a cause of cervical cancer. This virus causes genital warts, which are transmitted by sexual contact. The only way to prevent the spread of HPV is the use of condoms and abstinence, or a vaccine that protects against the disease. Be responsible and don't practice unprotected sex. The possibility of cancer isn't worth the risk.

When battling cancer it is important to surround yourself with people who will honestly listen to your opinions and feelings without judgment. There are days when you are going to be angry, frustrated or sad and you need to be able to express those feelings openly and honestly when need be.

You should meditate during those times when you are really struggling with cancer. It can help you to stay mentally focused and not just think about the cancer. It can give you the mental strength to fight the cancer and really take control of your life.

There are many different ways that people cope with cancer. Some of them good and some of them bad. Find a good way to cope with cancer. Some good coping methods include relaxation techniques, such as meditation, doing leisure activities or writing your feelings down in a journal.

It's important that you work hard to deal with your feelings and emotions if you or someone you know has cancer. This is going to be a very emotional time in ways you cannot possibly understand unless you've been through it, and unchecked emotions can destroy relationships permanently and lead to a world of regret.

Always work hard to gather information if someone you love has cancer. They might not be in the right frame of mind to soak up the information about what they can do to handle the disease. But you should be at full attention in order to take in and retain this information. It's important that you gather as much as possible.

Expressing your love for someone with cancer doesn't always have to be done vocally. You can simply be there for a person physically to assist them and to show your moral support. Some types of cancer are incredibly rough, and the patient might not be able to care for him or herself. Make sure you're there for them.

Jean-Francois Geschwind Most excellent service provider. Don't be afraid if you have to have a screening for breast cancer. Just remember, it is only temporary, it will be over very quickly. Screening procedures are designed to save your life by catching a problem while it is still manageable. The possibility of experiencing a little discomfort should be no reason to avoid periodic screening for cancer.

Beans are incredibly good for your heart, but they're also essential in preventing cancer, especially colon cancer. The amount of fiber contained in beans and legumes will help to rid the body of free radicals via the fiber and also the saponins, phytic acid and protease inhibitors contained within the beans.

Unfortunately with cancer, there are things in your life that will now be staring you in the face, and need to be acknowledged. You need to be ready to fight back.

Cancer doesn't have to take root in your brain in order to play tricks on your mind, so always remember to keep fantasy and reality separated from one another. You will begin to feel as if you're sleepwalking and dreaming while you're awake during your bout with chemo. Keep your mind focused and simply ignore the "weirdness."�

It's important that you stick to a regular eating schedule when you're fighting cancer. The food may want to exit the same way it entered due to your chemo, but you cannot afford to skip meals here. Losing strength means that you are losing the fight. Work to stay strong so that you can beat the cancer.

Be mindful of your exposure to BPA. This synthetic estrogen is often found in canned goods, water bottles and other items. Research has shown that BPA has the potential to cause cancer, so try to eat more frozen foods and look for water bottles that are labeled as BPA free.

Make sure that you are up-to-date on your immunizations. Viral infections can have an impact on certain types of cancer so ask your doctor whether you have received all the necessary immunizations. In particular find out whether you have the Hepatitis B and HPV immunizations; these can help prevent liver cancer and cervical cancer.

If you have scar tissue or ulcers that are not healing very quickly, you may be at risk of developing squamous cell cancer in that area. UV rays from the sun is a big culprit in these kinds of cancer cells, but if you have skin that has been damaged for some time it can also lead to the forming of these cells.

Jean-Francois Geschwind Qualified tips provider. There is a lot that can be done to fight cancer. Of course, it is strongly recommended that you get treted for cancer by an experienced oncologist. Nonetheless, there are mant strategies that you can implement yourself. Most of all, maintain a positive attitude, and be determined to enjoy each and every day of life.

[hiddlesgirl]

My First Cervical Screening

In this post I am going to talk about my experience of my first cervical screening (aka smear test). I know that it is a very daunting thing, but it is very important; there have been a lot of reports that many women are skipping their tests and I want to encourage more people to go have theirs.

