forwomenseyesonly

Blogcritics Welcome (Updated)

Elizabeth has commented on the post “Three Ways to Combat Doctors Bullying You into Pap Tests and Pelvic Exams”.   Both of us are having difficulty posting on Blogcritics.  So welcome again, make yourselves at home.

45 comments

  1. Wow! How efficient are you? Thank you so much for creating a bullshit free zone about this sort of stuff, and thanks for making us welcome. Hopefully the B/Critics site is just having some sort of hissy fit for us Aussies, but if not, we’re moving in with you!

    Reply

    • You are welcome Jacqui, and you all move on in anytime. I am still able to access the other site without a problem, but sometimes the page takes a while to load. I’m in Canada though so I’m not sure if that makes a difference or not. Hopefully it will get worked out because the other site is great for chat room purposes and we’ve all gotten used to it. And maybe we need a third back up plan just in case my site starts acting up too.

      Reply

  3. Hi guys, I have just got back from the hospital regarding the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. I have been accepted into their program, and will have to have 40 treatments, so should be about 6 weeks worth. They said they are optimistic about my chances of healing and reckon I have a 60-70% chance of lots of improvement. I am trying not to get too excited.
    Many doctors don’t know about this, or if they do think it’s some sort of hippy witchcraft therapy, so it will be another thing that we have to advise women who have problems to try. It also has an excellent rate of helping people with damage due to diabetes!

    Reply

  4. I too am experiencing trouble with blogcritics, got on today to page 173, thought all was good and tried to post a comment, but now it is playing up with the page blank, its trying to do something but I am no technical Guru! Now I can not get onto to any page? Us Newbies are still around reading so please don’t stop posting, thank you.

    Reply

  5. Hi Chas, heaps of us seem to be having issues with blog critics, but we are all trying to meet up here, as Sue has come to our rescue. I can get the blog critics page to load – eventually. I have been waiting 4 hours for it to load up at the moment, and will try and check in before I go to bed, but I think for now this is going to be my new home. I am glad you have made your way over here though, maybe just put out the word about Sue’s site, and let people know that she has adopted us.

    Reply

  6. Hi Sue, I was wondering how we link to any articles that we find either really good, or really awful like we could do on the blogcritics site. I pretty much have L plates for knowing how to do that, and thought I would ask you how to do it on your blog while I had it on my mind. (Look at me being the needy adopted child!)

    Reply

  7. Thanks Jacqui, I certainly will. I got back onto the site and my comment did post to page 174, it takes time, but I came out and got in again after several attempts. Guess it may be closing soon? Just finding my way round this site, I’m here now so I can still keep reading thanks to all of you guys.

    Reply

  8. God, I am STILL waiting for page 173 to load. Arrrgh. I also just wanted to say that I have noticed on Google that there are hardly any references to the Blog Critics site anymore. Very, very odd. Never mind, we can all meet here now, and I am pretty sure that Sue’s tolerance to sheep and paternalistic doctors is about the same as ours. I also contacted the lady who wrote the great article on AnnyStudio about your rights etc when undergoing medical stuff, and advised her about the issues on Blog Critics, and told her about Sue and this blog.
    I have not heard back from anyone at Blog Critics, and I am having more and more trouble trying to get the page up. I have no idea if they are trying to shut the pap blog down, or what the hell the issue is. It’s a bit concerning, especially when no one seems to be able to give us a straight answer. The people at Blog Critics have said it’s an ISP issue, yet people’s ISPs have said it’s a Blog Critics issue. Never mind, hopefully more and more of us will come over to Sue’s blog, and we can get bigger and stronger (and probably cause Sue to have a brain hemorrhage or something! 🙂 )

    Reply

    • Jacqui it looks like you figured out how to add a link – pretty easy right? This site does have some user friendly features that make for some fun blogging. I love your Gravatar picture and have mentioned it at the other site. That dog has some personality!
      I signed the petition, a very worthy cause although I am hoping the petition isn’t created by a pharmaceutical company. But who cares, if it stops some unnecessary pelvic examining from taking place I am all for it.

