Girly Bits Got Looked At

Before I FINALLY quit procrastinating and start doing the computer work I need to, I wanted to put up this post. I KNOW you all are waiting with bated breath for the analysis of my new GYN's office, so here we go.

My first impressions of the office weren't all that great. I really didn't like the office staff--very unfriendly and most of them looked way too anorexic for me to feel comfortable. I like people who look 'normal' and there were only one or two in this office who were even close. (On the other hand, my internist's office has people of all shapes, sizes, and colors--quite nice to see, actually.) Anyway, I had a bit of a wait, as I actually got there ahead of time--a first for me, I believe. ;)

Finally, the nurse called me in and we went over my history and all. She was a very pretty woman--quite tall, thin, and willowy. But because she was so nice, I wasn't offended by her prettiness. :D She was older than me and very, very soft-spoken. And this was another thing I noticed about this office: Things were extremely calm and quiet. I half expected to find a zen garden and hear Enya playing in the background, that is how calm everything was. And this is NOT something I'm used to. I am quite flamboyant and am on the loud side, so I wasn't too sure how things were going to work for me, but it wasn't too bad. So, once the nurse was done with me, I waited for the nurse practitioner.

Enter the NP. And, again, a nicer woman you couldn't hope to meet. She, too, was older and very 'mother-like' in her demeanor--very soft-spoken and very, very kind. We talked for quite a while and for the most part, I was pleased with all she had to say. Since my hysterectomy, I have been taking hormones--and when you go through menopause at the ripe old age of 34, you usually WILL go on hormone replacement therapy--and she had NO problem with me staying on HRP. THIS was a big sticking point for me and she passed with flying colors. Both my old GYN and my internist have gone through all of the studies and neither could see any reason why I had to 'go with the flow' and quit taking the hormones, so I was waiting to see what the new office had to say. The NR was on board with the two doctors, so she won me over quite readily.

To be examined by a woman is quite different for me, as I have always had male doctors. (Well, with the exception of my dermatologist.) Female doctors seem to be the wave of the future, however. I think I will like having a female doctor/health care provider--it is an okay trend as far as I'm concerned. A woman has a much gentler touch than a man and considering WHAT is going on, that isn't bad at all. ;) I wasn't too happy that this office DOES go along with the guidelines on PAP smears--I didn't have one done. I'm used to having a yearly, but the new guidelines are that I don't have to EVER have another one. That makes me a bit nervous, but considering I have never had an abnormal one, I can live with this till next year. Next year I will have the option of talking it over with whoever does my exam, so... And finally, the office is STILL having me go for yearly mammograms, so I was two for three on the day--not too bad, I would say.

I wasn't too optimistic about this new office before going in, but after being there I think it will be someplace I can be happy with. I have confidence in the NR, so what more do I have to worry about, right? Right now, I have every intention of going back again next year, with the hopes that my 'girly bits' have a new medical home for many, many years to come.


*ABOUT BEING FRAGRANCE FREE--I asked about the office being perfume-free and got this as an explanation: There WAS an employee in the office who had allergies/sensitivities. To accommodate her, the office went fragrance-free. She no longer works there, but the ban on fragrance hasn't been lifted. It almost seemed as if they are trying to justify keeping the ban, as there was a lot of talk about 'studies seem to be showing...' etc. Oh, well. This, too, seems to be a trend that is coming--not one I particularly like, but I'm not a fan of vilifying smokers, either.