Gosh darnit! @#$!
That's what you get when you're just an honest girl; not a liar, let alone a 'good' liar and you're just trying to get something done without all the friggin' red tape and questions!

I get tested every six months, as by now, you're sick of hearing..I'm sure.

My reminder came up, no problem, as I already had an appointment. Then something else came up that I thought I'd look into, and I'll share that another time, and so I set my appt. with a different doctor so as to 'kill two birds with one stone'. Consult with him, AND get my 6 mo. screening..

Therefore, my 4" thick file was transferred to him. He asked, looking over his glasses, why was I requesting a full STD screen? Because, that's what I do every six months, and it's been six months, so I want it done. Why? He said, as a matter of fact, your whole file is full of STD screenings, and very little ELSE! (GYN) He commented that ratio-wise, he only saw ONE mammogram, and a few PAPS to which I mentioned I never miss an annual PAP, but have had most of those at Planned Parenthood, and don't BELIEVE in Mammograms, so I WON'T be having another one - period! And have finally gotten my GP to not only get off my back, but agree!

Well, long and short of it is, he REFUSED to do any STD screenings, saying they weren't necessary! Even Planned Parenthood, (who, BTW, due to CA budget problems, is in SERIOUS trouble so please support them in any way) also refused saying my request was excessive and unnecessary!

Forget the fact that I take pride in letting my clients know that I am current on all testings and they are 'safe' when with me - as that's SECONDARY to this post. I also noticed the questionning on the patient forms is much more intrusive. The form he had me fill out asked how many people I have ever had sex with? How many of those were heterosexual encounters? How many bi-sexual? How many with multiple partners simultaneously? How many unprotected? (none, except my personal life partner) etc. etc.
I understand the need for questionnaires in order to form statistics, and can appreciate that, but hell - this was one mighty deterrent!
Look, I just want to get the care I want, and pay for, without getting brow-beaten, bullied and bulldozed! What the hell difference is it anyway whether I've had 42 sexual encounters or 26? And, I can't go to any of those AIM things, because we don't have any, and besides I can't afford the costs for them anyway!
So, if I'm going to hold to my own standards, and then also expect that others do so as well, there's got to be an easier way for people to not only act responsibly, but to have the cooperation of the medical field! And WITHOUT the intrusive questioning!

Seriously, I don't think I'm wrong here, but you gents DO have it easier, in that if you DID tell your practitioner that you 'see' other ladies, there is little judgement, hell, the doctor would probably 'high five' you! But, for us ladies, if I ended up forced to tell someone that I'm an escort, the scourge would be absolutely incredible!
It really stinks..

Tell him that your SO is the one that has all the partners. That they are in the sex business (porn star) and that it is routine. And then lean in real close and say, "any other questions?"

That is what I do!

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles but I can't say I'm surprised.  This is how the whole country is going.  In some people's minds, including all of those in power, being an escort puts you in an underclass along with the addicts, the criminals, and the poor in general.  In their view, this underclass should simply be allowed (encouraged?) to die of their afflictions.  In a quiet corner out of view, of course.

Since the day Reagan was first elected I've describe the social policy of the government as "Are there no prisons?  Are there no workhouses?" (hint: the quotation is seasonal).  Nothing has happened since to change my opinion.

Just one guy's opinion, but I think that questionairre is DESIGNED to be intimidating, not to gather information.  It would be interesting and informative to find out if the doctor you were originally to see has a similar questionairre now.  This might be some new "Standard of Care" or government regulation I haven't heard about.

Best of luck and my warmest regards to you always.

R_bear's suggetions seems good.

Also:

1. Ask PP what ever happened to the general recommendation for sexually active people to be tested every six months? Why are they refusing to honor their own, and the medical community's general advice?

2. Find a different free clinic (there must be another on in a city the size of San Diego).

3. Make sure all of your medical providers (no oun intended) are following the new Federal medical privacy law that went into effect next spring (much tighter controls on who gets to see your med files).

I sympathize with you my friend. My last blood test for STDs was rife with hassles. My Medical plan wanted me to see a GP first so he/she could refere me to a blood test clinic. The county I live in won't give you a copy of the results(if you go to a county run testing center). I had it done next county over and they gave a copy of results for $5.00 along with a interrogation of who, why, when, how often, what-for, within your species? etc etc. I couldn't believe the questions I was asked. They want us to be responsible(get tested)if sexually active and then they go and make it as uncomfortable as possible to do so.

repoting him to the local medical ethics board?
His questions and actions are out of line.
he has no right to refuse any test of such nature that are requested.

