Are You Nervous Going to the Gynecologist?

Have you ever gone to your Gyno and then while you were waiting to see her, you realized you forgot to shave your legs? Or forgot to trim things up "down there"? Have you ever gone to the doctor after a workout or at the end of the day when that fresh feeling has left? Or the worst one yet- you were bleeding? What is she going to say about how much weight was gained since last year? OMG! You are wondering.- what is the doctor going to think? Will she assume you're unkempt and unsanitary?

Are you kidding? At least this gynecologist has her own personal hygiene and bodily functions to worry about.

It's not an uncommon morning for me to slug down a few cups of coffee, get ready for work, make breakfast, kiss my kids goodbye about 3 times each, and then before I'm out the door- dash upstairs to brush my teeth and then dribble toothpaste on my outfit. No prob. I'll just wash it off with a washcloth- only to get to the office and realize it didn't quite come out. How unprofessional!

Or then there's the time when I was pregnant and nauseated and had to deliver a baby in the middle of the night. ie empty stomach. After the baby was born, I had to run and vomit in the trash can. I felt so bad. What kind of Obstetrician gets sick at the sight of a placenta and blood? Of course, there's another story I have relating to my vomit and that's when I threw up on myself in the car on the way to work- pregnancy #1 that was.

Its a good thing my patients don't know the real reason why I often wear scrubs to the office. Sure, many times its because I'm doing an in office procedure , but lately its because I've gained a few pounds and most of my clothes don't fit.

I've also been in the office with that white coat on and had one of my male partners, Dr.Silver, to be exact, tell me that I had blood on my lab coat. He just assumed I must have sat in blood after a procedure or something. I just let him go on believing this while I whispered to my nurse what really happened and how she would be a lifesaver and find me a new pair of scrubs and lab coat. I need to get that endometrial ablation myself!!!

I used to have a partner, Dr. Freeman, now retired , who liked to tell a lot of jokes. This is not a good thing to do in the office setting to a woman who has had 3 kids and poor bladder control. Now I've got that problem taken care of- so laughing is now permitted in my office.

So- the moral of my story is: in case you are worried what I am going to think about your unwanted hair, added pounds or menstual blood, rest assured. I've been there, done that. I'm a woman just like you. So don't worry, I'm not thinking about those things, I'm thinking about what I need to do to take care of you and your health.