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Feb. 11th, 2009 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osodecanelaSome days, I need to be reminded why I do this.
I've been running on fumes the last few days. Not nearly enough sleep, not nearly enough time for myself, not nearly enough time for my husband. He is by the way, an extraordinary find. Who else is going to put up with the kind of hours I put in, and not demand a divorce? The weekend past was horrendous. Saturday morning, the phone rang so often that I couldn't get into a shower. It seemed like every last woman in this county had a bladder infection. Every time I hung up the phone, it rang before I could get into the shower. My response when the fifth woman called in just under an hour, saying that she had to pee every five minutes? "Well, of course you do!" Then I apologized. It wasn't her fault that she was a 'face in the urologic crowd'. By the end of four days on-call, I really was toast.
Today however, has been a good day.
My second patient this morning was a young woman, a refugee from East Africa, newly pregnant for the first time. She had never had a gynecologic exam before, and I was anxious that it not be a bad experience for her. I find it's important that this sort of exam never be traumatic; it sets the stage both for what your interactions are likely to be like with the woman in the future, as well as how she is likely to approach pelvic exams thereafter. To my sadness, this poor woman had been 'circumcised'. While I believe this is female genital mutilation, a barbaric practice all too commonly done in the Horn of Africa, female circumcision is the term that their community uses. The majority of her clitoris was gone, along with a good portion of her labia minora. I worked really hard to hide how horrified I was that she had been subjected to this. I think I succeeded. We took the exam at her pace, my explaining everything each step of the way what I was doing and whagt I was looking for and at. Afterwards at my front desk, with a very gentle smile on her face she thanked me for my kindness (her words, not mine), and reached out to take my hand which at that moment hung limp at my side. She had had the chance to hear the heartbeat of her child, an infant due early this fall, and managed to have her first internal exam without feeling violated. I'd call that an unqualified success.
I ended my morning with a toddler clambering into my lap. He is nothing short of delicious. Not quite two, this little boy is all smiles, and is talking up a storm. His mother was left devastated by a Downs syndrome pregnancy four years ago, and after my encouragement decided to try again. He is the result and a true gift from the Divine, if there ever was one. His face lights up whenever he comes in to see me and for me, let's just say he makes my heart sing. It's hard to interact with this little boy and not come away grateful to be alive. An hour later my afternoon began with two teenagers, a brother and sister both of whom I ushered into this world. The talk today was about acne, school, gym classes, healthy living, and their plans for the future. Both these kids speak their mind, and always come in with their own agenda to discuss with me. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm their doctor or guidance counselor. Either way, that's fine by me. That they have this kind of faith in me, gives me both peace and security that there is a purpose to what I do.
I will likely never get rich at this, at least not financially, but days like today remind me of how truly blessed I am.
And now I had best get out of here. I have someone in early labor and I better get some sleep before they call me in the middle of the night.
I've been running on fumes the last few days. Not nearly enough sleep, not nearly enough time for myself, not nearly enough time for my husband. He is by the way, an extraordinary find. Who else is going to put up with the kind of hours I put in, and not demand a divorce? The weekend past was horrendous. Saturday morning, the phone rang so often that I couldn't get into a shower. It seemed like every last woman in this county had a bladder infection. Every time I hung up the phone, it rang before I could get into the shower. My response when the fifth woman called in just under an hour, saying that she had to pee every five minutes? "Well, of course you do!" Then I apologized. It wasn't her fault that she was a 'face in the urologic crowd'. By the end of four days on-call, I really was toast.
Today however, has been a good day.
My second patient this morning was a young woman, a refugee from East Africa, newly pregnant for the first time. She had never had a gynecologic exam before, and I was anxious that it not be a bad experience for her. I find it's important that this sort of exam never be traumatic; it sets the stage both for what your interactions are likely to be like with the woman in the future, as well as how she is likely to approach pelvic exams thereafter. To my sadness, this poor woman had been 'circumcised'. While I believe this is female genital mutilation, a barbaric practice all too commonly done in the Horn of Africa, female circumcision is the term that their community uses. The majority of her clitoris was gone, along with a good portion of her labia minora. I worked really hard to hide how horrified I was that she had been subjected to this. I think I succeeded. We took the exam at her pace, my explaining everything each step of the way what I was doing and whagt I was looking for and at. Afterwards at my front desk, with a very gentle smile on her face she thanked me for my kindness (her words, not mine), and reached out to take my hand which at that moment hung limp at my side. She had had the chance to hear the heartbeat of her child, an infant due early this fall, and managed to have her first internal exam without feeling violated. I'd call that an unqualified success.
I ended my morning with a toddler clambering into my lap. He is nothing short of delicious. Not quite two, this little boy is all smiles, and is talking up a storm. His mother was left devastated by a Downs syndrome pregnancy four years ago, and after my encouragement decided to try again. He is the result and a true gift from the Divine, if there ever was one. His face lights up whenever he comes in to see me and for me, let's just say he makes my heart sing. It's hard to interact with this little boy and not come away grateful to be alive. An hour later my afternoon began with two teenagers, a brother and sister both of whom I ushered into this world. The talk today was about acne, school, gym classes, healthy living, and their plans for the future. Both these kids speak their mind, and always come in with their own agenda to discuss with me. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm their doctor or guidance counselor. Either way, that's fine by me. That they have this kind of faith in me, gives me both peace and security that there is a purpose to what I do.
I will likely never get rich at this, at least not financially, but days like today remind me of how truly blessed I am.
And now I had best get out of here. I have someone in early labor and I better get some sleep before they call me in the middle of the night.
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Date: 2009-02-12 07:13 am (UTC)