I’m trying very hard to make good on my promise and get my pap test done, but it is not going as smoothly as I had hoped. For starters, I tried to contact the office that inserted my Weapon of Sperm Destruction back in ’08 but they won’t see me because my referral expired. I have to make an appointment with my family doctor (which is the problem, because I don’t HAVE one) or go to a walk-in clinic and ask them to get me an appointment with the vagina doctors. This is incredibly annoying, and I can feel untold amounts of rage building up in my spleen as we speak.
I made the stupid appointment for an appointment, and we’ll see what happens. It’s not until May, because that’s the earliest I could get – even for a referral. I suppose I could ask the clinic doctor to take a peak at my uterus for me, but that’s only half my issue – I want a family doctor I can build a relationship with; one that I can go to for regular checkups and prescription refills instead of blindly casting about for the first person in a white coat willing to prop me up and dive in. I don’t WANT to open a new file every time something is wrong or I need more pills to keep me sane. How am I supposed to take charge of my health when I can’t find anyone willing to see me more than once?
I’m beyond pissed off that I can’t find a doctor because I’m not shitting babies with every step I take. I even used the BC Physician Directory to once again see if I could find someone willing to take me, but after eight phone calls and no luck I gave up. The list spat out 18 female doctors* accepting new patients, but none of them would take me. I foamed with rage over this years ago, and I’m still just as upset – it is fucking insanity that I cannot get a doctor to see me regularly because I choose to remain childless.
*: I could and will try for a male doctor next; I just feel more comfortable getting my cervix scraped by a woman. I don’t know why this is, especially considering the last few women who were in there for business not pleasure attempted to feed me the tired “oh you’ll change your mind!” bullshit when I explained that I am the President of Team No Babies. Truth be told, I think male doctors are afraid of my almighty vagina. When I’ve asked to be papped, they suggest I find myself a nice woman doctor, or refer me to someone else. Yeah, that’ll make me feel good about myself – no one wants my vagina on a personal OR professional level.
And people wonder why I’m so scornful towards breeders. It’s their fault I could very well have cancerous cells tap dancing on my fallopian tubes and can’t get them detected before terrible things happen! Stop the insanity! Equal health care for everyone, you elitist assholes!
So much angry. This can’t be good for my empty womb.
delicious juice dot com 
Don’t blame the breeders! We know not why or how we got ourselves into this mess called parenthood. Blame Gordo, and if that doesn’t work just suck it up and go with a man doctor. They do pussy all day, they are not even processing your twat.
I know, I know .. it’s unfair of me to blame the breeders. I’m just tired of having to defend my choices and being turned down because of them – I honestly don’t know why doctors are allowed to dictate who they see. If you’re a general practitioner accepting new patients, you shouldn’t get to choose the kind of new patients you get. I’m so much less WORK than a mother/to-be, too ..
And I don’t think male doctors are thinking about my twat at all; I can’t even get them to look at it. It’s a very nice twat. It doesn’t bite or anything.
If you were willing to travel all the way to New Westminster, I could recommend someone. But that would be a sucky distance to travel just to see a doctor.
I don’t know why this is a breeder issue. Am i missing a reference to a previous post that would explain it? :/
I’m also not sure if this will help but Dr. Gupta is great and always willing to see new vaginas :)
What about the Bute Street Clinic? Walk in vagina testing, and they’ll even throw in an STI test while they’re at it. Also, you often get hot gay men working on your vagina, if you know what I mean.
to be one of the cool kids, I include more info for you or other people:
http://www.qmunity.ca/adults/bute-street-clinic/
They often have a female nurse there as well. It’s not a replacement for a family doctor, but for sexual health they are MUCH less judgmental than your average doc and do not blink an eye when I talk about all the different ways I like to take it like a dirty whore.
Damn, I can’t wait for the first Mammogram blog!
Ah! Finally! One thing that makes Calgary specialer than Vancouver! ;)
http://www.papclinic.com
They only focus on tit-ays and cooch! They are rad and do not require a referral. I realize that this does not help you. But it’s such an awesome clinic that I need to pimp it in case any YYC girls are in a similar boat.
