08.30.07
Posted in Coming out, Emotional Health, General, Health, Identity, LGBT Rights, Mature at 11:08 pm by Guest Writers
Images from jupiterimages.co.uk
Hello I am sitting here at my computer at 6:23 am. Another night I couldn’t sleep well and feeling more alone than any soul on earth should feel. I turn to the presence of my cats for company and my new found shamanism beliefs in nature as I slowly look at the devastaing effect traditional religion has had on my brain in not accepting myself.
I once was a lesbian as if I once was a child, but I grew up and went back to being the kind of woman society accepts, that men find attractive, and that my son would admire. Sad thing is I didn’t admire me. Not only did I not admire me, I chose men who would hit me, use me, cheat on me, and worst of all not make me feel a thing in bed. I always thought if I could just find the right man, my body will respond like theirs does to mine. But no no no, year after year after year I defaced my own emotions with endless numbness offering my body to a man as if it was my only ticket to being straight. I had to pick despicable men for the cruel and endless punishment for really being a lesbian!
Read the rest of this entry »
- About: Written by breeze
- Forum discussion: Coming out
- technorati: glbt, lgbt, gay, lesbian, queer, coming out, internalized homophobia, women, dyke
Permalink
09.14.06
Posted in Coming out, General, LGBT Rights, Mature, Podcasts at 8:42 pm by sayoni
Part four of the L3 Forum: Discussing Growing Old and Leaving
L3 Forum Part 4: Growing Old and Leaving
- enclosure: http://www.sayoni.com/podcast/L3%20Forum%20Part%204.mp3
5495665
audio/mpeg
Permalink
04.03.06
Posted in General, Identity, Mature at 4:54 pm by pure ego
This is a monthly column by Pureego, an ego bursting, movie maker, Gen-X bitch who needs to rant about films, love & life every now & then.
Being born in the 1970s, I grew up with a certain set of values and a way of seeing the world shaped by my upbringing, culture, and influenced by the friends I am surrounded. In my point of view, I am considered open-minded to a lot of things. I mean come on, I am part of the Gen-X; we are the cultural liberators and innovators! We crave and are open to freedom and are not chained to the stringent values and circumstances that our baby boomers parents were subjected.
Not to mention having come a long way to being more comfortable with my sexuality, and not flinching from the countless accounts of luscious love affairs which I have heard in the community.
But I forgot about the generation Y, a group of people whom I realise has grown up and will very soon take over what my generation has carved out for them. And recently, encounters with the generation Y has left me rather flabbergasted, that I might after all be a conservative oldie! GASPS!
Read the rest of this entry »
- About: Pureego is a movie loving, neurotic bitch
- Forum discussion: Mature
- technorati: Gen-X, conservative, L-Word, lesbians, queer, gay
Permalink
02.08.06
Posted in General, Mature at 10:02 pm by st
There are certain risks that come with being a woman or with the aging process, one of which concerns our breasts, our bosom buddies. We have heard of many people we know fall victim to breast cancer and unfortunately many of them regretted not going for a mammogram, which only needs to be done once a year.
I have started going for the mammogram 2 years ago and would like to share the experience with you on what I learned about breast cancer and the importance of mammogram.
There is no known cause for breast cancer but certain factors increase the odds of the disease. A woman is more suseptible if:
- she is more than 45 years old and has not gone through menopause
- she did not become pregnant before age 30
- her mother or sister had breast cancer, especially before menopause and especially in both breasts
As you can see from the above, older lesbians face a higher risk than the general female population. Thus, we should practice self-care for our own sake as well as for our loved ones. For a start, we must start going for mammogram once we reach the age of 40.
Unfortunately, there are usually no symptoms during the early stages of breast cancer; only a mammogram can detect it. Later, however, you may notice:
- swelling or a lump in the breast
- an achy or uncomfortable breast
- one breast that looks different from the other
- breast skin that is dimpled or pitted like an orange peel
- a nipple that looks as though it had been pushed in
- bleeding from the nipple
Left untreated, cancer eventually will spread. Almost all forms of cancer theraphy have unpleasant side effects, and many fail to halt the spread. However, treatment - especially when performed early enough, usually improves the chances.
Do not schedule your mammogram for the week before your period if your breasts are usually tender during this time. The best time for a mammogram is one week following your period. Do not wear deodorant, talcum powder or lotion under your arms or on your breasts on the day of the test. These can appear on the mammogram as calcium spots.
During mammography, a specially qualified radiologic technologist will position your breast in the mammography unit. Your breast will be placed on a special platform and compressed with a paddle (often made of clear plexiglas or other plastic). You will feel pressure on the breast as it is squeezed by the compressor.
Unfortunately this is a necessary pain that we have to go through once a year. A small price to pay in view of the potential risk of not doing it.
Be brave, go for it.
- About: ST loves women and believes that they should be well taken care of.
- Forum discussion: Women's Health, Wise
- technorati: lesbian, mature, queer, women's health
Permalink
