Medical History

[naamah_darling]

Over the course of reading your comments, I realized that a lot of you aren't aware of the particulars of my bad run-ins with the medical profession, and so I thought I'd delineate them for future reference

Comments

[princess_kessie]

I didn't think - at least I hoped - that no other woman on earth had to endure what I went through with my reproductive issues.

After reading the above, I now realise I am far from alone. I am sorry you had to go through all that...I wouldn't wish any of it on my worst enemy, let alone a friend. Gadz, I am so sorry...

At least now I know someone out there knows *exactly* how I feel.

*warm hugs*

[naamah_darling]

Judging from the last entry, and all the responses of all the outraged and disgusted and humiliated women, we are, neither of us, alone in having been maligned. It's apparently pretty common.

That, if you ask me, is the worst part of it; that these attitudes are so entrenched in the medical profession that one person is lucky to live their whole life without running afoul of them.

*hugs*

Nobody should have to suffer this shit.

[bluetara2020]

It's something I really don't understand...

It's humiliating enough to have to go in and answer very very personal questions then strip naked (or worse, depending on your views of those stupid gowns - I go with worse as in: here, you may have to take off all your clothes that you feel somewhat comfortable in so that we may get at your disgusting girlie bits but we don't have to look at your fat/ugly/stupid body too) and be pulled open so a stranger can shine lights and poke and prod and scrape and stick cold or scratchy or oh-god-I-don't-want-to-know things up inside you while either trying to make small talk or distressing noises like hmm... although at least they ain't trying to whistle It's A Long Way To Tipperary or some such

[naamah_darling]

And yeah, I'll do the jail time for writing "you fucking cunt bitch" in spray paint too. I'm single, work from home and haven't had a vacation in forever. Believe me, I can rearrange my schedule...

Pffft. For someone with no previous record? A fine and/or community service, tops. It'd be worth the privilege.

[bluetara2020]

Well the slashed tires, sugar in the gastank and the moltov cocktail while dancing around the resulting bonfire might have something to do with it...

[angelofmercy]

Sugar in the gas tank doesn't work out that well, most its going to do is cause teh owner to have the tank dumped out and clean the fuel injector. Slashing tires is more costly.

[naamah_darling]

It boggled my mind, too. I can't wrap my head around it. I really don't think she was serious about that, she was just using it as an excuse to get rid of me.

[roguebitch]

Good gracious. I am SO sorry you had to go through multiple stupid ordeals like that.

Stuff like this makes me very very grateful that I grew up in New England, where the Planned Parenthood I went to was very courteous and professional and didn't bat an eyelash when I went in for my first exam/birth control when I was 16. And since then, the only problem I ever had was when I couldn't get my regular gyn for an exam and they stuck me with a man (I didn't know it was a guy until I got there). I never want to have some old guy poking around in my parts unless I'm fucking him.

One thing that bugs me is how PP holds your b/c hostage to get you to come in for a pelvic. That seems dangerous and stupid to me.

[pixxelpuss]

I used to think it made sense to refuse to give someone their birth control unless they agreed to the pelvic. But now that I've seen the horror stories, I'm starting to think that more women will just go without rather than go anywhere near a gyno. And I can't say as I blame them. Ugh.

[pandoradeloeste]

I had a gynie this year who loathes the idea of tying birth control to exams. He compares it to sexual assault - essentially they're coercing you into letting them finger you and stick foreign objects in your girly bits by withholding medical treatment. (He also let me skip my exam this year - the recommendations have changed, apparently. w00t.) I don't know if this is a movement only in crunchy granola SoCal or if it's started elsewhere, but there's hope. . .

[naamah_darling]

I was just privately cogitating on this.

Withholding of birth control in order to get women to come in to have exams is coercion. Coerced sexual contact is a crime. I'm . . . I'm not seeing a whole lot of difference between a coerced exam and, say, rape by instrumentation, or some such.

By most definitions, it certainly qualifies as sexual assault. ("Sexual assault = Sexual contact usu. that is forced upon a person without consent or inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (as a doctor) in a position of trust")

This is really, really disturbing.

(And yes, apparently the new recs are for low-risk women to get exams every two years instead of yearly. Not that most doctors seem to give a shit about that, so long as they get to charge you.)

[jenbooks]

There's a happy ending to my tale, at least. Sargon stepped up to the plate after the last dose of fuckery and decided to get snipped.

And the doctor? Dr. Clark Tingleaf of Claremore, Oklahoma? Gave us no shit whatsoever. The experience was so different from what I have had to endure when it is my body and my decision about what you get to do with it, or what I want to do with it, that it wasn't even funny.

It's enough to wonder what it is about the sight of my pussy that drives people insane.

Sad thing is, it's pussy vs. dick I'm afraid.

That and the fucking South.

[veek]

That and the fucking South.

I have to confess, though this type of shit happens everywhere, I've wondered whether you (Naamah) would have a different experience... well, not in the South. I know you love OK and all, but GAH.

[schol_r_lea]

I'm a male*, but I've heard enough horror stories from women (in the Bay Area, for fuck's sake) to say it isn't just the South, though I doubt even the worst here is as bad as what you are describing there. I hope not, at any rate.

*At least in any of the ways that matter for this discussion, no matter what weirdness may occasionally leak out of my head.

[sterlingspider]

As a denizen of (metro area) NY I think I can say with confidence that asstastic gynos are absolutely everywhere.

I will say though that it's nice not having to deal with the overt religiosity; there are some small benefits of living in such an incredibly litigious culture.