MetaChat - ARGH SHOUTING ANGER STUPID INFLEXIBLE STUPID

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

07 March 2011

ARGH SHOUTING ANGER STUPID INFLEXIBLE STUPID So I have a mild dyslexia, right? It's not bad, only affects numbers, it just means that when I'm addressing things I copy-paste-and-print because otherwise they'll be wrong, and so on.→[More:]

Also, I take birth control continuously because otherwise I have Problems and they are painful and miserable.

OH MOTHERFUCKING SHITBALLS THE PRESCRIPTION WAS GOOD UNTIL 03-04 NOT 04-03 FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK AND WHEN I TRIED TO GET MY LAST REFILL ON 03-05 WELL THAT WAS JUST TOO DAMN LATE. ONE DAY IS TOO DAMN LATE EVEN THOUGH I THOUGHT I HAD A GODDAMNED MONTH A MONTH DAMMIT A MONTH.

ANY MY GYNECOLOGIST MOVED AWAY AFTER LAST YEAR SO I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW ONE BUT IT ISN'T UNTIL NEXT WEEK BECAUSE DAMMIT I HAD ANOTHER MONTH A MONTH DAMMIT A MONTH ONLY MY EYES LIED TO ME AND I WAS WRONG OOOOH FUCK FUCK FUCK

I WAS DUE FOR THIS ON SATURDAY AND IT'S GOING TO BE TWO WEEKS BEFORE I CAN GET ANOTHER AND EVEN MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR WON'T HELP ME WITH JUST ONE REFILL JUST ONE BECAUSE "THAT'S NOT GOOD MEDICINE" TO GIVE HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL WITHOUT A PAP BUT I HAVE HAD A NORMAL PAP EVERY YEAR FOR DECADES, DECADES! AND
IT'S BULLSHIT THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PAP, BULLSHIT.

NO I CAN'T JUST COME IN AND SEE THE PRIMARY CARE DOC FOR A PAP BECAUSE A) I CAN'T DRIVE, YOU KNOW THAT, SO GETTING ANYWHERE HAS TO BE ARRANGED WAY IN ADVANCE AND B) I AM GOING TO THE GYNECOLOGIST YOU RECOMMENDED BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES YOU DON'T WANT TO ADDRESS AND SAID "GO SEE THIS GYN INSTEAD." IF I GO SEE THEM THEY'RE GOING TO DEMAND A PAP ANYWAY AND I AM NOT FUCKING GOING TO HAVE TWO PAPS IN ONE MONTH; ONE A YEAR IS TOO FUCKING MANY BECAUSE THEY MAKE ME HURT FOR THREE DAMNED DAYS AFTERWARDS.

I am crying because I am going to have pain no matter what I do and regulations are too crazy idiotic with no flexibility and I was *sure* I had another month. I had another month!

post by: galadriel at: 14:35 | 17 comments

damn galadriel. that sounds annoying/upsetting as hell. sometimes these regulations/processes get in the way of empathic and needed care in the most blockheaded ways.

posted by Firas 07 March | 14:51

I'm sorry to hear this galadriel, but as someone who has had a few abnormal paps, I'm happy to have the test and happier not to have cervical cancer.

posted by amro 07 March | 15:00

I just wanted one refill, to get me to my next gyn apptmt! Which is NEXT WEEK! Argh!

I called back. Again! This time I asked to leave a message directly for the doc, not through the nurse line. When I gave the receptionist the message, she handed me to a different nurse--not the one who kept telling me that helping me make it one gap month was "not good medicine." She went and CHECKED with THE DOCTOR instead of just blowing me off. And the doc said, "Yeah sure."

So I got a yes. Oh thank god. I just wanted not to be in severe pain for the next two weeks, I didn't think that was too much to ask.

posted by galadriel 07 March | 15:12

Oh, good. I'm glad for you.

Healthcare providers can be ridiculous. I had to leave my last gyn provider because she insisted on pap smears Every Six Months! I came armed to the teeth with reviews and recommendations from primary literature (medical librarians are probably more annoying patients than other physicians) saying that every 2-3 years was fine if you have had normal pap smears for a while* and she still wouldn't budge. "They don't care about their patients", she said. Grr.

*mine have been normal for nearly 10 years but I did have to have a LEEP for CIN-II pathology in my mid-20s

posted by gaspode 07 March | 15:17

Oh yes, they can. Indeed.

I'm still mourning the loss of the gyn who moved away last year :( Only person who ever gave me a pap that didn't leave me wanting to scream. She went to pursue her passion, is a researcher now, but I am sure I'm not the only person who is miserable that she left private practice.