Also, report his a$% to the AMA. He is the doctor, you are the patient,you are the one seeking medical care, you are NOT to be denied.

Kisses, Shaye

For Sedona and others, it would be useful if you could find anything 'legal' that states that this doctor is violating medical ethics...sadly enough, what seems instinctually wrong is not forbidden by any legal or ethical proceedings.  I for one, would like to be able to cite to a doctor what s/he can do, ask, etc., but with the page, paragraph and line in hand...thanks

$omebody's reason.
I've been told before, regarding something else, that they refused to do such and such (so basically, tough shit) because I have an HMO, and there just $imply i$sn't the money to do $o with! BECAUSE I have an HMO, $orry...!

So, like Cynicalman would say 'it's all about the money'. I don't truly fault the doctors, or the nurses, or the Healthcare facilities who have their hands tied in all the bullshit red tape that goes along with it, but I can tell you one thing:
this is one woman WHO (does what she can)TO FIND A WAY AND DOESN'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!

It wasn't this way six months ago (CA budget cuts???), and I do apologize to my male prospects. I have high expectations of the gentlemen who call upon me. I don't expect any more than I also can give to them, but when it comes to the most important of expectations, I expect them! I apologize to the men if this is what you've not only encountered but IS the reason you may not be keeping up with your own set of standards. This is ridiculous!

I appreciate the creative 'white lies' PM'd to me, and they are really good, but you know what? I don't want to have to, and I don't want you all to either!
Reform comes best through Truth and valor, if it's to be most beneficial and long lasting.

In the meantime, I'm envisioning that we could all FLOOD Planned Parenthood, tell them we disapprove of their line of questioning, demand our tests, and in return, will leave them a HEFTY 'donation', we could probably ALL accomplish a huge good...but, there I am..a visionary..

It may cost you about $1000.00, there are medical providers (private) who do the tests with no questions asked. The governement agencies could be an extension of LE. I remember one time I meet a fake provider, turns out she worked for a STD clinic and was trying to get dirt on people. I just had lunch with her she was pretty pushy trying to get me to make a transaction.

You might have to travel to another state to get tested. Check your yellow pages and call around. They have no business telling you about how thick your file is !!!! That is an outrage. My female single friends get tested for std's every 6 months because the doctor order it. In the DC/Baltimore metro region aids infections are on the increase.

Jim is on target. It is not your physicians place to ask why. Only once in order to properly record and document in chart. IF he asks and you answer stating you feel it is necc for your health because of enviromental and occupational exposures...
He by ethics is not permitted to ask again. You are seeking screening not medications. Under circumstances of RX Physc are granted the grace to deny TX. However in most states denial of TX must come with a letter of intent written to you, your insurance (if applicable) and their malpractive board. To cover all bases. Just as you yourself are doing.
I get my BC from the local health dept (since this doesnt exactly carry insurance) I was asked on my last visit how I paid for my nice car if I had no verifiable source of income. These are questions that are not permitted by state law.
Even in my "job" that I have - I am under the table (wa ha)
because of the nature of the work even though its a city job.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your screening, Sedona. I know that you'll find a way to get it done, but what happened to you does not bode well for this business/hobby.

As we have discussed, periodic testing is an obligation we owe to the people we see in this business/hobby, due to the health risks involved. That's worth repeating - an obligation we owe to the people we see. Personally, every six months fits for me - I visualize the number of people I would have to contact if I tested positive for anything, and six months seems workable.

Notwithstanding Sedona's recent difficulty, screening is really quite easy (once you figure out where to go in your particular town.) I go to the local Planned Parenthood center for some of the tests, and they have me take a urine specimen to the local hospital for the tests they don't do. I never get any judgemental reactions about the number of partners I have seen, just some general discussion of the risks I face. I haven't gotten any "high fives" yet, since all the doctors I've seen are women.

The one thing that occurred to me Sedona, is to ask whether you are paying for your screening or running it through your health insurance. My philosophy would be to pay for the screening, since I choose willingly to take on the extra risks of this hobby. As you describe the doctor's refusal to screen, it sounds like it is motivated by HMO/PPO/managed care type issues.

