As you may have picked up in some of my earlier posts, I have a considerable amount of issues about the way I was treated as a teenager at the Turner Syndrome clinic I attended. I should not have had a naked photo take of me when I began my treatment at 12. I should not have had a fifty-something year old male paediatrician inspecting my breasts and vagina for several years, and it should not have been normalised by having medical students watching.
I do consider this behaviour, particularly by the male paediatrician a form of abuse. It has had a profound effect on how I view myself.
After several weeks and about three emails to the clinic I got a response from the head of the clinic last night. He was very non-committal and more or less told me to wait until I have my annual appointment in early January (I did not want to go into specifics with him over email for obvious reasons I was not best pleased by this and a somewhat patronising response when I asked to speak to him personally. I raised the issue of women with TS not feeling able to assert themselves in a clinical setting and issues around power in Doctor/patient relationships. Got a sympathetic (sort of!) response so I will go to the clinic in January and try and speak to him. If I have done nothing else I have at least conveyed the feelings of other women who have attended the clinic that is frustrating to have to see a different doctor each time.
I am going to my clinic in early 2015. I will keep you posted!
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