Healthcare, sorta
Hmm. Sometimes I think about how mature I’ve gotten as I’ve aged - so much less reactive! - more distress tolerance! - and then I end up in a Situation and realize that that was all Social Isolation keeping me safe, actually.
This morning bright and early I set off to a Dr’s office for a women’s health checkup. The first thing I saw when I entered the office was a frankly magnificent floof of a black & white dog doing its best impersonation of a very flat puddle on the floor. Next to its human, of course.
I checked in and sat down at the other end of the room. In a few minutes, someone came out and called the other lady’s name. “Do you have anyone with you?” the staffmember asked her, “because you can’t bring the dog in the back.”
Folks, I will spare you the Very Long back-and-forth dialogue that resulted. The patient was, well, patient for quite a while, trying to convey that service dogs, of which this is one, go where their people go. The staffperson, who stated that she was the office manager, obdurately insisted that the dog Could Not Come Back. I’m not a lawyer, but I’m reasonably certain that Patient was legally in the right, and also that she was telling the truth when she stated that she had had her dog with her in appointments before with no issue in that same office. OM didn’t seem to be powertripping or mean, but insanely fixed on refusing Patient service for what I gather (and I very much should not have had to hear this) was an important, time sensitive visit involving a shot and some kind of cancer-care.
I, on the other side of the room, felt like I was about to have a stroke from secondhand tension. My tolerance for listening to people argue is very, very low. I was called back, and I don’t know how this all turned out, but I do know that Patient was on the phone with the hospital Admin when I left trying to get somebody who understood service animal law to intervene. I personally could think of three different ways they could have accommodated her getting her shot without breaking their highly questionable “no dogs in the back” rule. At no point did OM think of or offer any accommodations.
I was vibrating slightly when my nurse took me back to an exam room. Fortunately, there was a slight delay before she took my bloodpressure, and it regularized. I had to explain to / remind both the nurse and then the doctor about the drama and difficulties I had gone through earlier this year with HRT. He agreed to send another Rx to the pharmacy to try a different formulation of estrogen. “If this doesn’t work,” I joked, “maybe I can just try testosterone!” haha. unless?
Then it was time for my pap smear. Joy. They had music playing quietly, but it wasn’t bland instrumental stuff. In fact, I had to get a papa smear while Shania Twain sang “THAT DON’T IMPRESS ME MUCH” boldly over the speakers. Surreal experience. SO YOU’VE GOT THE MOVES BUT HAVE YOU GOT THE TOUCH? Shania, ma'am, that’s a speculum.
The appointment wrapped up, the doctor shook my hand politely and left, and I re-dressed. Left the room while the J. Geils Band was fretting about “my angel is a centerfold.”
I ate a large, emotionally nourishing breakfast when I got home.
https://ahedderick.tumblr.com/post/831636954701512704
#very #back #socialisolation
#rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit
ahedderick.tumblr.com (Unofficial)
npub1xt…xt3mj
2026-10-27 19:02:48 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1xtv79xjmfwkjww8ddh50ujw376sates4zs2hyc2t04f5zafew9dqqxt3mjSeen on
wss://relay.primal.netPublished at
2026-10-27 19:02:48 UTCEvent JSON
{
"id": "6d24d4d5e6d797e481872be15cadd31db28b0e764a710d50144fe004b4e6d07e",
"pubkey": "32d9e29a5b4bad2738ed6de8fe49d1f6a1d5e615141572614b7d53417539715a",
"created_at": 1793127768,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"t",
"very"
],
[
"t",
"back"
],
[
"t",
"socialisolation"
],
[
"t",
"rss"
],
[
"t",
"feeds"
],
[
"t",
"linksharing"
],
[
"t",
"qwibbit"
]
],
"content": "Healthcare, sorta\n\nHmm. Sometimes I think about how mature I’ve gotten as I’ve aged - so much less reactive! - more distress tolerance! - and then I end up in a Situation and realize that that was all Social Isolation keeping me safe, actually.\nThis morning bright and early I set off to a Dr’s office for a women’s health checkup. The first thing I saw when I entered the office was a frankly magnificent floof of a black \u0026 white dog doing its best impersonation of a very flat puddle on the floor. Next to its human, of course.\nI checked in and sat down at the other end of the room. In a few minutes, someone came out and called the other lady’s name. “Do you have anyone with you?” the staffmember asked her, “because you can’t bring the dog in the back.”\nFolks, I will spare you the Very Long back-and-forth dialogue that resulted. The patient was, well, patient for quite a while, trying to convey that service dogs, of which this is one, go where their people go. The staffperson, who stated that she was the office manager, obdurately insisted that the dog Could Not Come Back. I’m not a lawyer, but I’m reasonably certain that Patient was legally in the right, and also that she was telling the truth when she stated that she had had her dog with her in appointments before with no issue in that same office. OM didn’t seem to be powertripping or mean, but insanely fixed on refusing Patient service for what I gather (and I very much should not have had to hear this) was an important, time sensitive visit involving a shot and some kind of cancer-care.\nI, on the other side of the room, felt like I was about to have a stroke from secondhand tension. My tolerance for listening to people argue is very, very low. I was called back, and I don’t know how this all turned out, but I do know that Patient was on the phone with the hospital Admin when I left trying to get somebody who understood service animal law to intervene. I personally could think of three different ways they could have accommodated her getting her shot without breaking their highly questionable “no dogs in the back” rule. At no point did OM think of or offer any accommodations.\nI was vibrating slightly when my nurse took me back to an exam room. Fortunately, there was a slight delay before she took my bloodpressure, and it regularized. I had to explain to / remind both the nurse and then the doctor about the drama and difficulties I had gone through earlier this year with HRT. He agreed to send another Rx to the pharmacy to try a different formulation of estrogen. “If this doesn’t work,” I joked, “maybe I can just try testosterone!” haha. unless?\nThen it was time for my pap smear. Joy. They had music playing quietly, but it wasn’t bland instrumental stuff. In fact, I had to get a papa smear while Shania Twain sang “THAT DON’T IMPRESS ME MUCH” boldly over the speakers. Surreal experience. SO YOU’VE GOT THE MOVES BUT HAVE YOU GOT THE TOUCH? Shania, ma'am, that’s a speculum.\nThe appointment wrapped up, the doctor shook my hand politely and left, and I re-dressed. Left the room while the J. Geils Band was fretting about “my angel is a centerfold.”\nI ate a large, emotionally nourishing breakfast when I got home.\n\nhttps://ahedderick.tumblr.com/post/831636954701512704\n\n#very #back #socialisolation\n\n#rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit",
"sig": "54a58c6d1a7f3e03a39ad3dd330efd74d9fa809df07c23ea3556f94d481151b6fec121cb6d33e18700632cb97f9f7134786d3c4bec63978202f07546eb18a56a"
}