Time for me to stop by PP, tell her forget the questions, give me the dang tests, and in the meantime what size donation do you find most helpful?

Thanks for calming me down, as you always do..you know me, I get incensed with this kind of thing!

Sedona,

I was so frustrated reading about your encounter with the doctor that it made me cringe and my skin tingle (not in a good way). I go through that at the veterans hospital every time I have asked them for an STD screening and, especially, and AIDS test. I like to get them every six months too. The doctor (or nurse) always asks me if I've been sexual in the past six months?  Who the @#$$%^^ (darn it) cares? Just give me the darn test, please!  Talk to your attorney. That's a great idea.

Feeling your pain,
Ciara

I get tested every couple of months or so.  I just recently found a new gyn here in this area (I moved down here to Newport Beach from Long Beach a year ago, and driving there to see my old doc was just not convenient).  Well, I called about a week ago and asked for a prescription for diflucan, which treats yeastie-beasties.  (The critters are normally present in our vaginas, but "that time of the month" brings on hormonal changes that can cause an upset in the balance of flora there, and the yeastie beasties can get out of control.  And, because one cannot use creams very well during that time, the diflucan pill is the only choice for treating it then).  

The doctor refused the prescription and wanted me to come in, because all my STI tests had come back negative.  Huh?  Because my STI panels were all negative, she wanted me to come in to be sure I really had a yeast infection before she treated it???  She suggested I "ride it out" and that it would probably correct itself in a few days.  A few days?  A few days of misery!  No, thanks.  I talked her into the prescription by giving her the graphic details of my symptoms (hehehe).

It occurred to me that she might think I'm a hypochondriac.  I have seen her three times in the past few months and just had my annual examination.  I had told her before that I had multiple partners, but perhaps she thinks I meant two or so.  Still, I get the panels done NOT because I imagine I have something, but so that I confidently know and can truthfully tell people that I have been tested and am healthy.

It was annoying and frustrating to be treated like a child when I am a grown woman who takes care of her reproductive health.  I will have a conversation with the doctor the next time I go in.  If I don't sense a change of attitute, I'm going back to my doc in Long Beach.  He's worth the drive.

BTW, I pay cash for my tests, so insurance is not being billed.

End of rant.

-- Modified on 11/16/2003 12:58:24 AM

Sedona-
I know it is a bit of a drive but definitely worth saving $1000 if that is what it costs.  In Hollywood and plenty of other locations there are places to test at no cost to you.  Some places have the rapid HIV test so you can get your results in about 2 hrs (inc. counceling,drawing blood, etc...actual test takes 10 min) in Hollywood.  The other std's you can call in for your results one week later.  That would knock it all out in one shot.  I had one a few months ago and loved that I did not have to wait for results.

he is in Reno,NV but that is a very short direct flight from SD (you could tour there also). He and his practice handle ALL the legal brothels in the Reno/Carson area. When I left the brothel system to work as an Independent, this DR still did all my blood work and exams every 3 months. He even gives a cash discount for those ladies who do not have or do not want to use insurance. Because he makes major $$$$$ from LPIN Providers , he is very kind, polite and non-judgemental of our line of work. I am now in NYC and I still use him as my gyno DR because he really understands why I want to be tested so much and I do not feel that I have to lie to him about anything. As you know it is so hard feel safe with Doctors,Dentists, etc because we usually have to hide what we do for a living. My results come back within 2 days including HIV,clamida,hepatitis etc. I am currently on a break from providing but Im seeing him in Dec for my piece of mind. I think you and I think alike on this subject. Besides my safety and health, I could not live with myself if I had ever hurt someone else (clients or lovers). Stand up for yourself and don't ever let them treat you badly again. Just inbox me or send me an email [email protected] for info on my Reno Dr.

Sedonna has been treated shabbily, but we should all pause for a moment before we decide to set Osama Bin Laden loose on the health care delivery system.

It's a doc's JOB to make certain his or her patient has some understanding of the consequences of his or her actions.

If a patient came in asking for chest x rays every six month because he was smoking three packs per day and the doc never asked about the smoking, he'd not be doing his job.

If the patient came in asking for a cholesterol every 3 months because she wanted to see if she really COULD subsist on burgers, TV, and chips for the next 30 years, and the doc never asked WHY her patient wanted the tests, she wouldn't be doing her job.