      Reply

      • Thanks sweetie! The dog’s name is Chloe. (We adopted her and she already had that name, so we didn’t bother to change it) She is really funny and snorts and snores a lot, and is just a hilarious little clown. I love that picture so much, I always think it looks like she is laughing her little puggy head off!
        Thanks for signing the petition. I stumbled across it and thought it was something up our alley.

  10. I have page 174 up but mine is the only entry, so tried to open 173 at the same time in another tab and it does not like it. I am at work and we certainly have no other internet problems or issues here. Keep trying guys as not everyone knows of this site……YET! I noticed that on google too searching with “blogcritics unnecessary paps page numbers” not as many turn up like before on page 1, but this page is not far down….excellent.. Try the next pages girls as the references are still all there, just further down the line, they are trying to make it less priorty I guess. I hope it sorts itself out as there are so many comments total now 8626 and we do not want them to be lost, these comments are all so important for us and newbies searching for honest information.

    Reply

  11. I have Rob’s email from ages ago when he left a link to a petition and asked us to sign it for him. I have emailed him to advise him of the issues we are having, and to let him know about Sue’s great blog site, so hopefully between all of us, we can regroup here and be bigger and better than we were. I am STILL trying to load the page, I may try page 174 just to see what happens.

    Reply

  12. Here is an update from the site for those of you still not able to access it:
    8631 – Christopher Rose
    Sep 26, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    I just wanted to let anyone who has been having problems accessing this page recently that the powers that be are aware of it and they are looking to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

    It seems to be purely a technical issue that is only affecting people in certain parts of the world but hopefully they will get the issue resolved soon.

    Christopher Rose
    Blogcritics Comments Editor

    Reply

  13. Hey guys, I have just left a comment on this site. I can’t believe the amount of women that are forced (sorry, advised for their own good as the stupid f*cking doctor knows best) into having this done. I have left a big comment, but so far none of them have even acknowledged that OMG, you don’t have to have a pap smear if you don’t want one. Ever.

    Reply

  16. I’m so happy that Sue has this alternative site so we can meet. I am “Lynne” from the Blog Critics site. I was able to get into the site, but the page would freeze up and I couldn’t scroll the pages. It seems to be okay today.

    This is a great site Sue!

    Reply

    • Thanks Lynne, and I’m happy to see you here! There have only been a few comments on the other site and most are from the U.S. or Canada (me). I was happy to have this site too because I was freaking out at the thought of losing touch with everyone. I still think we need a designated site where we could meet in addition to this one, just in case.
      Jacqui I’m not surprised you would be the kind of person who would open your home to a homeless dog. She sounds adorable and looks loved and happy.

      Reply

  21. Hi Sue, I haven’t checked in yet, but will go over there a bit later. I will let you know if I am still having problems or not. Even if they fix the site, are you still happy to have a “sister” blog critics page on your site? I love your site, but at the same time, don’t want to impose and take over your blog with blogcritics stuff, particularly if you had other stuff in mind when you set yours up! Even if you prefer we sort of separate and leave blog critics stuff over there, and other comments over here, I will definitely be a regular visitor here!! It is so nice that you have been helping and adopting us, I don’t imagine that sheeple on places like hystersisteria would be so supportive of their so called online families. Being a bunch of black sheep rocks. 🙂

    Reply

    • Jacqui I am loving it! In fact I’ve been feeling guilty for enjoying it so much because I know it has been traumatic to not have access to the other site, and because the other site feels like home and this one takes some getting used to. Plus there is a great deal of history on the other site. I’m worried some weren’t able to find my site and have also been unable to access the other one, and I’m hoping they get it fixed soon. Bottom line is once they get the kinks out I’m happy either way, but it is nice of you to check it out.
      I was impressed with your energetic attempts to gather the clan and your foresight to get directions to here!

