Saturday, January 28, 2012

Bye Bye For Now Now

WARNING: The following is a first world problem.

I had such high hopes for 2011 and then illness got in the way. I was hoping 2012 was going to be a lot better (health wise I have been much better (touch wood)) but then my writing had other ideas.

While I was sick last year, my love of fiction was re-fueled and I finally decided to concentrate on the manuscript I had been flirting with for the better part of 10 years, and make it a serious and steady relationship. It requires a lot of research and I have set myself a goal, but to achieve it, I need to knuckle down and start bashing it out.

I had always loved a good debate and writing opinion pieces at high school and then uni, but over the last year (with mostly thanks to my book club girls) I have discovered fiction again, and fallen head over heels in love with it all over again. My non-fiction writing has now taken a back-seat while I try to make fiction work.

It takes different parts of the brain to write fiction and non-fiction and I struggle to flick the switch from one to the other, to change gears so to speak and unfortunately, this blog has suffered. I will from time to time still check in and write when something that has really got me fired up, or I find something witty to share with you. In the meantime, become a follower and you will get email alerts when I do post something new.

I would like to thank everyone who has joined in on a debate and shared their thoughts. If you're new to the site, check out posts from the past and still feel free to comment as most are still relevant.

For now it's goodbye, or as the French say au revior!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Odd Spot - The Age

A ram jumped to freedom over a 1.5m fence at a farm in Northhamptonshire, England, broke into a adjoining paddock and mated with almost a third of the West Lodge Rural  Centre's 109 ewes in less than a day. Vets confirmed 33 pregnancies. The ram's name? Randy. 


*As published on the front page of The Age newspaper  07/01/12

January: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

I had a brush with cervical cancer.  A regular pap test  a few years ago came back with an abnormal reading and I had to go back to my doctor. Normally I get a letter a week later from my doctor saying that everything was coo- coo-cachoo with my lady bits and not to come back for another two years.

When another test came back with abnormalities my doctor sent me packing to a gynecologist for more tests. Long story short it turned out I had pre-cancerous cells that needed to be removed. A day surgery later, and a few pap tests every few months, then yearly and now thank god, back to the regular two years where (touch wood) they have since been okay.

When I hard that I may have cancerous cells I went into overdrive. I googled cervical cancer and the worst case scenario (apart from death) was a full hysterectomy. I am by my own admission a drama queen and went for the worst case scenario straight away and asked my partner what he would do if I had to have a hysterectomy and we couldn't have kids. He smiled, wiped my tears and said we will have lots of puppies instead (yep, he's a keeper).

In hindsight, what scared me was the what if. What if I was one of those girls who didn't have regular pap tests and I didn't find out I was sick till it was too late? What if it was cancer? What if it comes back?

Cervical cancer is often over shadowed by its more widely known cousins Breast, Bowel and Ovarian, and the main reason for that is that cervical cancer is one of the cancers that is most preventable and curable. A pap smear every two years can eliminate up to 90% of cases of cervical cancer and a few minutes of awkward is the best way to protect yourself.

What causes Cervical Cancer?
The following is courtesy of the Cancer Council Australia website:


The cause of cervical cancer is unknown. Factors that put some women at a higher risk of cervical cancer include:
  • infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV)
  • being the daughter of a woman who used the drug diethylstilboestrol (DES) during pregnancy to prevent a miscarriage
  • smoking, which increases the risk of cervical cancer fourfold.

The National Cervical Screening Program started in Australia in 1991. Since then, the cases of cervical cancer has been halved. The recent introduction of vaccine Gardasil will also hopefully help future generations avoid abnormal test results, however the Cancer Council of Australia highly stress that Gardasil is NOT a replacement of regular pap tests.

Gardasil protects you against two strains of HPV which causes 70% of cervical cancers. The drug is most effective on women who are yet to become sexually active but talk to your  doctor about the vaccine and whether they recommend it for you.


British celebrity Jade Goody was the first person to really put a name to cervical cancer. Goody became well known in the UK when she entered the Big Brother house in 2003. From there she launched her own perfume, had her own shows and wrote two best-selling biographies. But to the rest of the world she became well known when she died of cervical cancer in 2009. Ignoring doctors warnings of coming in and getting a abnormal result on a pap smear checked out, Goody was diagnosed with cancer when it was too late. Treated for the cervical cancer part, it was then discovered that the cancer had spread and she was diagnosed as terminal. Goody herself admitted that this all could have been avoided if she acted when doctors wanted her too.

It was the wake up call that doctors had been waiting for. Regular pap tests are serious and could save your life as shown unfortunately in the loss of Goody's life. 

This post is designed to scare you. To scare you and your partner into action. If you or your partner are not having regular pap smears then START NOW. You don't have to have had and STI or STD to get cervical cancer as even the Cancer Council of Australia admits they don't know what causes it. I have friends who haven't gone for awhile because it's awkward. Yes it awkward, not painful, but wouldn't you rather a few moments of up close and personal with your doctor then the risk of losing the ability to have children or the loss of your life? 

I'm here today because of a pap smear. 

Jade Goody photo by Eamonn McCabe