Recently Heather of www.dooce.com wrote about her depression and how she was 'barely holding her shit together' etc. and, at last count, she had 1041 comments. ONE THOUSAND FORTY ONE! Somehow this makes her depression seem more...valid than mine.
I've received quite a few emails and 'growing gifts' on Facebook and things lately and I haven't responded to a single one. Not one. Just can't. This, however, is my way of saying thanks to those of you who are aware and care.
In my ickiness I have been watching tons of movies lately and I saw 'Friends With Money', 'Holes' and 'Walk The Line' in the last little while and I HIGHLY recommend all of them. Delicious, every one. 'Friends With Money', in particular (I'm very comma-y today) is filled with great characters and the Frances McDormand character is Depressed (I find depression to be worthy of the capital, don't you think?) She stops washing her hair because it will just get dirty again and starts yelling at cashiers and stuff and I found it so very, very accurate. Woman with what appears to be a great life falls apart and no one understands why. Great movie and quite funny, despite the Topic.
Let us continue my quest to have totally disjointed blog posts now by asking you a gynecological question! Yay! Where I come from (the North Pole, essentially, according to locals) women go to General Practitioners/Family Doctors for all their medical issues, including down-there exams. They go to OB/GYNs when they are involved in the baby making process or have a specific, significant issue in that down-there area. I shouldn't make that a blanket statement, I suppose, but that has been my experience. Here (the South, or the US in general, I don't know) , most, if not all, GPs do not do pap smears etc, for that you must see an OB/GYN. So, in order to complete my complete physical I have to go to one and I'm doing that on Wednesday. My question is, when you have two regular doctors like this, when do you call the gynecologist for an appointment and when do you call the GP? Is the gynecologist only and completely for, like, reproductive organ issues? Or for anything specific to the female gender? I guess this is a dumb question but I really don't know as I've never been to an OB/GYN before.
Okay, I'm gonna go wash my hair now.
6 comments:
I have a family doctor that deals with my allergies and asthma and other regular health issues. I also have a gynecologist, who also just happened to be my OB when I had Bubba. I see her obviously for paps and she writes my birth control script. If I were to have issues that needed attention, I would start at my family doc, and I'd follow up with gyne if it was 'down there' related. Even in PA I had separate docs.
Your issues are just as valid as anyone else's issues. Period.
Otherwise...I see my GYN for what my mom calls "feminine issues".
here (in the uk) you see you GP for everything including smears, you only get referred to the gynecologist/other specialist if the GP finds a problem.
I think actually it's both here, though more and more, it is that you go to the ob/gyn for anything that will make you have to get into those dreaded stirrups.
I've been going to a poor-bastard clinic, so my regular doctor does everything -- the exam, the birth control, and even wrote me a prescription for Ritalin! But if I had normal, useful insurance, I would be doing it the other way. Besides, why NOT have a specialist? It may be less centralized and convenient, but I'd rather have someone who is totally focused *ahem* on that area, especially after my bought with cervical cancer issues.
I recently pondered this, since it appears most of the folks around here do the split, too. I have always just had the one doctor who did everything, and I like that. I do not have any desire to go to my regular doctor for most of the physical and then have to have a second appointment for the girlie parts of the physical. It's a waste of my time and money. Plus, I like that I only deal with one person who maybe will actually get to know me a little bit.
If something was wrong, yeah, I'd go to a GYN, but when I need someone to stick a q-tip up my hoohaw...I think a family practice doctor (or nurse practitioner in my current case) can handle it.
*nodnod* I would totally love to find a GP who would do the woman stuff as well, but apparently that is just not done here. Thanks for the input folks! The appointment went okay, the doc (or nurse practioner really) was quite nice and everything appears, at first glance, to be fine.
Post a Comment