Today I bring you a scary story from the GYNECOLOGICAL OFFICE!
Ooooooh. No, it is not about speculums, although those can be downright
frightening. It is about a doctor who did not listen to the person seeking her
services, so she lost her… to another gynecologist. Let me paint the spooky
scene.
I had been in Austin for about a year, and I was searching
for a new gynecologist. I needed an annual exam and a new birth control pill
prescription. I found a practice that sounded good, and I asked for their
gentlest doctor. And I was sent to this woman who shall remain nameless. (It
makes it scarier that way.) I went to our first appointment, and I was concerned
that my libido had been lower than usual. I wasn’t sure if it was situational
or hormonal, but it was starting to freak me out. So I decided to talk to her
about it. BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH YOUR
VAGINA, YOU ASK A GYNECOLOGIST. And she totally shut me down, like the scary
doctor she is. The conversation went something like this.
Me: I have noticed that my sex drive has been lower the past
several months. I am wondering if it is my situation; I have been single for a
while. Or if it is a side effect of this particular brand of birth control
pills.
The Doctor: We can talk about this more when you are in a
relationship. I can refer you to therapists who do Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy.
Me: I don’t know if that is the issue. Could it be something
else, like the pills or stress or environmental?
The Doctor: Nope, we won’t know until you have a boyfriend.
And that was when I realized that she was really a
zombie/vampire/mummy gynecologist, so I unraveled the wrappings and drove a
stake through her heart!!! Duh, duh, duh.
Ha. Just kidding. That is when I fired her ass and found a
doctor who would listen to me and answer my questions. Because FUCK THAT. I
deserve to be a partner in my health care. I want to encourage you to find
doctors who will listen to you and who will celebrate YOU. Anything less is
just SCARY!
-
Lauren, a partner in my own gynecological care
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