# For the women eyes only



## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

Now im settling into Australia just fine so today after weeks of suffering i decided to pay the Dr. a visit now without going into too much detail she ordered me to have an ultrasound before deciding on a hysterectomy, so i called the list of private clinics i was given to make an appointment whilst waiting for the blood samples to be taken, below is the conversation.

Me; Good morning i,d like some info on two points please 1 i need an ultrasound as recommended by the Dr. so when is the next available appointment and 2 what will i be charged i have no medi card so i have to pay the full price.

Telephone operator; Firstly what do you need the ultra sound for?
Me; I have excessive bleeding of 8 weeks and my period wont stop so ive being advised by the Dr, that i need an ultrasound.
T/O; OK madame but first we need to establish were your bleeding, so were are you bleeding from?
Me: What, sorry your asking me were im bleeding from i just told you im having a period and it wont stop and the Dr has ordered an ultrasound to find out the cause of it.
T/O Oh ok hold the line please ( 5 mins later) hello Madame i still need to know where your bleeding from before i can order an ultrasound
Me; sorry your asking me were im bleeding from and im on a period? 
T/O yes thats right
Me: thank you very much for your time but any clinic that doesn't know where a women bleeds from is not getting my business. 

Now my question is this i know the language here is a little different but did i explain myself correctly or did i use the wrong description? Some how i think i just got a very stupid person. Gave me a laugh all day.


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## Boboa (Mar 24, 2009)

Haha. OMG I'm glad I'm gay. .... That's all. .....

This is not an immigration advice


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## jmcd16 (Aug 5, 2012)

I am with you... Any medical professional who doesn't know where a woman's period blood comes from is not touching me. I'm pretty sure you fail high school health class for that... How do you get through med school/nursing school?


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## jmcd16 (Aug 5, 2012)

Wait a sec... why on earth don't you have a medi card?! 

1) Youre from UK, right? Isn't there a reciprocal agreement?
2) You have at least your TR -- you should definitely be eligible for your card now.


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## shingle (Sep 30, 2012)

That's a bit scary  after all the predominant language in Aus is English right? And most people who speak it would know what a period is - especially when linked to a request for a scan!! omg ( & yes I also wondered... born in the UK & no Medicare card?)


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## jmcd16 (Aug 5, 2012)

Yeah, apparently you can even get it while WAITING to be granted a TR partner visa -- one of the other users on the forum did.


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

This is going to be a bit graphic aka Too Much Information so please if you're not into that don't read this  I'm just all out there... always am, LOL. Some people can handle it, some can't.

Yeah I know all about that one. I'm not saying it's Australia, it was just a coincidence I suppose - my Australian partner was also my first sexual partner. First times and all that, bit of pain, pain didn't stop, figured I'd go see a doctor. Well, the guy was nearly GIGGLING at the word "vagina". I swear to God I was like - where the hell am I?! So he says it's HERPES, we FREAK out - my partner is like: well I don't have it, where did you get it then?! And I was like - no I've never done this before, what the hell is going on! So NINE hours later, late at night, the doctor calls our homephone and says: "I've been thinking about it..." (okay, you're still thinking about the appearance of my private parts...) "... and it's not herpes after all. Just wasn't quite sure."

WOW.

I've had something similar in the Netherlands, though, where a GP just kinda stood there with question-marks floating above his head as I discussed the health of my private area.

I don't know why but unless they're gynecologists themselves, most medical professionals seem not so educated on the female reproduction organs.

/TMI.

Sorry about that, LOL. Louise started it!!


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## Dexter (May 5, 2010)

This is a good one...

Was the telephone operator a man or a woman? 

BTW Louise - I am no woman but a lot of women that I know had similar problem in Australia including my wife. There is something about changing the environment, food and everything else. Some women experienced excessive periods whereas some other ones started having them completely irregularly.



> I have excessive bleeding of 8 weeks and my period wont stop


The only thing I can think of is that if you had said "I have excessive period bleeding and my dr advised me to go for an ultrasound" maybe they would have understood. Although, it is absolutely unacceptable for a medical receptionist not to be able to help you.


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## jmcd16 (Aug 5, 2012)

Nelly87 said:


> This is going to be a bit graphic aka Too Much Information so please if you're not into that don't read this  I'm just all out there... always am, LOL. Some people can handle it, some can't.
> 
> Yeah I know all about that one. I'm not saying it's Australia, it was just a coincidence I suppose - my Australian partner was also my first sexual partner. First times and all that, bit of pain, pain didn't stop, figured I'd go see a doctor. Well, the guy was nearly GIGGLING at the word "vagina". I swear to God I was like - where the hell am I?! So he says it's HERPES, we FREAK out - my partner is like: well I don't have it, where did you get it then?! And I was like - no I've never done this before, what the hell is going on! So NINE hours later, late at night, the doctor calls our homephone and says: "I've been thinking about it..." (okay, you're still thinking about the appearance of my private parts...) "... and it's not herpes after all. Just wasn't quite sure."
> 
> ...


Ahahahahaha. 
I agree with you though... There is a ridiculous level of misinformation, disinterest, and downright shame when it comes to women's bodies.
Do you know, I have never once in my life been warned by a health care professional of any sort - even my pharmacist - not to trust a birth control pill/patch/ring when I am on antibiotics?
How screwed up is that? I am a personal testament to the fact that antibiotics and birth control don't mix... It's where I bloody came from.

