Half-Nekkid Thursday : squeezin’ and pokin’

Today’s unflattering HNT shot is brought to you as a reminder to get your bits checked on a regular basis. Whether you’re male or female or some combination, sex bits have a way of attracting trouble and need to be checked for misbehavior.

I’ve already had my pap smear and annual exam, yesterday was devoted to mammograms and vaginal ultrasound procedures.  I don’t have any history of breast cancer in my family, but I did once have a needle biopsy to check on some questionable tissue, so I get them checked annually, to make sure I don’t have any unwanted growths.

The vaginal procedures were recommended by my NP because my menstrual cycle has become unpredictable.  My girly bits are aging and not operating with the efficiency they once did.  I am at an age when these things begin to happen, when the machinery starts breaking down but my NP wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on.  I have to say, many people complain about having their boobs pressed in the mammogram vise, but that isn’t nearly as uncomfortable as having the ultrasound tech press her wand against my exceedingly full bladder.  I had an external and an internal set of ultrasound pictures taken, I’ll get results from my NP if there’s anything to report.  There most likely won’t be anything to report, I’m probably just dealing with age-related equipment malfunctions, but I want to be sure, because not being sure is asking for trouble.

In advocating regular girly bit check-ups, I am aware that many transmasculine people are uncomfortable with such procedures.  Maybe they’d rather those bits not exist at all and want to avoid thinking about or acknowledging them.  I respect that, however, if you do have breasts, a vagina, cervix, ovaries, not thinking about them will not prevent cancer.  A dear friend and towering leader and role model of the lesbian community in Olympia, died of cervical cancer.  She ran a women’s health clinic, was an NP who advocated health care access for all women.  She would harass and harangue you to keep up with your health care visits.  You’d think she, of all people, would keep up with her check-ups.  She didn’t, she skipped too many and by the time the problem was known, it was too late.

Love yourself enough to get the care you need for the body parts you have.  Love your friends and lovers enough to encourage them to get regular check-ups.   Don’t dislike your body so much that you forget to take care of it.

 

Happy HNT, y’all

To see all the other HNT posts for the day, go to Views from the Back Row, from whence the HNT goodness has come.

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