This is about to get pretty personal but I wanted people to know my health story to better understand why women's health and women's rights are so important to me and should be to every American. The government should not be telling us what to do with our bodies in any capacity. They should be the ones supporting women's health care and giving us CHOICES.
I remember my appointment being on an early Friday morning. I was so nervous to have my first real woman's exam but I powered through like us women do time and time again. My doctor at the time noticed immediately something was not right. He told me to walk down the hall and go into another room so they could do a sonogram. No, I was not pregnant but there was something in there (which sounds like a deleted scene from Alien or something). My uterus felt hard and enlarged and he couldn't figure out why. His instructions were for me to drink one of those giant gatorades within the hour and then my dad was to drive me over to the hospital so he could do more tests, one of which was a transvaginal ultrasound. I remember whining the whole time while drinking the gatorade. It was too much. The whole point was to fill my bladder so I wasn't allowed to go pee. By the time we got to the hospital I was squirming pretty bad because I had to use the bathroom. They finally did the other ultrasound and discovered I had a large tumor inside my uterus. I was scheduled to have it removed a week later.
Just like that I went from someone who was completely healthy to someone who was going to have their first surgery. I had never even broken a bone before. I had never had stitches. But here I was walking the halls of the hospital getting a tour with my mom of the floor I'd be staying on. I had the surgery and my doctor removed a benign fibroid tumor the size of two fists. Apparently these can be fairly common in women in their 40s and 50s but he had never seen anything like this in a teenager. I was in the hospital for four days and out of school for two weeks. Recovery was a bitch but with time I slowly started to heal. My periods remained pretty heavy which is when they put me on birth control pills. This not only lightened my periods but regulated them. The bonus was it cleared up my pimply teenage skin. AND the extra bonus is when I started to become sexually active I was already covered in that department.
Fast forward to a few years later. I started getting cysts on my ovaries. They would burst and it would be extremely painful. So much so that I almost didn't go to my high school graduation. If it wasn't for my mom practically forcing me I would've sat that one out. I got ovarian cysts on and off for a couple years. Between those and my regular woman's annual exam I was going to my gynecologist multiple times a year. One time I went in for a cyst related issue and was told by the lady checking me in at the front counter that I no longer had insurance. It was court ordered, when my parent's divorced a million years ago, that my dad was to keep me insured. But I'm assuming since our relationship had turned rocky in my teen years he just up and canceled me when I turned 18, since at this point, he was no longer legally bound to keep me on his insurance. Whatever the reason he never actually told me he was going to drop me. I had to find out in the waiting room. At the time I had a part time job making $7.50/hr. and now had a bill for $400. That's still a huge bill to me at 31 years old. So I did what I could and paid it off in installments. I stopped going to my gynecologist because I could not afford to do so. And my dad and I have not had a relationship since. It speaks volumes when you don't support women, especially women that are supposed to be in your life.
I wanted to keep up with my annual exams and of course stay on birth control so I started to research how I could do this in a more affordable way. And that's when I was introduced to Planned Parenthood. I, of course, had heard about it long before that point but I had never used their services. There were only two locations in the area (at the time) so I made an appointment at the closest one. They were incredible and affordable. I had my exam and they gave me a prescription for birth control which I had to swing by each month to pick up. It was out of my way but it's either that or have an unwanted pregnancy. I'll take driving out of my way.
When I moved to Palm Coast to be with Dustin in 2006 I started to look at new options. Back then I couldn't find a Planned Parenthood in the area at all. I still could not afford insurance for myself but that did not stop me from taking care of my body. I was willing to drive to Planned Parenthood in Orlando once a month if need be but thankfully I did not have to do that. I don't remember how but I found out about the Flagler County Health Department. All of their services, including women's health, was based on your income so it was still very affordable. I went to them just as I had gone to Planned Parenthood. I'd go for my annual exams, STD testing, yeast infections, and of course birth control. They were also great.
It wasn't until I moved back to Orlando and started working at Florida Hospital that I finally got health insurance. It was the first time that I was able to afford it and also I remember my boss at the time being very adamant we were all covered - and for good reason. I'm glad she pushed me to do it. I had not had health insurance in 8 years. EIGHT YEARS. America is great and all that jazz but their health care system is a fucking nightmare. I'm speaking from my own personal experience and also from having worked in healthcare for two years. It is a joke. There are so many countries that do the whole health care thing right, better. We, unfortunately, are not one of those countries.
Fast forward to Obamacare. I will be the first one to admit that there are a ton of things wrong with it. However, there are a lot of positives for women. Our annual exams are FREE. Our contraceptives are FREE. It has been such a relief these past few years going to the pharmacy and not having to worry about another bill. Before Obamacare I was paying $10 a month for my pills. That's pretty decent, I agree, but that's still $120 a year. It's still an extra expense I have to budget for. Before that I was paying between $30-$40 a month (even back when I was insured as a teenager) which is roughly $480 a year. I mean, then there are the costs of tampons, pads, panty liners, pain meds for cramping, and the list goes on and on. It is not cheap to be a girl! At all.
I have been taking birth control pills for 16 years. They clearly are doing their job because I have never been pregnant. I know a lot of women have issues with the pill form of birth control but they've worked just fine for me with no negative side effects. Still, all these years later I'm benefiting from all of the positives they bring.
When the reality sunk in that Trump was going to be our next President, (excuse me while I barf in my mouth a little), the first thing I thought about were women and our health. I know there are so many other issues that are at stake as well but since this post is all bout health I'm keeping my focus on that.
