Doctor, doctor!

[RfromRMC]

Originally Posted by Magdlyn

Just because they've studied disease and medications does not give them the right to judge you morals and ethics.

Very very true. However, even if they don't outwardly judge your lifestyle, it might not keep them from making assumptions!

Not necessarily a poly thing, but I did have a bad experience with a doctor who barely listened to my symptoms for less than a minute because he must have picked up on that I was gay, and automatically assumed I had an STD. He just put me on a drug with side-effects that made me feel sicker.
Eventually I found a gay doctor who took the time to discuss the issues and realized that I did NOT have and STD at all, nor anything close to it! Got me on the right Rx and was better in less than two days.

So there's a LOT to be said in finding a doctor that---in addition to not judging you--actually accepts you for who you are.

[Pretzels]

Originally Posted by RfromRMC

Very very true. However, even if they don't outwardly judge your lifestyle, it might not keep them from making assumptions!

Not necessarily a poly thing, but I did have a bad experience with a doctor who barely listened to my symptoms for less than a minute because he must have picked up on that I was gay, and automatically assumed I had an STD.

Man, you got a good taste of what some ladies go through when starting up with a new gyn. That stinks.

I'm in a weird situation - I'm a contract worker who spends her weeks away from home. It makes sense to have a doctor close to where I work since I'm there more often that not, but I chose really, really wrong in starting with the dude I did. He had very selective hearing and heard "history of endometriosis" and completely ignored the "my body can't handle a lot of hormones being thrown at it" part of our first visit. So he packs me off with a cursory examination and a prescription for, you guessed it, some random pill.

So, yeah, shopping for a new doctor is already an annoyance in addition to potentially hitting them with some not-so-usual information.

[opalescent]

I've been generally lucky in my interactions with doctors. I've found most to be fairly clueless in dealing with the non-traditional - whatever that might be. Not generally condemning but more like such things never crossed their minds before. Once they make the adjustment, I've had decent experiences.

In fact, I was always asked about birth control even though I indicated on forms that I was partnered with a woman. I would reply "Lesbianism! It's very effective!" in the chirpiest, perkiest voice I could manage. Amused me, if no one else.

I also complained about how organization and language used in the forms did not easily allow me to clearly indicate that I was a lesbian and that I was in a LTR with a woman. And how to fill out the marriage status was a whole other irritating situation.

And poly folks have similar difficulties - I have seen life or domestic partner crop up on medical forms - but I have never seen a medical form capable of describing the complexities of poly arrangements. Hell, they don't reflect the complexities of just about everybody's life in some or another. It required some explanation of my answers on the form when I starting going to my current gynecologist because the form just couldn't convey that 1) at the time, long term relationship with a female partner, 2) several male sex partners and 3) yes, I wanted permanent birth control. To her credit, she was matter of fact once she wrapped her head around it.

The most positive experience I've had was with a nurse practioner who was getting my sexual history during an initial appointment. WHen I told her I was bisexual, she paused and then heartily said, "Good for you! More chances!" Cracked me up.