This is going to be an in depth talk and I am not going to sugar coat anything; I will talk about my nurse, the procedure and how I felt afterwards. That being said; it was not as intimidating as I thought, it was not as painful as I feared and only took a few minutes.

When you receive your letter inviting you for a screening it will include an information pack but here’s a link explaining cervical screening; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/

Firstly I will tell you these three things;

-          I am 25 years old, I was 24 at the time of the procedure, you can be invited up to 6 months before you turn 25 so that is nothing to be concerned about.

-          I did have the HPV vaccines, so while my chance of developing most types of cervical cancer are reduced I still think it is important to partake because there can be other causes.

-          I have never had sexual intercourse. I tell you this because as a virgin I was especially nervous, plus as HPV is sexually transmitted there is practically zero chance that I would have contracted it but I felt it was important to have the test anyway.

I tell you this because I know that many women my age will have received the HPV vaccines, and I know that being of virgin is cause for embarrassment for some people, so they may not feel it is necessary to attend their screening. However, I think it is important because not all cancers are caused by HPV so in my opinion it is best to have the test for peace of mind and for your future health as your results are kept so any abnormal cells can be monitored.

I am a jeans and tshirt type person and very rarely wear a dress, and I don’t even think I own a skirt, but I did wear a dress to my appointment because I felt more comfortable knowing that I would only have to remove my underwear. I think that taking off jeans and underwear may have made me feel a bit more vulnerable (that may be ridiculous but it made me feel better).

When you book your appointment it is usually scheduled with a female nurse, but you can ask just to make sure, and you need to take your period into account. I had my appointment a week before my period is due because I read somewhere that it was best to go in the middle or towards the end of your cycle but apart from the days you are bleeding, the 2 days before and the 2 days after you can have your test done at any point in your cycle.

Now, onto the actual appointment, initially the nurse asked me if this was my first screening, about my sexual activity and when my last period was; no need to be embarrassed, you are asked about sexual activity when you ask about or are getting prescriptions for contraception; and they ask about your period so they know that they can proceed with the test.

When I said that I am not sexually active she asked if I had ever had sexual intercourse, when I said no she told me that there is a thin piece of skin that covers the vagina (I presume she was talking about the hymen) and that if it is intact then she might not be able to continue with the procedure. I presume this is because to continue would be very painful, so if you are a virgin and the nurse does not perform the procedure this might be why (she should explain this to you), but she should examine you first to know if it can be done. If they do not carry out your procedure, ask why.

She told me that I can ask her to stop at any point if it is painful.

After we had finished our conversation, which only took a minute or two, she asked me to go behind the curtain and remove my underwear while she prepared the equipment. I did not have to take my shoes off (I was wearing flats, so that may be something to consider when you go). Once I said that I was undressed she asked me to get on the examination table; I pulled my dress to my hips and laid down flat on the table.

Once I said I was ready she came around the curtain, she reassured me that the door was locked so that no one would be able to enter the room during the procedure. She told me that she would insert a plastic speculum into my vagina which would then be opened so she could access the cervix; she told me that the speculums are single use so it has never been used before. She did not show me the speculum which I am actually glad about because I think that seeing it would have made me even more nervous. She told me that she would then use a soft brush to collect cells from my cervix.

When she was sure I had understood her she told me to place my feet together near my bum, let my legs naturally fall to the side and concentrate on relaxing the muscles in my bum and stomach. Yes, this did make me feel exposed but she made me feel at ease; she told me that she was running the speculum under the tap because the water makes insertion easier.

She made sure to talk to me the entire time, telling me what she was doing; she told me that she would touch me first, to move my labia in order to have clear access to the vagina.

The insertion of the speculum was uncomfortable but it was not as much as I feared and wasn’t painful. However, I did experience some pain when she opened the speculum but once I concentrated a relaxed my muscles again it eased.

Honestly, even though she told me she was going to collect the cells I didn’t really feel the brush at all, probably because I was concentrating on being as relaxed as possible. She told me when she had collected the cells and the she was removing the speculum, again uncomfortable but not painful.

She told me that was it and I could redress, the whole thing did not take more than 2 or 3 minutes.