      Reply

  22. Sue, I am so grateful to you for this site. The problem we had not being able to access blogcritics made me realise how much we need each other and how awful it would be to lose contact. You are right, we need multiple sites in case one or more goes down or gets shut down. I haven’t tried accessing blogcritics since I got a security alert from my anti-virus software when I last tried to access the site. I may try again in a couple of days.

    Reply

    • Thanks Chrissy, and I feel the same way about the blogcritics site. When I thought it was gone I realized just how important it is to my sense of safety and sanity, and overall peace of mind. It would be devastating to lose touch with everyone, so getting a plan together would be a good idea – just in case. It is because of blogcritics and all the support from like minded, well informed and courageous women on the site that I finally had the courage to take a firm stand. The site looks like it’s back up and working because Jacqui and Mary have both posted recently.
      Hopefully we can come to look back on this time fondly as the “Fallout of 2012” or maybe as “Jacqui leads troops to safety!”

      Reply

  24. Guys, I seem to be able to go onto the blogcritics page without problems, but I love it here so much that you will be stuck with me, and will just be a regular on both sites. Speaking of which, Mary, and a new lady named Melinda have linked to a story which has made me want to go and punch things. Another woman who is too stupid to live and stealing all of our oxygen has had her cervix mangled and mutilated beyond repair. Of course she is ever so pleased that her doctors care about her, and ended her stupid f*cking story with the line “it is so important for all women to get regular paps” etc etc blah blah blah. FFS

    Reply

  25. Yes, no luck with Blogcritics today, but i notice Yazzmyne has posted a new comment, so perhaps, the States is still okay. I posted a comment last night that hasn’t appeared here…perhaps, your system didn’t like the link, I don’t like the link either…it’s disturbing.

    Some women are unreachable, they will never listen or read/trust anything that’s critical of the system, they often lash out protecting these tests and exams (some say they’re protecting women)…they become angry, upset and even abusive. Can you imagine any other screening subject that causes this reaction? If I said bowel cancer screening is an area of concern, I doubt it would cause a ripple…it’s the hysterical, defensive etc reactions that confirms in my mind these women have been brainwashed, groomed, imprinted…whatever you call it, it’s not a normal reaction and it prevents women from seeing and hearing. It protects these exams, tests and system. This was vitally important to these programs, it was always their intention to turn this testing into a no-brainer, something we just did without thinking…”just part of being a woman”.

    BUT there are some women out there who will listen, many have been distressed and harmed by the system, others have unspoken doubts – the system has always intimidated and silenced critics or doubters.
    I hope we reach some of the next generation of women. The medical profession has groomed women so they deliver up their teenage daughters as young as 13, producing another generation of victims. This thread makes clear what I’m talking about…by the time these girls reach 25 they’re already in the, “I must climb into the stirrups every year for my health” mindset. I think it’s insidious they want to secure these girls early, before they have a chance to question the whole dysfunctional system and the cycle of abuse continues….
    I won’t link it again in case your system rejects it, but you’ll find it by searching:
    “How do different nations approach a girl’s first gynecological exam”
    and the lashing out I was talking about…
    “@Eliz52,
    I think your single mindedness diatribe is dangerous. But continue to parrot your beliefs and have
    the preventable illnesses and deaths of the women you counsel on your shoulders. Hope it helps you sleep at night”

    Reply

  26. Elizabeth, when there are two or more links in a comment the system holds it in the queue for me to manually approve it. But I never saw your comment at all. WordPress is making some changes of their own right now and a lot of people are posting on the support forums complaining. Right now a few people are complaining about having lost a stats summary – I lost it myself. Plus the comments prompt has changed just today. So I don’t know what happened there, and I hope it didn’t happen to others trying to post. I still haven’t been able to access Blogcritics but I did get to see Yazzmyne’s comment one time I was let in (I didn’t try to post). Most often I get directed to a different site when I click the link.

