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kitastrophe33 -> Doctors' biases...warning! (4/16/2010 12:12:21 PM)
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I'll give credit to BoiJen's post on STD screening etiquette questions for jogging my memory about wanting to post this...I could post in response to that thread, but it would be at the end, and people don't always read that many...So.
This is definitely a personal topic, but it sucked so much, I want to share it so maybe someone else can avoid it.
A few months after my BF and I started having unprotected sex, (we each had "STD testing" before that). A couple months later, I started having some odd symptoms. Periodic cramping toward the end of sex, break through bleeding with my birth control pills, etc. Internet research suggested pelvic inflammatory disease, but I thought that was not possible, given that we both had been given a "clean bill of health". At my annual 3 months later, I complained of the symptoms, and the doctor sort of dismissed them as "not on common" with the type of pills I take. I, again, told him I wanted to be screened for STD's. Again, I was told that I was clean.
One year passed, symptoms continue, and I decided for my next annual I'd find a different doctor. I went to her, and as part of her work up of those symptoms, she wanted to do STD testing. I didn't think it was necessary, but she's the doc and I have insurance anyway, so I said okay. And what do you know, it came back positive for Chlamydia. My head spun and I felt nauseous. I lived 30 years, had a lot of sex, and NEVER had a positive STD test. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd been unfaithful, etc. It was awful.
And then medical records were reviewed. It turns out that his doctor, despite the fact that he had asked for "STD testing," did not do a Chlamydia/Gohorrhea test. Apparently 30 year old engineers, in this guy's mind, are not at risk for those diseases. Similarly, 29 year old nurses are apparently not at risk either, cuz even though I had symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease, that jackass MD that blew off the symptoms, did not test me either.
We did our course of antibiotics, and are fine now, but having PID that long increases my risk of infertility or atopic pregnancy. Not to mention all the trauma about wondering if someone had been cheating.
The point of this (admittedly not specifically BDSM related) post is just to let you guys know that some doctors really profile their patients. So be specific when you ask for STD testing. And dammit, go to a different doctor sooner if you're getting blown off by one.
(Edited because I'm OCD and don't like typos).
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