Reproduction Education

So I need to rant here for a minute.

I've been in the hospital twice in the past 2 weeks with my Crohn's disease (hence my lack of riveting new blog posts).  Every time I go to the ER, they ask me if I'm pregnant or not.  When I reply that I'm not, they ask me if there's a chance I could be pregnant.  When I reply that there's not, they ask me how I know that there's no chance that I'm pregnant.

Now, I understand that they need this information.  For one thing, I'm presenting with severe abdominal pain.  So obviously, it would be good to know if a pregnancy is contributing to or causing the pain.  Also, they generally want to do an x-ray, which I've heard is a no-no if you're pregnant (although that didn't stop them from doing one anyway when I was actually pregnant).

My problem is this: How do I know I'm not pregnant?  Well, let me see.  For one thing, I've been pregnant twice, so I have an idea of what the symptoms are.  For another thing, I've been in possession of this female body for 34 years and have some idea of how it functions.  Oh, and there's all those birth control pills I take.  Which leaves only one matter up for discussion: sexual activity.

Now, I'm married, and I don't think my sexual habits are anybody's business, least of all some nurse I just met.  But after I've given them my last menstrual period date and the knowledge that I'm on a strict contraceptive regimen, they still prod me as to how I know I'm not pregnant.  If they want to know when the last time I had sex was, why don't they just come out and ask me?  Maybe the fact that it's a Catholic hospital makes them squeamish to mention the word "sex;" I really don't know.

But my main beef with this whole process is the fact that they even have to ask me how I know I'm not pregnant in the first place.  It implies that most women don't know how one becomes pregnant.  If I could just answer them that yes, in fact, I know there's no chance I could be pregnant, and they could trust me at my word, that would mean that women are fully educated about how and when they become pregnant.  But sadly, this is not the case in America.  Too often, women have very little idea of how the actual reproductive process works.

When I worked at Planned Parenthood, we had many teenagers that would come in for pregnancy tests who had no idea what their period had to do with pregnancy.  In some cases, the girls had not yet had their first period, but were scared they might be pregnant.  And to me, the problem is plainly that we discourage education about sexuality and reproduction.  As if, should we mention it to kids, they will get the idea to do it (because we all know that kids don't think about sex until someone suggests it to them).

Maybe, if we actually let the schools educate the masses about our reproductive systems, then I wouldn't have to answer personal, patronizing questions every time I have to go to the emergency room in excruciating pain.  I once had to tell the doctor that I hadn't had sex in "X" number of months, in front of my poor mother!  No mom should have to hear that kind of thing.

So America, lets pull our heads up out of the sand about sex, and let me go to the hospital in peace for once.

Rant finished.

Being sick sucks.

I'm posting this from my hospital bed.  I'm so glad they have wifi in the hospital now, especially since their TV selection sucks.  For those of you who don't know, I'll give you a quick recap of why I'm currently sitting here.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 19.  It's an intestinal disease and if you want to know more about it, you can Google it - don't be lazy.  Anyway, no one knows what causes Crohn's although they've found that there is some sort of genetic component (my brother has it too, as do several of my cousins).  So really, there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent it.  I've had 3 surgeries so far, and have been hospitalized dozens of times over the years because what's left of my teeny-tiny intestines tend to get food stuck in them causing excrutiating pain that rivals that of childbirth.

Naturally, all of this makes me very sensitive to the way in which the current healthcare debate is being discussed.  When people talk about the "overuse" of healthcare, they're talking about me.  According to the tea party, I really should have done more to prevent this disease as a teenager.  I should also be doing more to shop around for the best value in doctors and hospitals.  I always find that argument laughable not only because when I'm in the throes of stabbing stomach pain I'm not thinking about how to get more bang for my buck, but also because I live in a small town.  There's one hospital.  Where else am I supposed to go?  Believe me, if there was another option I'd go for it, because I'm sick of staring at the crucifix on the wall every time I have to come here.  Sure, I could drive half an hour in any number of directions to go to a neighboring community's hospital, but again, when I'm in the throes of stomach pain, I just need to get to the hospital quickly.

The Republicans seem to think that health problems are a choice.  That I chose to be sick and chose to be away from my children for days at a time and chose to rack up thousands of dollars in healthcare costs all because of my stupid intestines.  Clearly, they've never dealt with a chronic illness before.