    I did check out the site you provided and was so upset by the reaction you got. I have seen a few forums where you get attacked and I always feel so bad about it. What I like though is how you always bounce back, ready to take it on again! I admire your stamina and courage Elizabeth! You have plenty of both and enough to take on the world. I do think the positive changes we are seeing (like the age of screening being raised to 25) are in large part due to you and the other brave women and pioneers I’ve been fortunate to get to know. Love it!

    Reply

  27. I still can’t access Blogcritics, although I see Mary has been able to post.
    I found this article at “The Conversation”…
    http://theconversation.edu.au/q-a-should-cervical-cancer-tests-start-later-11290
    It amazes me that our doctors keep saying, “our situation is different and we must do more research”…it’s absurd, the facts have been clear for many years, we’re seriously over-screening!
    There is nothing to talk about…of course we should raise the starting age, but not to 25, it should be 30 AND we should only offer pap tests to those women who test positive to HPV.
    Finland has had their 7 pap test program since the 1960s and we’re still “considering” whether to reduce the number of screening tests from 26 (or even more)
    Yet they are never seriously challenged and that’s why the program hasn’t been changed, they get away with serious over-screening and huge over-treatment.

    Reply

    • Elizabeth I’m so glad you are keeping me posted as I too have been unable to post. I tried again today with no luck. I had wanted to share the media’s coverage of patient sex abuse on Blogcritics – but I created a new post here instead.

      It is maddening to read the “conversation” and I agree the starting age should be raised higher than 25. But at least it is a start. What would be even better of course would be to start treating women with more respect and offering them informed consent rather than dictating to them and bullying them. I always go back to your statement of how each individual needs to take a stand. You are so right in that no one is protecting us – we need to start protecting ourselves.

      Reply

  29. Good find Elizabeth! Very interesting that they are considering raising the cervical cancer screening age in Canada to 25, and it’s about time. In addition to the admission that cervical cancer is extremely rare, this part of the article was especially gratifying to read:

    “Most cervical cancers develop slowly, taking decades to go from HPV infection to invasive disease.
    That’s why screening of younger women doesn’t appear to hold much benefit. In fact, a working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer says no countries should start cervical cancer screening before age 25, one of the studies notes.”

    In parts of the article they sounded as if they were quoting you Elizabeth, especially the parts regarding countries in Europe, and how women there don’t begin screening until age 30.

    Another interesting part of the article outlined how the Government in Canada had stopped funding the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care between 2005 and 2010. And this is coming on the heels of the media coverage of the patient sex abuse problem. Could it be they have actually figured out the two (coercion of women into vaginal exams by drs and the sex abuse problem at the hands of drs) could be related?

    Of course the whole issue of sexual abuse by drs would be stymied if women were offered informed consent, rather than being dictated to and bullied into pap tests/vaginal exams. But they know most women would flat out refuse if they knew the facts about cervical cancer screening.

    Reply

  30. Sue, many thanks for asking about me over at blogcritics. Unfortunately I have had a family bereavement that has knocked me sideways, so I am not in a good place at the moment and it may be some time before I post again, although I will continue to follow the comments on this site and blogcritics.

    Reply

    • Chrissy thank you so much for letting me know. I wanted to respect your privacy but at the same was worried about you! I’m sorry to hear about your family bereavement. I hope you look after yourself and wish you all good things, and look forward to your return.

      Reply

  31. OverItAll, there is a comment of yours amongst the many fantastic old Blogcritic’s comments (#3706) that contains many many wonderful links: http://unnecessarypapsmears.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/over-10000-lost-comments-on-unnecessary-pap-smears-find-a-home/comment-page-37/#comment-755 It looks like a great deal of work and research went into putting those pages together. Would you be okay with having it published on the Unnecessary Pap Smears wp site as a separate post?

    Reply

  32. hey guys how do I get over to the new blog critics? It is really confusing me. I am 15 weeks post op now and almost fully recovered. The absence of pain is terrific. I am now waking without a stick for medium journeys. Hope you are all well.

    Reply

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