I'm going to see if I can get anywhere with that article I linked above. I wonder if there's anywhere I can go in this town where they'd do every 3 years. Paps are such a horrific experience for me.

posted by galadriel 07 March | 15:29

Hugs, galadriel!

posted by By the Grace of God 07 March | 15:32

That's interesting, I don't think a pap smear is a big deal at all. I wonder why it's so awful for you.

posted by amro 07 March | 15:44

Well it's not awful for me. I *had* to get them every six months when I was getting seriously abnormal paps. I just resented going to a healthcare provider here who ignored evidence on practice guidelines. Moreover I resented the unnecessary use of resources. It's shit like that that sends insurance premiums up, bit by bit.

(hi! here is my derail! :) )

posted by gaspode 07 March | 15:50

The awfulness is related to the problems that make me stay on birth control continuously. The problem doesn't lead to abnormal paps. It just has a hellish amount of pain associated with it in multiple ways, and always has.

And it's a useful test, certainly, but if one has a history of all normal paps going back several decades, apparently typical US medicine has the wrong recommendations for managing it. Which is really good for me to hear--if I can get anyone to act on it, anyway.

posted by galadriel 07 March | 15:57

galadriel: Here is the education pamphlet (2009) from the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Pertinent section:

Who Should Have a Pap Test and How Often

Regular Pap tests are an important part of all women’s health care. You should start having Pap tests at age 21 years. How often you should have a Pap test depends on your age and health history:

* Women younger than 30 years should have a Pap test every 2 years.
* Women aged 30 years and older should have a Pap test every 2 years. After three normal Pap test results in a row, a woman in this age group may have Pap tests every 3 years if
o she does not have a history of moderate or severe dysplasia
o she is not infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
o her immune system is not weakened (for example, if she has had an organ transplant)
o she was not exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth

Having a Pap test every 2 years is a change from the yearly screening that many women have had in the past. But studies have shown that the risk of cervical cancer is the same in women who have screening every 2 years compared with women who have yearly screening. Also, in women 30 years and older who have had three normal Pap results in a row, the risk of developing severe dysplasia is low. Therefore, screening every 3 years for these women is a safe option. It is important to discuss your own situation with your health care provider. You should still see your health care provider every year for well-woman care and any reproductive health care or information.

posted by gaspode 07 March | 16:03

Thanks!

There's also this article in Journal of Women's Health which I found via this, which I linked above.

I figure there's no chance, in changing gynecologists, that I will be able to skip a pap this year. But. Maybe next year. Maybe?

posted by galadriel 07 March | 16:18

Also, in women 30 years and older who have had three normal Pap results in a row, the risk of developing severe dysplasia is low.

Why is the risk lower for women over 30?

posted by amro 07 March | 16:24

That's probably a good question to ask someone in gynecological research.

My *guess* is that as of 30+, three normal paps in a row shows that one is in a low-risk category. But seriously, determining what's a risk and when is a whole area of science.

posted by galadriel 07 March | 17:23

I am sorry pap smears are so painful for you. The last one I had as really uncomfortable after several that were okay. I wonder what the difference is. Age? Clumsy doc?

Also - dyslexia with numbers is called dyscalculia and I also have it.

posted by deborah 07 March | 17:55

I have the same problem with numbers and sometimes words. My worst dyslexia moment was pulling out from a parking lot into the wrong lane at a light at 2 AM. There was no traffic anywhere but I was right in the middle of town. So after waiting a few seconds for the light to change, I suspected what was wrong and then backed up and pulled into the right lane. Fortunately, I'm the only one who saw it.

posted by doctor_negative 07 March | 23:10

Really glad you got what you needed, galadriel.

The national cervical screening programme here in the UK calls women for a smear every 3 years between the ages of 25 and 49. Those under 25 are not invited for screening because "changes in the young cervix are normal", and the frequency of calls drops after the age of 50.

There's absolutely no requirement here to have a smear before being prescribed hormonal birth control. Blood pressure & weight check, yes; smear, no.

I have my smears done by the nurse at my GP's practice, and they're fine for me - not the most dignified thing I've ever done, but no discomfort or anything.

I have never met a gynaecologist, and routine medical visits (if there's nothing wrong) just aren't the norm here, apart from the routine ones that everyone has at certain times of life: the smear test programme, mammograms, colonoscopy. I see the GP if there's something wrong with me, and that's it.

posted by altolinguistic 08 March | 04:25

My old gyn told me that she developed her pap technique based on research into the muscle types and nerve ends at the cervix and also working with minors who are victims of violent crime. I've gotten a pap every year since I was 16. She was the only person who did it with minimum pain, and didn't leave me cramping so hard I could barely walk for three days. Basically, she's a gem, and now she's gone, sob!

posted by galadriel 08 March | 20:48

← OMG, I am SO going to this. || Seattle Me-Chites, can I crash on your sofa this summer? →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN