Diagnose me (yes, I am going to a doctor) TMI alert
thank you thread drift monitor
Point is, you won't have to request a female technician for a transvaginal ultrasound. You can do so if you wish but it doesn't need to be another worry on OP's mind because it'll absolutely be a female assigned.
REALLY???? has someone done a survey of the entire country to be absolutely sure there are no male techs anywhere? there are male techs that graduate the program so it is possible they could get hired.....it is just extremely unlikely and would be more likely in a remote area where the tech does all types of procedures....i know a woman who was employed directly by a doctor..it is possible an idiot male doc would hire a male tech to do this.
just because 3 places have a policy against male techs, doesn't mean the entire tri state area does...if you can't fathom the possibility that in some place there could be a male tech..you are not well versed..there is no law about it..it is possible, but extremely unlikely.
there is a difference between an obgyn and a tech....a tech is a support person, like a paraprofessional....many of these assistant jobs go to people who can't hack college and are lucky to pass a tech program.....where as an obgyn is an actual professional. i have heard that they may need to sexually stimulate you for the procedure also...which would be more awkward with a male
Yes, you can always request a female tech. HOWEVER, I have definitely had a T-V ultrasound performed by a male. As with all medical imaging procedures I have had, they were very professional and it was totally fine. If someone is not comfortable with that, then they can definitely request a female tech. But to say there aren't males who perform this extremely simple test is just not true.
Yes, really. This is not complicated. Medical professionals, male and female, are in the business of helping people with questions and problems. Accommodations are made for women who prefer to have female doctors and technicians, for any reason or no reason at all: You don't have to say. (In fact, it is my preference.)
Nobody needs to fear this extremely routine test, which can actually be interesting to watch. Medical questions are stressful, and nobody needs the additional stress of imaginary worries. The information you say you "have heard" is incorrect. There is plenty of reliable and reassuring information about transvaginal ultrasounds available online.
Knowledge is power.
what are you so upset about? All I was trying to do was reassure her that it will be assigned to a female tech. There are quite possibly males techs in the country but my experience is locally (most likely at the places she'll be considering) and the word of the scheduler was that a male tech would not be assigned for this type of procedure. No one said there was a law banning them or that there were no male techs in the world- just that they wouldn't be assigned to this specific test (at least without first informing the patient).
And yes, the earlier point was made many times that this is an extremely routine test and shouldn't be feared.
GIVING FALSE INFORMATION BASED ON A LACK OF SENSE IS NOT HELPFUL. I AM NOT THE ONE THAT STARTED THE DISCUSSION ON THE TECH ALLEGEDLY ALWAYS BEING FEMALE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY, ALTHOUGH EXTREMELY UNLIKELY, THAT A TECH COULD BE MALE, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR SELF A GUARDIAN.
RE ASSURING HER THAT THE TECH WILL ABSOLUTELY 100% BE FEMALE IS NOT APPROPRIATE SINCE YOU CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT.. YOU CAN BE ACCURATE AND SAY THAT IT IS EXTRAORDINARILY RARE THAT A MALE IS A TECH AND YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ONE< BUT SHE CAN VERIFY WITH THE PLACE THAT THE TECH IS FEMALE IF SHE IS MORE COMFORTABLE>
IT IS REALLY SCARY THAT YOU DO NOT GET THIS CONCEPT.
b_otch all you want about me trying to knock sense into you, i am done with this thread, obviously you are completely unable to rationalize
again< it is NOT ABSOLUTELY 100% SURE IT WOULD ONLY BE A FEMALE TECH...LIKELY 99.999% SURE, BUT THAT MEANS 1 IN 10,000 WOULD BE MALE...MAYBE THERE ARE ONLY A FEW IN THE COUNTRY...THE GUY I HEARD ABOUT ON THE NEWS IS CERTIFIED TO DO IT...MAYBE HE NORMALLY ONLY DOES OTHER TYPES, BUT THE FEMALE TECH CALLED OUT SICK AND THEY PULLED HIM TO DO THE tv.
YES A MALE COULD BE ASSIGNED BECAUSE THERE IS NO LAW AGAINST IT..YOU ARE
ESSENTIALLY SAYING THERE ARE NO MALE TECHS THAT DO TV.
AND yes you need to be yelled at because you refuse to think which this time may not be serious, but could cause someone their life in another instance...
for what its worth, the test is not all that different than a regular exam......
My goodness maybe you need a vacation? Calm down. I never said there were no male techs in the world just that I'd never had one here and that I was told "we'd never assign a male tech for this procedure". But if it makes you feel better and keeps you from blowing a gasket, I am completely comfortable with your 99.9% chance it'll be female statistic. Let's go with that. Are you okay now?
And who needs to be yelled at because they think it may not be serious? OP? Me? I am confused because I think I'm squarely in the camp of thinking the midwife is ridiculous for this issue and that the OP should stop stalling and get the ultrasound immediately.
My post from a few days ago wasn't clear. The pain didn't miraculously disappear over night. Basically most every morning I wake up feeling ok. But usually when I either roll over onto my right side, or once I get out of bed, the pain returns, so while I mostly woke up pain free I was again in pain before getting out of bed. What happened yesterday was that it took about an hour (after I had posted here) from when I woke up for the pain to start creeping back. When I left for my appointment I was in some minor pain, but not too bad. I still took an ice pack with me, and was thankful as halfway to the appointment I ended up needing to use it while driving. So the pain did return, just not as quickly as during the previous couple of weeks. In other words, after a week of flexeril I was slowly starting to get better.
The pain started in my back, in the SI joint. What likely happened was that I kept moving/holding my body in a different manner to compensate for the pain, which is what led to the muscle pull in the front. The pain in my abdomen didn't start until the night of the 20th. And at every visit with doctors, midwives, etc, having my abdomen palpitated does not increase the pain at all, which points away from ovary issues. If my ovary had been in some sort of self destruct mode being poked and prodded would have resulted in pain, or at least some tenderness, on being manipulated. There wasn't.
The hip pain started later, probably from compensating for the back and abdominal pain.
The doctor at urgent care gave me flexeril and told me to not pick anything up for a week. I explained that I had an 18 month old at home, and he just repeated his advice. My regular doc said of course I wasn't better yet, it was unrealistic to expect me to not pick up my child. He prescribed more flexeril and also prednisone to help bring down the swelling, and said that if I wasn't better, or at least improving significantly, within 7 days to come back. The flexeril does help, if I were having ovary issues I don't think the flexeril would help with the pain. The prednisone also seems to be helping as it is bringing down the swelling from the injury.
As far as Urgent Care not having proper diagnostic equipment, I went to Summit Medical Group, not one of those walk in doc in the box places. SMG has a freaking CT scanner on hand, I'd say they have access to diagnostic equipment.
The spotting was most likely just a poorly timed coincidence. As I said earlier, I have started birth control pills, spotting is a normal side effect in the first three months. I am on month two of the pills. I now don't believe they were related.
After talking with the doctor and other medical professionals, I was told that CT will show more than an ultrasound. The reason ultrasound is routinely used when looking for ovary cysts and the like is because 1) it is much less expensive and 2) it doesn't expose the patient to radiation like the CT does. Heck, I had to have a pregnancy test AND they questioned me about the chances of my being pregnant before they would even let me near the machine, then they questioned me as to when my last CT was, because if I had had one within the last 30 days there might be issues with repeated exposure to radiation. When looking for ovary issues an ultrasound is "good enough" which is why CT isn't normally used for that.
My doctor asked me if I could call SMG to have my records sent over to him. After being hung up on twice, and getting the run around the third call, I now understand why he asked me instead of having his staff call LOL. They finally agreed to send it.
In short, two medical doctors, one midwife (who absolutely IS qualified for this sort of thing) and a chiropractor ALL concur that what I have sounds a muscle issue. Four medical professionals are of the same opinion. At this point I will skip the ultrasound and instead schedule the physical therapy that both my doctor and midwife recommended.
Thank you for the very thorough update. It is much appreciated. I hope the medication plus PT work and you return to good health in the earliest possible moment. Bickering aside, IMHO everyone on this thread just wants to see you get better and get whatever treatment is needed to achieve that end. Feel better soon and don't be afraid to ask here or off-line for help if you need it while recuperating.
joan_crystal said:
Thank you for the very thorough update. It is much appreciated. I hope the medication plus PT work and you return to good health in the earliest possible moment. Bickering aside, IMHO everyone on this thread just wants to see you get better and get whatever treatment is needed to achieve that end. Feel better soon and don't be afraid to ask here or off-line for help if you need it while recuperating.
Yes!
Physical therapy can do a world of good. Be sure to do the home exercises they tell you to do, if any. It makes a big difference in your recovery.
marylago said:
Well then, all that bickering for nothing...
Actually, it was helpful. I've had a TV ultrasound in the past, but it was done at the midwives office and their staff are entirely female. If, for whatever reason, I need one done elsewhere in the future I'll specifically ask for a female tech. Though chances are that I'll get one anyway, it is good to know that it isn't guaranteed.
And in hindsight, there was a very important piece of information that I left out. The night before I woke up doubled over in pain, I was having some moderate pain, but it was the night before my son's birthday party, so instead of being able to lay down with a heat pack to take care of it, I had to work through the pain to bake a couple of batches of cupcakes. Looking back, well duh, of course I woke up in horrible pain. My body was telling me it needed rest and I just forced myself through it, aggravating the injury that much more.
Living with chronic pain in this body region, it's not easy, so I really feel for what you're going through. Glad you have an action plan you're comfortable with, and can see small improvements already.
(Given the discussions on personnel, I went to the professional development site for some personal research. Thanks for the opportunity! I learnt that of this year there are upgraded qualifications for midwives who perform sonography, including the range of women's health issues they're being trained to diagnose. )
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This thread drift seems unhelpful. You are entitled to a female tech on request. You can request a female chaperone as well. There is nothing to fear from this very routine test or from 99.9 percent of medical professionals, including GYNs of either flavor. Make fact-based decisions about medical care, and avoid the extra stress of needless worry.