Ever had the
feeling that all eyes were on you? Just when you actually want discreetness,
people’s glances seem to gravitate to you and you just want to crawl into a
hole and disappear. This happens fairly often for those deaf and hard of
hearing people who use sign language. I mean, they can’t go out in public and
chat with their friends without getting a few fascinated eyes on them. It’s
inevitable.
Having this
happen when you’re having dinner or walking around the mall isn’t really that
much of a nuisance. After all, one tends to get used to it. But what happened
to me last week is not really the kind of thing you get used to. Now, how do I
start describing what happened?…Let’s see…OK. It involved a doctor’s office,
feminine itching, a doctor, an intern, a nurse, an interpreter, a husband, a
speculum, oh, and lube.
I’d been having
some trouble…down there…for a few days and wanted to make sure it wasn’t
anything serious. The doctor’s office I go to has their own set of interpreters
and I always seem to get the one ‘terp I dislike. I don’t know why I dislike
her so much, but I do. And, as I’m sure you can agree, you don’t want people
you dislike looking at your crotch.
When I arrived
that morning, the intake nurse took my information and had me undress. The
doctor then came in and we chatted about ponies and mistletoe, Stonehenge and,
oh yeah, vaginal irritation. It wasn’t such an odd conversation, surprisingly,
and I think that’s the one thing that baffled me.
Dr: How’s it going today?
Me: Well, to tell you the truth, I’m pretty
darn uncomfortable.
Dr: Any discharge?
Me: Not that I know of.
Dr: I’m going to have to take a look.
Me: You mean I have to show it to you?
Dr: ‘Fraid so. But office policy states that
I need to have a female nurse in here with me. OK?
Me: (long pause) Tell you what. I’ll show you
my vagina if you promise to buy me dinner later.
Dr: Hey, that’s my line.
Awkward.
Ten minutes
later, the doctor, the nurse, and another relatively tall man walked in.
Dr: I have an intern working with me today. Is
it OK if he observes?
Me: Why not? The more the merrier.
Now, this was a
very small room. Everyone was crammed in and, because of this, the interpreter
had to stand to the side of the table instead of next to the doctor. This was
actually helpful in the way that I didn’t need her looking at my privates.
However, the way everyone was positioned, I was looking at the ‘terp upside
down.
This made
everything a little difficult. I couldn’t understand much of what she was signing
to me, but it was too uncomfortable to ask for many repeats. So, she would
sign, I would nod and mumble, “OK,”(BAD ME!!) and the doctor would proceed.
Dr: I need to use the speculum so I can see
better.
What I Caught:
I NEED BETTER
Me: OK (Nodding and smiling—even though I
hadn’t a clue)
Dr: Jamming a freezing piece of metal into an
orifice that just wasn’t ready for that.
Me: Ahhhhhhhh!
Everyone In
The Room: (Gasping) Are
you OK?!?!?
Me: Oh, I’m dandy. Maybe when you’re finished,
I could introduce you all to my parents and we could reminisce about this
moment.
Sometimes no one
gets my humor.
Luckily, the exam didn't go on too long and the problem I'd been having wasn't anything serious. They were all up and out pretty quickly. Sadly, the only person who wanted to shake my hand as they left was the one that had been digging for treasure a moment ago.
But there you
have it. Too much information? Maybe, but a learning moment? No doubt. Here's the gist of it...
Don’t say, “OK,”
when you’re absolutely clueless and when laying down with your feet in stirrups
and an audience looking at a part of you that wasn’t meant to be on display.
And, above all, if you must go to the doctor and he must look at your Vertical Smile,
don’t forget to bring some champagne and flowers to set the mood.
