Showing posts with label OBGYN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OBGYN. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

This is Going to be like a Kennywood Ride

When I was 18 my mom decided I should go to my first annual gynecological checkup. I knew the dreaded yearly exam would come soon enough as I remember hearing in health class that females should start to go around 17-18 years old. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The thought of spreading my legs while hoisted in stirrups, with my private girl parts out for the world to see really freaked me out – and rightfully so. When I got to my appointment, I waited the usual half hour for my doctor. I finally heard a knock at the door and in walked a 50-some year old man with salt and pepper sideburns and a chocolate brown toupee. He gave his hair piece a quick fix, looked at me and winked. What was I getting myself into?

I am sure reading this it sounds like a very awkward first experience/impression. Weirdly enough it was his way of lightening the mood for what was to come. In a very strange way, I must admit, it helped. I figured he had a good sense of humor considering he knew it was so obvious he wore a rug on his head. I left there with a sense of relief; it was not as bad as I thought. He was super nice and he made me feel comfortable in one of the most uncomfortable situations.

Last week it was time for another one of my annual gynecological exams and lucky as you all are, you get to hear about this one too. I debated discussing this trip as these types of appointments are rather personal but the event that took place was too entertaining to keep to myself. My regular toupee-wearing doctor transitioned to focus more on delivering babies so I was forced to schedule an appointment with the newest doctor to the practice. She is a nice, short young female of Indian origin (I am trying to paint you a picture). When it was time for my exam the nurse came in, I leaned back and anxiously awaited the end of my appointment.

The doctor sat down, she was so tiny that I could not see her too well. All of a sudden I hear, “I am going to bring you up. This is going to be like a Kennywood ride.” Oh how fun. Up, up and up I go as the table begins to rise. I am sure the look on my face was quite entertaining as I look at the nurse who is just as surprised as me with how high I was in the air, my legs spread wide open and my private girly parts out. She then says, “I am going to lean you back a bit so I can get a good look.” Lean me back? Well this doctor must not have much experience with this table because she clearly held this button in for too long, I start grasping the sides of the table in fear I would slide down then back, head first with my hoo-ha out. The nurse couldn’t hold in her chuckle and neither could I, she asked if I was ok and the doctor kept apologizing for leaning me back too far. I had never had an experience quite like this before. The toupee-wearing doctor would have never pulled such shenanigans. I prayed that the next time I came in she would be better trained and I wouldn’t have to hold so tightly onto the table in fear of slipping off head first, hoo-ha out. If it were anyone else in my position I am sure they would have been a little irritated and mad. But I couldn’t because I was too busy laughing and she is so tiny, it’s the only way she feels she can see in there. I wish I was making this up, but I am not. Sadly (or thankfully) for my next appointment I will not get to see if she brushed up on her table-operating skills as I am getting new insurance and they’re not in my network. I will, however, be sad to leave my toupee-wearing doctor.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Doctor Will See You Now


It is so easy to put off going to the doctor. Trust me. I'm the queen of "too busy." My kids get there. I make my husband go for aches, pains, illness. And when I'm really sick, I'll go mainly because I need to get over whatever it is as fast as possible because I'm too busy to be sick! It's the preventative maintenance that us chicks usually aren't so good at. Our OBGYNs make us come in once a year otherwise we can't get our birth control filled. We typically go to the dentist because our teeth are something we can see. Same with the dermatologist. It is our regular PCP that we struggle with. It's so easy to put off. We feel fine, so we are fine. And while that is typically the case, it is still good to check in, get annual blood work and set a baseline.

I starts to get scary the older you get. Though I'm not terribly older than the other Working Wives & Bachelorettes, I am starting to see friends get sick with cancer. It's scary. I don't remember my parents friends getting sick or seriously ill when I was growing up. A few friends lost their parents, but I never gave it much thought. The older I get, the more it is in my face, especially when you see people your own age struggling with their health.

In our teens and twenties, we are invincible. Nothing can harm us. We can stay up all night and still function during the day. As we climb into our thirties, our bodies start to slow. I read once that the human body was never meant to live past 40. Through modern medicine, better food and better living conditions, clearly that number has raised, almost doubled. We are lucky, but you have to do your part.

Go to the doctor. Get your annual physical. If you don't have regular health insurance, check out a walk-in clinic, such as MedExpress or Minute Clinic. The prices are reasonable and well worth it. If you need to see a dentist and don't have dental insurance, find a dental school. Many times, they offer free dental exams from students. Visit your OBGYN. Any Planned Parenthood offers services on a sliding scale or, if you live in a city like Pittsburgh, UPMC is forever doing studies. I have a friend who is in grad school full-time and over 26 so insurance is a real issue for her. She participates in a study for birth control and, with minimal participation, she gets free birth control.

There are no excuses. Too busy. No money. Make the time. Find the solution. Stay healthy. We want you around...not just for the next 20 years, but at least 60 or more!




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