Comments on: Just when you thought it was safe

By: Pissed off cancer patient holds forth « I Blame The Patriarchy

Pissed off cancer patient holds forth « I Blame The Patriarchy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:29:07 +0000

[...] For more “what cancer is” photos here at IBTP, including a blamer’s actual surgery and a fun post-op pic of my second mastectomy, click here. [...]

By: The pornification of breast cancer | Reclusive Leftist

The pornification of breast cancer | Reclusive Leftist — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:32:47 +0000

[...] Just when you thought it was safe [...]

By: KATHY

KATHY — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:29:58 +0000

JULIE, YOU REALLY HAVE GUTS TO USE THOSE PICTURES. AFTER SEEING THEM I DON’T THINK ANYONE IS GOING SKIP GET MAMMOGRAMS ANYMORE. I NEVER HAD CANCER YET BUT I JUST LOST A SISTER TO OVARIAN CANCER AND LOWER INTESTIAL CANCER, ONE OF THE TOP THREE KILLER CANCERS. CANCER IS NASTY, AND EVEN CHILDREN CAN GET IT AND ANIMALS TOO. ALSO I AM SO SICK OF SEEING PINK THIS AND PINK THAT AND REALLY SICK OF TEAL RIBBONS! WHEN A CANCER SURVIVOR OR ANYONE COMPLAINS OF TUMMY PAIN THEY SHOULD HAVE A COMPLETE COLON-UP-SEE DONE WHEN THEY THINK THERE MAY BE CANCER THERE AND DO NOT LET ANY DOCTOR TALK YOU OUT OF IT! I REALLY THINK MY SISTER HAD COLON CANCER TOO THE SAME TIME AS HER OVARIAN CANCER. DOCTORS NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THEIR PATIENTS ARE THE ONES WHO PAY THEIR SALARY AFTER THEIR APPOINTMENTS!

By: Kiuku

Kiuku — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:27:04 +0000

What is causing all of the cancer? They used to say that cancer was always around we can just diagnose it now. But, I don’t think that’s the case. I mean, is it environmental decay? What is it? Atomic testing? I don’t know, but it’s frightening. Of course, focusing on saving breasts and beauty, and not women’s lives, is the focus of “Breast Cancer Awareness.” Otherwise we should herald women who chop them off, so to speak. Otherwise there would be pics of breasts and -babies- not breasts “for men” to jiggle, and “massage”. Disgusting.

By: Who’s the Biggest Boob Here? « Kittywampus

Who’s the Biggest Boob Here? « Kittywampus — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:18:49 +0000

[...] toxins and other environmental factors. We need to hear the stories of women undergoing treatment. We need to unveil the brutality of treatment, not just so patients know what to expect, but also to light a fire under the asses of the [...]

By: Agasaya

Agasaya — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:51:44 +0000

I’ve got a half-baked theory — all my theories are half-baked — that all women are depressed, if only because we can’t get anybody to diagnose our actual health issues as anything but depression.

Welcome to my world of activism for women who have been disabled by the toxic effects of chemicals. Nearly all who obtain disability wind up with psych diagnoses such as somatoform disorder. This effectively ends their lives because they remain sick without knowing why; lose the respect of friends, relatives and the public because, of course, they are merely weak females not doing their duty in society. It also means they will quickly lose any work related disability benefits because mental illness isn’t covered by that and a pill ought to get you back into the office quickly if you have the ‘will’ for it. Everyone is happy with the findings because there is no liability other than that of a faulty female attention-seeker. Well, the faulted female isn’t too happy.

This also allows the patriarchy to make claims that universal health care will only lead to abuses in the overuse of services. They mean women have too many medical problems and need too much attention. Doctors who tend to voice their opinions of this unfairness tend to lose their licenses and spend a lot of time in court defending them before giving up patient advocacy impulses. Let me know if you want more info on this.

This anecdote is the result of my acquaintance with nearly a thousand individuals (mostly women) all experiencing the same problem over the past ten years. Here is a typical journal article which shows how a physician stumped for answers needs only assess how thick the chart is and make a diagnosis based upon that:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/325/7359/323

They published my view of that article in ‘rapid responses’ (Barbara Rubin) just below that text.

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:31:44 +0000

I’ve got a half-baked theory — all my theories are half-baked — that all women are depressed, if only because we can’t get anybody to diagnose our actual health issues as anything but depression. And also because we live in a rape culture.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:10:48 +0000

So… someday the medical profession will realize that not all people dealing with chronic illness are depressed and/or stressed.

That may happen, Julia, but will they ever realize that not all women are depressed, just because the doc can’t figure out what is wrong?

By: Julia

Julia — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:46:45 +0000

You know, I kept meaning to mention this and kept forgetting… I’m so glad Jill, that you mentioned your weight gain. I know it seems like I’m reasonably minded about these things, but even when I saw your photos I was guilty of thinking, wow, she’s so slender and in shape and I wish my drugs didn’t hit me this hard with the weight gain. I mean, I never look at other women and think that it’s unreasonable that they gained so much weight from their steroids. I know it’s steroid weight and I know I’m not going to be able to do much about it, but I still (in the back of my mind) sometimes will look at other people and think that maybe they didn’t gain so much and it’s possible I couldn’t have gained so much. Really, though, it’s just that people don’t like how they look and feel when they have moonface and back fat (especially how they feel… standing up makes my back feel like trying to bend my knee with a soda pop can behind it) so they don’t post those photos or talk about it that much. So, it even helped me to post those photos, because it pointed out to me that the people I didn’t really think gained a bunch of steroid weight also gained it, heh. It reminds me of the bit from Alice in Wonderland where she says that she gives very good advice but very seldom takes it.

By: beethovenqueen

beethovenqueen — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:13:02 +0000

@ Comrade Physio who wrote:

It’s not. It’s more victim-blaming bullshit:

Why so caustic? Have you read the book? I don’t think it’s “victim-blaming” at all. It compares the diets of countries with low occurrence of breast cancer, among other things. That makes sense to me. Why not examine all factors when considering cause and prevention rather than “shutting off” and stamping potentially invaluable advice as “bullshit”?

Obviously there are more factors (genetics, for example!) involved, but I’ve changed my diet and feel better for it.