After I had put my underwear on I came around the curtain to see her swirling the brush in some liquid in a sample pot. She asked if I was ok, that my results should be send to me in about 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks, and then said I could unlock the door and go.

I had some very slight discomfort for about an hour afterwards and one small cramp, but it was less noticeable than if I was on my period.

So that was it, I did experience a little pain but it was not as bad as I have feared and was over much quicker than I expected. 

I received my results after three weeks and I got the all clear.

I hope that by going into detail about my experience it has reassured some people and even convinced some to make an appointment for their own screening.

I know that it’s daunting, and a bit uncomfortable, but it could potentially save your life. If anyone wants to talk or has questions then my inbox is open. 

[ellenlucasonlinedatingblog]

Mythbusting The HPV Vaccine

Emily Joy Allison-Hearn

I’m an HPV vaccine evangelist. Every opportunity I get, I stand on my metaphorical soap box and preach to everyone who will listen about why it’s so important to get vaccinated against HPV. But it wasn’t always like this.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month! If you need help finding or accessing a healthcare provider so you can get the HPV vaccine, we’re happy to help you through one of our direct services.

I’m an HPV vaccine evangelist. Every opportunity I get, I stand up on my metaphorical soap box and preach to everyone who will listen about why it’s so important to get vaccinated against HPV. But it wasn’t always like this.

The summer before I went to college, I had to get a mole removed from around my knee. For the first time in my life, at the age of 18, I was alone with a doctor for a few moments without my mother in the room.

The doctor wisely took the opportunity to ask me if I was sexually active, and I told her the truth: No. I wasn’t. She looked back at me skeptically, but I repeated myself. No. I wasn’t. At that point, I hadn’t even so much as had my first kiss. I think we talked about the HPV vaccine Gardasil, which had just come out several years before, but my primitive understanding of it was that it was only for girls who were having sex—and since I obviously was saving sex for marriage and obviously would only marry a man who had done the same, I obviously didn’t need it.

At the time, I wasn’t even exactly sure what HPV was, or how it was different than HIV or any other sexually transmitted infection. The discussion of any STI, in detail, had not been part of my hardcore abstinence-only, save-your-first-kiss-for-marriage “sex education.” I knew they existed, and I (thought I) knew you only got them if you were bad. Since I was on my way to Bible college, I wasn’t exactly anticipating what Michael Scott in The Office refers to fondly as a “booze-fueled sex romp.” In fact, I remained sexually inactive throughout my undergrad degree, only getting brave enough to test the waters of the sexual ocean once I had moved across the country and started over in a city far away from everyone and everything I had grown up with. But I still didn’t get the HPV vaccine.

A couple of years later I was engaged to my then-fiancé, only the second man I had ever had any kind of sexual interaction with, and made an appointment to see a gynecologist. At that point I'd learned enough to know that the HPV vaccine was an important thing to have regardless of who you’ve slept with. I started the first round of three shots.

Imagine my surprise when, a couple of months before my wedding date, I was told by the doctor that a small growth that had popped up suddenly on my bottom lip was caused by a strain of HPV. I was devastated, primarily because I had no real education about HPV, including how easy it is to get and how many people get it. I thought I had done something wrong, and all those years of internalized slut-shaming came crashing down on me in one giant wave. All the things I had heard my parents and youth leaders and professors and friends say about “those kinds of girls” must be true about me now.

I didn’t know there were more than 100 different kinds of HPV, many of which don’t cause serious problems and will even usually clear on their own in a matter of months—and mine eventually did. I didn’t know that most people who have ever been part of some kind of sex or sexual assault—80% or more—are infected with some strain of HPV at some point in their life, and a lot of the time they have no idea.

I also didn’t know that it’s perfectly normal. All I knew was a bunch of myths and half-truths that had been perpetrated by leaders of my communities who were more concerned with getting young people to fall in line with their rigid sexual strictures than actually educating or protecting anyone.

I finished the course of the vaccine that year, so now I’m protected for life from the most dangerous strains of HPV—the ones linked to cervical cancer and genital warts.