I have to admit that it surprises me that Vancouver doesn’t have a Lady Clinic.
Do they ask you on the phone if you’re going to be breeding? Cuz that would be AWFUL.
I’m feeling your anger, and adding some of my own.
Yes, they do .. “are you expecting or planning for children?” “Um, no?” “Sorry, Dr. Picky Pants is only accepting new or expecting mothers as patients.” Grrrrrr.
That’s INFURIATING.
what you said x1000! I’m in exactly the same boat. Want a girl doctor, can’t find one, am team no babies, go into a rage when people don’t believe I’m team no babies (as though I haven’t given it any thought)…. have been going to random clinics for FIVE YEARS. Have no one overseeing my general health and am generally feeling not cared for (medically). Am lucky if I get my pap done every 2 years, even though I’m supposed to have it done every year. hate paps with the passion of a 1000 suns, but that’s kind of an aside. *blerg*
Have you tried the Seymour Medical Clinic at 7th and Granville? They’re pretty good, and my doctor (Dr Murley) is awesome.
I blogged about pap tests last year, and most of us agreed that female doctors are good, and that hot male doctors are particularly disconcerting.
I’m a little lost. Is this a Canadian thing? (American over here!) I don’t understand why it matters to doctors if you plan to have children or not. In any case, it’s a total ridiculous situation that you have described here.
Nancy: Presumably, if you’re breeding this means many billable hours for the doctor with relatively routine appointments. Monthly checkups while pregnant, babies to deliver, newborns to look in on, vaccines to give, babies to follow with regular checkups with nothing more complicated than the occasional crying fit or runny nose.
One pregnant mom = many many visits and mostly fairly routine, whereas to get the same number of visits/hours in you’d probably have to have 12 Kimlis all with various requirements that may require thinking and most certainly wouldn’t involve stickers or lollipops!
That all said, I highly doubt this is a Canada only occurrence.
When we moved here a few years ago and I needed a new doctor I actually consulted the comments on one of Kimli’s original “need a new doctor” blog posts and called one of the doctors someone had suggested. No questions, no problems, and now we have a family doctor. I didn’t realize how lucky we were! I don’t, however, believe he is taking on more patients.
I do see a boy doctor but to be honest after years of girl doctors who were always bitchy and telling me to run around the block, I quite like the no-nonsense male doc I have now.
There’s also the argument that your average shmoe can wait a bit, and there’s nothing wrong with them that can’t be put off a little while longer. Whereas if you put off seeing a doctor during pregnancy, a small person might unexpectedly fall out of you.
Yeah, I have no doubt that the ease of appointments definitely plays in, but the “we have a doctor shortage and really, really need to make sure that pregnant women get care” counts, too. It would really, really suck to be pregnant and not be able to find someone to help you get this thing out of your uterus in the method you prefer, as opposed to “in a bathroom stall at prom”.
Oh, maybe I never ran into this issue because we don’t use a family doctor. I see a team of midwives/OBs and my kids have their own ped. Now I get it. Pretty stupid, though!
This makes me so glad that I found a new doctor when I was a teenager and she doesn’t care if I want babies.
I found her through info I found here:
http://www.womenshealthcollective.ca/aboutdir.html
Try the Family practice Center at Women’s hospital. They are a clinic with multiple doctor who share info and do teaching with UBC. I’ve always had great service there and they are paid differently than regular GP’s. I’m not sure if they are taking new patients but a call won’t hurt (hopefully).
Good luck!
What about cold calling Drs who are in a convenient location and say “Can you put me on a waiting list to be a new patient after another patient dies? Hopefully of a random act of god and not something the doctor could have prevented…” Presumably patients move away, etc. and there are empty spots in the filing cabinet just waiting for you.
if you are willing to go with a male, come talk to me tonight i will give you a card for our GP, i’ll call right now and see if he is still taking new patients, as SOON as i saw his card in shoppers i GRABBED it and Adam got us in while i was in Bali last September and we are very happy with him… i’d be MORE than happy to offer up his info because this is NOT the first post i’ve read on your frustration and very unfair treatment here.