Like many women in this country I started to have a little panic attack about what I was going to do about my birth control. Dustin and I will be celebrating 12 years together this March (still think I'm going to "change my mind?") and we have decided years and years ago that we do not want to have any children. We love being married and we love our cats but we do not want human children. It's that simple. If you're wondering "why?" then read this. Since we do not want children birth control is a very important part of our life. As I explained previously, I have been on birth control pills since I was 15. But since Trump and his administration are bound and determined to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood and basically make women's lives as hard as possible, I started to look at other alternatives.
Trump's New Health Care Staffer Thinks Birth Control Causes Miscarriages, Which Is Insane & Not True
I had an IUD consultation in early December. The nurse wrote down my weight and blood pressure and then handed me three pamphlets before having me sit and wait for my doctor to come into the room. My doctor went into great detail on how IUDs work. She answered every question and concern I had with genuine care. I never felt rushed during my entire appointment. It was clear she was going to keep talking to me about IUDs as long as I needed her to. She gave me the pros and cons of each one. She never pushed me toward any particular one but just gave me facts. She informed me that if I decided to go through with it we would have to wait until the next time I was on my period. I talked to Dustin. I talked to my friends, especially those that have had IUDs before. I decided to go with Mirena. It lasts for 5 years which would outlast a Trump presidency. Sold!
I made my appointment for Friday, January 6th. I was feeling pretty nervous but the nurses who took my blood pressure and weight were so genuinely kind. They both complimented my toe nail polish and were impressed I had done it myself. It was a small gesture on their end but it helped ease my nerves a bit. Once in the exam room I was told to remove my clothes from the waist down and the doctor would be right in. My doctor is the best. She was so gently and nice during the whole process. She told me to let her know at any point if I wanted her to stop. It started like a pap smear exam (you know what I'm talking about ladies) but quickly turned into something much much more painful. Paps are usually uncomfortable, sure, but never painful. I started to squirm. The nurse reminded me to keep breathing. I did so as much as I could. In through my nose, out through my mouth. The pain was horrible. I squeezed the side of the exam chair/table and my doctor asked if I wanted to keep going. I asked if she was almost done. She said she was only halfway. I told her through gritted teeth to keep going. She stopped soon after. She told me the IUD would not go in, to get dressed, and she'd be back in to discuss it in detail. I told her I felt light headed and thought I was going to pass out. She and the nurse had me stay laying down for a few minutes until I started to feel better. The nurse left the room so I could get dressed and brought me back a cup of water. Another small but wonderful gesture. She told me my doctor was seeing another patient but would be right back. Before she could get the whole sentence out I started crying. Not just a one tear down the cheek crying but full on bawling. She was so sweet and asked me if I was in pain. I told her I was just frustrated that this didn't work. I am mad that I had to make this appointment in the first place because idiots are taking over the biggest office in the land and making decisions for women. I was annoyed I just had to go through all of that pain and suffering for nothing. I didn't even get a five year IUD out of it. Nothing. She nodded and assured me the doctor would explain everything and give me other options. I sat in that room for 10 minutes sobbing while trying to text with Dustin through blurry vision. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I felt so incredibly defeated. It's been a week now and I still feel that way.
My doctor came back in and of course asked why I was so upset. Between sobs I explained how important this was to me due to our President-elect taking office soon. She understood and explained what happened. She assured me I did everything I was supposed to do. I inserted the misoprostol pill vaginally the night before like I was told to do. I took Aleve before my exam to help ease any pain during and after the procedure. But it was all for naught. She told me over and over that I was such a trooper because she can only imagine how much pain she put me in. She told me my pelvis is really tiny and my cervix wouldn't cooperate. It could be because I've never had a baby or it could be because that's just how my body is. She told me we could try again where I would have multiple shots injected to numb some of the pain but that it still wouldn't fix the cervix issue. She gave me another pamphlet, this time for Nexplanon, which is a type of birth control that is inserted in your arm under the skin. I told her I would just stay on the pills for the time being. At that point I wanted to just go home and crawl into bed.
My doctor came back in and of course asked why I was so upset. Between sobs I explained how important this was to me due to our President-elect taking office soon. She understood and explained what happened. She assured me I did everything I was supposed to do. I inserted the misoprostol pill vaginally the night before like I was told to do. I took Aleve before my exam to help ease any pain during and after the procedure. But it was all for naught. She told me over and over that I was such a trooper because she can only imagine how much pain she put me in. She told me my pelvis is really tiny and my cervix wouldn't cooperate. It could be because I've never had a baby or it could be because that's just how my body is. She told me we could try again where I would have multiple shots injected to numb some of the pain but that it still wouldn't fix the cervix issue. She gave me another pamphlet, this time for Nexplanon, which is a type of birth control that is inserted in your arm under the skin. I told her I would just stay on the pills for the time being. At that point I wanted to just go home and crawl into bed.
This is my actual visit summary:
I naively thought that I could just make an appointment, get an IUD, and I'd be good to go for five years. That did not happen. All I can do now is stay with my pills and see what the very dismal future holds. It shouldn't be this hard to get, keep, or change your birth control. But that's how these politicians want to play it. Because of birth control pills I have never been pregnant. And because I've never been pregnant I've never had to consider abortion as an option. Isn't that the point? Who knows what the future holds but I will fight tooth and nail for what is right. Affordable birth control and women's services is what is right.
I urge all of you to take part in the Women's Marches and Rally's that will be happening all over the country on January 21st. I will be at the Orlando rally with many close friends and family to show this new administration that we aren't going to back down. We are going to stand taller and fight harder.
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