 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
||||
Re: A favor from our readersFrom: C. (anonymous@obgyn.net)Sun, 13 Feb 2000 10:56:08 -0600 (CST)
Dr. Hill, I was sexually abused as a child. The abuse was disguised as medical care ("looking for UTI's", etc.). There is much more to the story, but this is probably enough to make my point. I can tell you TODAY (I am 38)that I could not tolerate another person watching....and I can tell you why. And obviously, you would understand that it wasn't in my best interest to have someone else there. HOWEVER, I did not begin to remember the abuse until I was in my late 20's. Yet I have ALWAYS been terrified, horrified, scared to death, etc. of gyn exams....It has always taken every ounce of courage I could muster to make it to (more less through) one of those visits. I ONLY go because I have such severe cramping that I would miss work for several days each month...and I could not get meds for the cramps without the exams. Had the doctor asked to have someone else in the room, I would have hopefully said "NO!" but possibly would have just frozen/dissociated. No amount of explaining,(or logic, reason, reassurance, etc.) about the importance of medical training (or that they were already doctors, etc.) would have helped. I could not have explained my objections to you, I didn't know MYSELF why this would be so hard. I'm sure there are many people who would object to this for other reasons as well as those who are comfortable with a resident participating. I'm sure most could tell you why they object or feel okay about it. But I ask you to be very aware that some patients may not even know why they object. If your patient's initial, "gut level" reaction is "NO!" it might be best to respect that and not try and change their mind through explanation, etc. Finally, I am a health professional (therapist) who has participated in training and now trains others. I DO know how important those teaching/learning opportunities are. There are just some patients who are not good candidates for those times. That's my 2 cents worth...thanks for listening.
|
|
Return to ![[ Women's Health Forum ]](http://www.obgyn.net/images_women/wh-forum.gif)
Report TECHNICAL Problems ONLY to: webmaster@obgyn.net
Last Updated: Mon Nov 2 06:07:01 2009
Women's Insurance Checklist from Auto Insurance Quote
home | medical professionals | women | industry | forums | international