Way OT: Obgyn visits

[Grog]

At my medical school, and with the gyn oncologists I worked with this summer, they all recommend (and taught us for our exams) the pap 3 years after their 1st intercourse or by the age of 21, and if normal, then every year until 30 then every other year for the pap while still having the annual exam. Apparently it's just been changed recently, at least that's what I was told.

The pap test is one thing, a pelvic exam is another. The pap is not the only thing out there. Of course abnormal cells from HPV would not develop on the cervix in the weeks/months following the first intercourse. However, there SHOULD be testing for other STDs!!! There is much worse than the HPV out there.

[btchance]

The pap test is one thing, a pelvic exam is another. The pap is not the only thing out there. Of course abnormal cells from HPV would not develop on the cervix in the weeks/months following the first intercourse. However, there SHOULD be testing for other STDs!!! There is much worse than the HPV out there.

I definately wasn't trying to imply that the annual exam shouldn't be done, but a lot of women out there won't go in for anything other than the pap, as they seem to think that STDs would never happen to them.

[mmelindas]

ANY DOCTOR IS YOUR EMPLOYEE -- YOU ARE PAYING FOR HIS OR HER SERVICES, AND ARE ENTITLED TO GETTING WHAT YOU WANT. DON'T LET THEM BULLY YOU, DISRESPECT YOU OR MANIPULATE YOU.

After 62 years I learned that we patients DO NOT have to put up with crap and should freely tell any doctor if we don't like the way they treat us.

I did this with one cocky male doctor and he tried to insist that I get "anger management" treatment!!! (I had told him he should have told me what pulmonary hypertension was and not let me go on the Internet and scare myself to death! and I told him that he was a "bad" doctor for not communicating with me properly about that condition he told me I had)

He also prescribed tranquilizers for me that caused me to go into congestive heart failure in just five days, despite my insisting I needed to be taking diuretics, which he took me off of. I had sleep apnea and tranquilizers are a NO NO for such conditions, and at the ER the doctors asked me why this DODO didn't give me diuretics!!! That's all they gave me and I was AOK in 45 minutes!! He nearly KILLED ME!!

I CHANGED DOCTORS IMMEDIATELY!!!

Annually should be the norm unless you have a condition that needs more frequent treatment. Some HMO's do have quotas for patients and do deliberately try to get you in for more frequent visits!!!

So, if they won't look at you, call you by name, apologize for keeping you waiting or won't answer your questions, DUMP THEM!!

[Brandi]

Scary! I alwyas switch Dr it seems. I might do it again. I have an IUD and when I had my last exam she couldn't see the string. So she goes and gets some devise that is supposed to help grasp it. And she strts digging around, very uncompfortable, and still doesn't find it. She starts talking about ordering x rays and so on. I am freaking out. Wondering if I was prego or not? And then thinking about what they would have to do in order to get it out? and the whole time she is hurting me. Finally she says well lets finish the rest of the exam and worry about this afterward, she takes everything out and goes in with her fingers to check te ovaries and what not, and guess what she feels the string! I was so relieved and pissed. And se goes "wow that string is short". And I said to her that it has always been like that. And she says who put it in?" and I said "You" and she said " I wouldn't cut it that short" and i said it has always been like that though". I don't know should I find another Dr?