The doc didn't do his job well. Let's face it. No one better than the provider community should understand how many problems typical people have with their own sexuality (Just think of your own clients!). Even when asked directly for STD testing, the doc was probably too embarrassed to ask the right questions (but some of the messages on this thread imply that some patients would be outraged if he DID ask!)

The survey Sedonna was asked to complete is probably a document that meets the HMO's requirements trying to make sure that the provider (in this context, that means the doc, nurse practitioner, the STD clinic caseworker, or whatever), has tried to obtain the information needed to do sexual counseling. Whether the provider DOES that or not is a totally different issue, but I can GUARANTEE you that the HMO is not compiling some suspicious database of its members sexual habits, as one of the messages her suggests.

It remains the case that Sedonna has been treated badly, and some have offered helpful suggestions. One that hasn't been mentioned (and this surprises me) is that she might be better off with a woman physician.

You doctor seems to be suffering from a God complex.  Tell him/her to stuff the attitude or save it for the wife-hubby/boy-girl friend/boy-toy-mistress/co-dependant he/she has in their life.  You just ran into Dr. Holier-Than-Thou and he/she is taking you for the $1.25 bible ride.

My job requires me to be screened for STDs, drugs and other issues EVERY 90 DAYS!

I am in a legit profession that requires me to not be "AT RISK" at any time.  No, I am not a cop, but like you, I am in a profession where my clients count on me being pristine and sober.

Tell the doctor that you require the tests for business reasons that are none of his concern.  If he refuses to test you, tell him your next two stops are the medical ethics board in your state and the state insurance commission.  You might also want to tell his practice manager (if he is in a larger practice or an HMO) and his associated hospital (he should have one unless he owns one or is a hack) that you are taking their boy (or girl) to task for refusing you reasonable treatment requests.

BTW, unless you are claiming poverty and the state is picking up the tab, most insurance companies will support 4 tests per year without questions.  My employer picks up the additional costs (about one test set per year @ $350 per test set) when necessary.

Good luck.

It's true, isn't it?  Then ask hin (and yourself) why you are dealing with a physician who can't figure out the obvious.  Is he looking for you to tell him dirty stories?  

If he wants to give you a moral lecture, tell him you already have a minister you speak to regularly.  

If he is concerned you are being abused by a partner, tell him you are not (I assume from your other posts that this is true).  

If he has medical information for people that have your lifestyle, listen to him, check the info out, and make changes in your life if they are warrented.

Sometimes the way men act makes me ashamed of my sex.  I'm sorry you were hurt and embarassed...Harry

Maybe others have already said much of what I'm about to toss out (it's gotten to be a long thread & I didn't read each reply), but here is my own situation & waht I do.

I have a great relationship with my doctor, but because my health insurance would be involved on anything done through him, that is not where I have my testing done.  I use AIM & pay for it out of my own pocket..not so tremendously expensive, although the cost will vary depending on what screening you want done.  I think someone mentioned $1,000...it's FAR less than that.  There are a couple of forms to fill out, but nothing of the nature you've alluded to...the whole process is quite easy.  

I know you said AIM is not located near you, but you might contact their main location & see where the closet "draw station" is to you.  Even if nothing is really close by it might be worth making a trip considering what you've gone through & how important the issue is.  I'll be happy to give you the phone number if you want it...just pm me.

...if we were, then all providers would be given free STD testing by local state and federally funded doctors...wasn't this happening in the '80s and part of 90's when AIDS first hit the scene and it could be detected?  
However, some posts mentioned that this is a reflection of the current political climate...maybe so, but then I always thought all these TV gospel guys got caught with their pants down with a provider...or are we saying (god forbid) that there is an epidemic of hypocrisy going around.

-- Modified on 11/17/2003 5:41:24 AM

Goodness! How awful. Is it like that everywhere in the States surely not?

In England you go for your testing free of charge and they even give you a few boxes of condoms for your trouble. They are really hot here on STD testing as STD's are on the increase and wouldn't you know it, amongst young people (not in the providing business).

The strange this is some regard providers as dirty and disgusting yet those same people would think nothing of having unprotected sex with someone they picked up at a club etc. Hypocrisy at its highest form.

It really gets my goat when basic health care and well being is denied. What do you pay taxes for? Or is this on health insurance?

Here your taxes cover National Health although you have to pay for prescriptions. Our health system is in dire need of money, but they still would never deny a women or man a test for STD's

Hope you find resolution

Indi xxx (getting off soap box now)