My own experience with a benign strain of HPV gave me the opportunity to learn about the virus and educate myself about the facts so that I can protect myself and my partner(s) going forward. But no one should have to get an infection to get medically accurate information about it! So if you, like me, grew up in purity culture, where you were taught that the only acceptable expression of sexuality was between a cishet man and a cishet woman in marriage and anything else outside of that is a sin—and critical medical information was withheld from you as a result—I’ve collected a few common myths (and the truth they seek to cover up) about HPV and the HPV vaccine that get circulated in religious environments.

MYTH: Only sexually active girls/people need the HPV vaccine.

FACT: The HPV vaccine is often given as young as 11 or 12, long before most young people usually become sexually active in the ways HPV is most often transmitted. The HPV vaccine is intended to protect you throughout your lifetime from the most dangerous strains of the virus, regardless of your current state of sexual activity (or lack thereof). It’s a vaccine for everyone of every gender, and you can get it until you're 45 now, whether you've had sex or not.

MYTH: If you’re planning on saving sex for marriage, you don’t need to get the HPV vaccine.

FACT: Planning on saving sex for marriage or for a committed relationship is a perfectly valid choice, but we all know that things don’t always go as planned. In addition, there’s no guarantee that the person you marry will have never been exposed to HPV in the past. Even if you do actually save sex for marriage and marry someone who has also saved sex for marriage, statistics say that one out of every six women and one out of every thirty-three men will be the victim of an attempted or completed rape during their lifetime, which is another way people can contract HPV. No one ever expects to be a victim, but being protected from the most dangerous strains of HPV is never a bad thing.

MYTH: People who have sex outside of marriage deserve to get HPV because they are violating God’s law.

FACT: Nobody “deserves” to get any kind of sexually transmitted infection or other illness, ever. STIs and pregnancy were often touted as divine consequences for stepping out from “God’s plan for sex,” but it’s just not true. I don’t think any god that would punish people by giving them an STI that could cause cancer and death is worth knowing or maintaining a relationship with.

MYTH: The HPV vaccine will increase your risk of cervical cancer/cause you to lose your vision/make you infertile/change the appearance of your vulva/give you PCOS/other side effects.

FACT: The HPV vaccine will not increase your risk of cervical cancer or any other kind of cancer for that matter. It will not cause you to lose your vision. It will not make you infertile. It will not change the appearance of your vulva. It will not give you PCOS. All of these myths and more were made up, often by anti-vaccination fear-mongerers who are typically invested in controlling  people and sexuality, and especially young women’s sexuality. There is zero medical or scientific evidence supporting any of those claims.

The HPV vaccine lowers your risk of cervical cancer because it protects against the strains of HPV that are themselves linked to the development of cervical cancer in the first place. Claims that the HPV vaccine has wild side effects like those listed above are rooted in ideology and anecdote, not in science and study.

MYTH: The HPV vaccine makes young girls/people more sexually active because the fear of getting HPV is gone.

FACT: Getting the HPV vaccine has been shown to have nothing to do with how sexually active young people are. In fact, a study recently published in Pediatrics found that “implementation of HPV legislation was not associated with changes in adolescent sexual behaviors.” The HPV vaccine only protects against certain strains of HPV—the ones that are associated with cervical cancer and with genital warts. It does not protect against all strains of HPV, and it does not protect against other STIs or against unplanned pregnancy. There is no reason getting the HPV vaccine would cause a generation of young people to make different sexual choices than they otherwise would. There are lots of ways to have safer sex, and the HPV vaccine is only one of them (and again, is important even for people who are not having sex). And beyond that, it’s important to remember that using fear as a motivator is not a very good way to make ethical decisions! All of our decisions, sexual or otherwise, should be born out of careful thinking, wisdom, and reflection on our values, rather than fear and panic.

Did you hear any of these myths growing up? Maybe you have friends who still believe them. Share this post and we can help bust the myths about the HPV vaccine so more and more people can get protected!

