I had a frustrating day with
- 1 positive Chlamydia test, which I had to explain in Spanish: an awful injustice for the patient I felt (considering my modest language skills)
- 6 pregnancy tests (we usually get one every other day or so), all of whom were in their early 20s/teens
- 2 people ask me for birth control, which we are not allowed to discuss in this Catholic institution.
It's very hard for me to see these people coming in with STDs, teens worried about being pregnant, and others coming for information from healthcare providers and not being able to help them because of the clinic's religious affiliation. It's funny because I had the simliar sentiments of distaste in the hospital, but opposite.
I wanted to be more natural in the hospital, and here, though I think natural family planning is great for planning a pregnancy, and great maybe for prevention if you're in a committed relationship, but it's a little too idealistic if you're worried about preventing diseases and avoiding pregnancy in the general population. It's incredibly frustrating for me as a healthcare provider when a girl tells me she had unprotected sex the night before and knowing other options (specifically preventive onces), I can only talk cervical mucous and last menstrual period with her.
So, renegade that I am, I did a big No-No... I didn't say anything to her inside the clinic, but I ran after her to her car when she left. My heart was pounding and I was sweating and felt myself anxiously look around, as if I was trying to push dope on her. I blurted out some information on Emergency Contraception and IUDs, to which she very happily wrote down everything I told her and gave me several hugs. It felt really good to help her, and it sucked that I had to be so "rebellious" to do it.
Where the hell am I?
I keep trying to push judgment aside, and figure that if I can do what I know is right and learn from all the other unique experiences here--learning about normal non-medicalized pregnancy, natural birth and breastfeeding, etc--it's so worth the experience. And beyond that, the work got me down here to see this part of the country, which I would have probably never known...and that alone seems worth it! I do recommend to all my Yankee friends to come on down, not only to Texas which is in itself a whole nother world, but deeper south to the border, where everything transforms again, and you find yourself in another culture warp.
Oh, and I don't want to leave out the little tidbit I learned yesterday, which is that around here it's a common practice for men to poke holes in condoms to "trap" their girlfriends. Yep, that's right, impregnate them so they have to stay forever! Honestly, I was just surprised they were even using condoms since unprotected sex, starting around age 12 or 13 seems to be the norm here. Argh! You see my frustration in not being able to offer these women a little education?! IUDs for everyone I say! Or as one of my nursing professors used to joke, birth control in the water! (OK, not really, but seriously...we've got some issues to confront here, and some education to get out there!)
Today, I'm heading south along the border, as far south as you can go here: To South Padre Island. Hallelujah!
un beso, Rachel
PS I never actually thought of myself as a Yankee until I came here. People actually use this term, and when they talk about "going north" they usually mean to Dallas or Oklahoma.
I wanted to be more natural in the hospital, and here, though I think natural family planning is great for planning a pregnancy, and great maybe for prevention if you're in a committed relationship, but it's a little too idealistic if you're worried about preventing diseases and avoiding pregnancy in the general population. It's incredibly frustrating for me as a healthcare provider when a girl tells me she had unprotected sex the night before and knowing other options (specifically preventive onces), I can only talk cervical mucous and last menstrual period with her.
So, renegade that I am, I did a big No-No... I didn't say anything to her inside the clinic, but I ran after her to her car when she left. My heart was pounding and I was sweating and felt myself anxiously look around, as if I was trying to push dope on her. I blurted out some information on Emergency Contraception and IUDs, to which she very happily wrote down everything I told her and gave me several hugs. It felt really good to help her, and it sucked that I had to be so "rebellious" to do it.
Where the hell am I?
I keep trying to push judgment aside, and figure that if I can do what I know is right and learn from all the other unique experiences here--learning about normal non-medicalized pregnancy, natural birth and breastfeeding, etc--it's so worth the experience. And beyond that, the work got me down here to see this part of the country, which I would have probably never known...and that alone seems worth it! I do recommend to all my Yankee friends to come on down, not only to Texas which is in itself a whole nother world, but deeper south to the border, where everything transforms again, and you find yourself in another culture warp.
Oh, and I don't want to leave out the little tidbit I learned yesterday, which is that around here it's a common practice for men to poke holes in condoms to "trap" their girlfriends. Yep, that's right, impregnate them so they have to stay forever! Honestly, I was just surprised they were even using condoms since unprotected sex, starting around age 12 or 13 seems to be the norm here. Argh! You see my frustration in not being able to offer these women a little education?! IUDs for everyone I say! Or as one of my nursing professors used to joke, birth control in the water! (OK, not really, but seriously...we've got some issues to confront here, and some education to get out there!)
Today, I'm heading south along the border, as far south as you can go here: To South Padre Island. Hallelujah!
un beso, Rachel
PS I never actually thought of myself as a Yankee until I came here. People actually use this term, and when they talk about "going north" they usually mean to Dallas or Oklahoma.
3 comments:
I have such an appreciation for your blog, and the perspective you share after recently arriving in the Valley, you wild Northener. Nice.
Thanks Joanna! It's a wild wild world down here :)
Wow, what a difficult position to be in. I'm glad you ran after that young woman -- sounds like she really needed the information you had to offer, however surreptitiously. xo!
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