And another one, if you have sex within 24 hours of a Pap smear, it can result in a false positive for cervical cancer. Have you ever been advised not to have sex before a Gyno checkup? I had a friend who went through 3 months of thinking she had cancer only to find out it was a false positive - she'd had sex the morning before her exam because no one ever told her not to. Nor did it ever occur to any of the doctors or nurses to ask her about it when the result came up positive.

And how is that we we can cure erectile dysfunction Immediately with a pill, but it still takes a week to cure a yeast infection?!


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

Actually Louise, I had long term bleeding as well and it was caused by my birth control. I don't know if you use any but if you do - you may want to think about switching?



jmcd16 said:


> Ahahahahaha.
> I agree with you though... There is a ridiculous level of misinformation, disinterest, and downright shame when it comes to women's bodies.
> Do you know, I have never once in my life been warned by a health care professional of any sort - even my pharmacist - not to trust a birth control pill/patch/ring when I am on antibiotics?
> How screwed up is that? I am a personal testament to the fact that antibiotics and birth control don't mix... It's where I bloody came from.
> ...


THERE IS. People are like: if it's not preparing to push out a baby it must be fine! LOL. I know about the antibiotics because I am an absolute, downright nut-case level _freak_ about birth controlling (yes, it's a verb now). Do not want baby. Not now anyway - or anywhere near now.

There is just so much misinformation about birth control. I swear I was on every pill until my _amazing_ doctor here in Melbourne told me - you know, if the pill has so many side-effects on you, you could try the Implanon implant. That thing saved my life. Just as safe and no side-effects for me. Not a single other doctor ever warned me about pill side effects, let alone about the fact that I don't have to sit back and accept it, that it is normal to try many methods to find the right one. Unless you have a mother or older sister who sat you down for that talk, you might never realize. The first pill made me depressed, the second pill made me bleed for months, the third pill gave me severe migraines (which is a great sign, since I'd never ONCE had a migraine before and these were incredibly severe). And now I'm okay, I think.

I don't know why but many people just seem to think that as long as you can somewhat control conception and/or you're not having one, you don't need medical attention. I feel we have very valid reasons not to want a child of our own (because we want to end up taking in foster kids) but apparently that isn't medically interesting enough?

PS by the way the doctor who was just "staring at my privates with question marks over his head" during an examination told me I had genital warts (AGAIN, HOW DID I GET THIS, I HAVE HAD ONE STD FREE PARTNER) and he was going to _burn them off_ next week. So I come back next week and ask him - are you _really sure this is warts_ because it _doesn't_ make sense. He stands there and stares at the bit of irritation, _gets another doctor for a second opinion_ and they finally conclude they're not really sure if it is, it might just be irritation. You were going to burn it off. WOW.


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## jmcd16 (Aug 5, 2012)

Holy crap.


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

jmcd16 said:


> Holy crap.


That's pretty much what we said!


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

louiseb said:


> Now im settling into Australia just fine so today after weeks of suffering i decided to pay the Dr. a visit now without going into too much detail she ordered me to have an ultrasound before deciding on a hysterectomy, so i called the list of private clinics i was given to make an appointment whilst waiting for the blood samples to be taken, below is the conversation.
> 
> Me; Good morning i,d like some info on two points please 1 i need an ultrasound as recommended by the Dr. so when is the next available appointment and 2 what will i be charged i have no medi card so i have to pay the full price.
> 
> ...


Well, the receptionist is just plain stupid!!! Anyway on the form for the ultrasound that the doctor gave you it should say on it what the ultrasound is for (or hopefully), I am pretty sure that is what the receptionist was after. Also the hospitals are usually cheaper to get xrays etc done than places that specialise in xrays etc


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## bashishot (Feb 8, 2013)

Sorry Louise but that phone conversation made me laugh out loud. I think you explained it quite appropriately. I mean....I can't think of ANYWHERE else you would be bleeding from if you were having an ultrasound! I definitely would have gone to a different office!


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

jmcd16 said:


> Wait a sec... why on earth don't you have a medi card?!
> 
> 1) Youre from UK, right? Isn't there a reciprocal agreement?
> 2) You have at least your TR -- you should definitely be eligible for your card now.


no im not ive being living in Malta for 20 years so i dont have a card from UK plus i dont have the medicard because i didnt apply for the 2nd stage PMV yet, sorry this typing is terrible but i have false nails on lol


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

Dexter said:


> This is a good one...
> 
> Was the telephone operator a man or a woman?
> 
> ...


 this was a women lol i still to this day cannot believe it, the funny thing i came home and by 11pm i was on a flight back to Malta yes im back here being told i need a hysterectomy can you imagine if i had continued with these people they would have looked it up in a book for directions. lol


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

Mish said:


> Well, the receptionist is just plain stupid!!! Anyway on the form for the ultrasound that the doctor gave you it should say on it what the ultrasound is for (or hopefully), I am pretty sure that is what the receptionist was after. Also the hospitals are usually cheaper to get xrays etc done than places that specialise in xrays etc


The doctor just told me to call these clinics and make an appointment and thats what i did, as i said in another post i dont have the medicare card so i cannot take the advantage. Im back in Malta now so all is well although my professor did have a good laugh about it.


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## koalabeard (May 15, 2013)

louiseb said:


> T/O; OK madame but first we need to establish were your bleeding, so were are you bleeding from?
> Me; sorry your asking me were im bleeding from and im on a period?
> T/O yes thats right
> Me: thank you very much for your time but any clinic that doesn't know where a women bleeds from is not getting my business.


lol  this is rich


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