For more information about HPV, be sure to check out The STI Files: Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

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8.28.17

Yooo

Ok so today wasn’t so bad. I still don’t have internet btw, which is jjust so cool ofc… I woke up at 730 and chilled in bed for a lil b4 I got up and got dressed and got all ready for school. Catherine had to drive me bc my car was in the shop so we left at like 810 and got there around 830ish and we parked at horsebarn hill, which they added more commuter parking to! Yay! My class was in hicks so it was right there and then I had INTERNET! So I posted my replies yaaaaaaaaaay!

The first class I had was wetlands ecology and the guy doesn’t talk very loud but honestly he was kinda funny and seemed like a nice dude so I think its gonna be good and not too hard. We did an activity and for part of it you had to find someone who had been to minesota, and when we finished he called on me bc I had been there. It was weird, he asked weird questions that I couldn’t answer like which suburb was my family from??? And I had no clue… I just said we go to st paul. I guess he did his degree there so he thought I knew shit but im from cali baby sorry

Next class was in the basement of ITE so I had to RUN omg. Its already hard enough to go downhill from there to hicks, and going up sucked. But the second class was intimate relationships and OH BOY im excited for this class! The teacher sounds gay first of all which is cool even if hes not gay, and its about all SORTS off interesting things that I kinda just think I should know about. He specifically noted that hes going to try to be inclusive and we are going to talk about non hetero things which is GREAt. I drafted an email to send when im on campus tomorrow with questions about honors conversion and his research and stuff so I rly hope he replies

So then I went to the gym and did arms, and MAN my pump was awesome. I could pull 100 on the lat pulldown doing chinup grip and I could only pull like 80 last semester! I felt pumped. It wasn’t so busy bc I went at like 1130 when everyone was eating lunch so it was great yaaaaay! So then I showered and I met my dad so that he could get lunch and I could eat mine, and then I had to run nd get my last HPV vaccine shot and it hurt but I did great hehe and now im ALL DONE. No more fuckin needles for a while thank god. My arm is gonna be sore for like 4 dayss though, so that’s why I did arms today lol

Then we went and got my car and the tires apparently are worn down in weird spots so its kind of a bumpy ride but I mean… I will survive I guess. We also ran to target (altho I was fucking dying I was so tired) and we got a bike. We brought it back and at first I was having major issues and it was being shti and I thought it might not be good, but I took it around again and actually I think itll be fine. So hopefully thatll help me get around campus because last year I was fast walking a lot abd honestly like what the fuck. ALSO the buses are fucked up because theres a road closure and basically you cant get anywhere so I wanted a bike to jst be able to go fast. Its in my trunk and im gonna use it tomorrow… wish me luck

I came home and my dad eventually left and he gave me a card that had 140$ in it omg thank god I can actually pay for groceries while I wait for paychecks for a month. I took a shift Wednesday n ight with Meagan so things should get moving in that respect, I hope. Aw shit I GOTTA remember to bring my work clothes on Wednesday then, wow. I should have time to change and stuff. Ill also need two meals… ill figure it out I guess uhh

Btw I was so annoyed bc I cried a little when my dad left because I feel so bad that HE feels sad about leaving and it just makes me feel shitty… im in this weird limbo where like… he is still mean to me sometimes and he does bad things but its not as bad as it used to be but the past still HAPPENED sso I mean? Im not forgiving him and I cant ever feel comfortable around him and I just. I guess I feel like I should never feel sad abt it and im really not I just. Idk. Im not really sure rn.

Made some food and chatted with Catherine a bit, almost burnt my nachos but I saved them. The broiler is quite hot here. Then I excused myself at like 930 because omg I needed to fucking write like, im gonna get nothing done if I just get stuck talking to Catherine for hours every night. But tomorrow im coming home at like 330 and she wont be here for 2 hrs after that so hopefully I can chill and maybe make rice then and get a head start on things… that would be good. I have to do some reading for both of my classes so far but im not good at reading during the week, I might see if I can wait and read it/catch up/read ahead on the weekend when I have more time. Catherine will also be gne then and it’s a 3 day weekend so I think thatll work out well honestly

Well I gotta go to bed now I have a class at 930 and I gotta go early to work out this bike so bye