Friday, March 30, 2012

Quaint, but more then a little appalling

Tiff and I booked back to back Dr appointments in a after hours clinic this week. Me, to have an implanon birth control implant removed and another inserted, and Tiff to have her first inserted.

We were given three pages of forms to fill out for background health info, as we'd not been to this clinic before, and then the Dr saw me first. Dr was young- we disagree how young, but I say late 40's, Tiff thinks early 50's. Still, young, not foreign, and obviously, well educated. He was cheery and friendly and asked me rudimentary questions about allergies, and whether I smoked, then sent me to pharmacy next store to fill the script for the new implant.

While I was off, he saw Tiff. Since she did not already have an implant, he told her it was imperative she be certain she was not currently pregnant before insertion. When she agreed she was not, he asked her how she could be so certain. She then informed him she does not have sex with men. After a moments silence, he told her. "Well  then, that would make you a homosexual" and made a note in the computer for this. Then said "right- so you are single?" And Tiff informed him that no, in fact, the last girl he saw was her partner. He then grilled her on smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse before asking her why she wanted birth control in the first place. She justified this by telling him she wanted it because it regulates and reduces the menstrual cycle.

When I came back and she told me all this, I was both amused that he thought her being a homosexual made her well dogdey, and he had to ask her far more involved questions then me regarding substance abuse.  We had a moment in the waiting room of giggling because I pretended to be shocked by this revelation "What"?! You are homosexual? Why did you not tell me this? Sheesh!"   

But I was also shocked at how old fashioned his terminology and attitude seemed.

When I went back in to have my implant implanted, his attitude had done a 160. He was gruff and abrupt, and gone was the warmth. He was professional, and removed the old and implanted the new, but with no friendly banter whatsoever. He did ask me if I was  "Aware that my friend was not straight", and I laughed and said I was aware, as we were a couple, to which he only nodded.  I presume he was fact checking in case she was puling his leg? So I told him we preferred Gay/Lesbian, or even Queer  to homosexual- which he made no response to. He did not, I noticed, make a note in my computer record that I too, was a homosexual. The plight of the Femme- no recognition, I tell ya!

His manner of treatment of Tiff also really got my goat because, had he bothered to read the three pages of background info- or asked us both the same questions, he'd have had a little eye opener. Tiff is a goody two shoes. I on the other hand, had info filled in about recreational drug use of several varieties.

He just never bothered to check, maybe he thinks it is something good little straight girls aren't into?


And so the search for a Dr in our new area continues!

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