Beware of "Christian" docs and pharmacists -- personal story

[nashville_brook]

A few years ago when I had the misfortune of walking into a "Christian" doctor's office. I had no health insurance despite working full-time at an advertising agency that catered to healthcare clients. Life is full of ironies. You just have to roll with it, I suppose.

So, I'm having fainting spells and no energy and I worry that my blood sugar is whacked because it's happened before, and that sort of thing runs in my family. I call around Johnson City for a week trying to find someone who will take TennCare and I found a new clinic called Families, Our Specialty. They happened to be clients of the advertising agency I worked for, so I thought if nothing else -- if I can't have health insurance -- at LEAST I could get a referral to a doc thru my biz.

i walk in to the new office in north JC and it smells of drywall and new paint. there's the obligatory Bible Stories book and children's magazines. The chairs are new and the interior was simply appointed that's always a good sign in a doctor's office. You want things to be clean and orderly with a minimum of crevices for germs to hang out. Since I was the only one in the waiting room they called me in quite quickly.

The exam room was neat and clean too, so I was fairly comfortable and off my gaurd when the Doc comes in to take my patient history. appearance-wise this doc was also what you might imagine an experienced family practitioner to look like -- neat and orderly. having not been to a doctor at all during my seven years in college, and "armed" with TennCare I was ready to settle down and work on some health issues with a trusted family practitioner. I was almost excited.

Doc is taking my history; "any heart attacks in your family? yes. any diabetes? yes. any sexual abuse? whaa?

Gee, I'd never been asked that by a doctor before. Any sexual abuse. How would that fit in to medical history? maybe he's just really thorough.

We continue with the medical history: "any pregnancies? one. how many children? zero.

"WHAAAAT?"

"Zero, I have zero children."

"Oh, then you must have had a miscarriage."

"No. I had an abortion. You've heard of those."

I was always taught that I have to tell my healthcare providers the truth or else I might be really screwing myself if something is wrong. Also, I just expect to be participating in a RATIONAL, post-enlightment world when I enter a DOCTOR's office. These people are supposed to be professionals, right.

WRONG. wrong wrong wrong! If any young women read this and have been taught the same way I was -- that you should be truthful with your doctors, forget it. Choose someone based on solid knowledge of their ideological background. Have a litmus test, and if anyone doesn't live up to your expectation, WALK AWAY, because here's what could happen:



Upon finding out I had (gasp!) had an abortion, this "doctor" ordered me up on the table for a pelvic exam. I was really sick when I walked into the office and since this was my first physical in years, this didn't seem TOO out there. But it's the most abusive exam I ever had. I thought he reaching for the ceiling when he palpated my ovaries, and while he had me in that position he inquired about my religious beliefs and suggested that I would need to find a church that "would take me" and participate in his special 12-step program that included twice weekly group therapy sessions. But if I did everything he told me, I might, MIGHT be forgiven and then, only then, would God allow my healing in terms of diabetes or whatever real medical problem I was experiencing. Then he prescribed anti-depressants. When I asked about the glucose tolerance test, which was the whole reason I made the appointment in the first place, he handed me a brown jug and told me to pee in it for the next 24 hours. I guess this was a do-it-yourself blood sugar test, and naturally I didn't have the commitment to pee in a jug for 24 hours. Do you know difficult it is for a GIRL to PEE IN A JUG?

The doctor was a WHACK JOB. And, as I understand it, he enjoyed quite a following in Johnson City.

These people are called Dominionists (google it) and they are attacking our communities on all fronts, but having them making life and death decisions FOR YOU, based on THEIR version of MORALITY -- well, we've crossed the Rubicon. I didn't pursue the publicity on this to be controversial. This is serious shit and it's getting worse.

Now you have to screen your pharmacists. Can you imagine your phamacist just deciding he doesn't think you should have birth control pills. What if two pharmacies turn you down? How quickly might you lapse in your routine? What other drugs might they object to? Anti-virals? Sorry, no Valtrex for you! We know how you got that and if God wasn't punishing you for your dirty dirty sex, you wouldn't have that.

Have you picked up the phone yet to yell at your Senator? Who cares if it's late. This is so completely over the line -- it is in the realm of the Handmaid's Tale. And even if you don't think this is important enough to call your senator -- do yourself a favor and watch your back at the doctor's office.

_________________________________________


Protecting Christian Health-Care Providers
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/12005mc.asp

By Rev. Mark H. Creech
March 1, 2005

(AgapePress) - The FDA is expected to announce any day whether it will permit over-the-counter sales of the 'morning-after pill.' The manufacturer, Barr Pharmaceuticals, has proposed that the pill be made available to anyone over the age of 16 without a prescription. Whether under-age youth will gain access to it remains to be seen, but it's my contention they will have no more difficulty in getting the powerful drug than they do in getting alcohol. But that's another issue for another time.

The question I now have concerns those who own, operate and work in the retail drug establishments. What happens if a pharmacist elects not to sell the morning-after pill -- high doses of hormones that can kill the human embryo early, before it implants in the uterus. If over-the-counter sales of the drug become legal, will they be forced to provide it?

Amazingly, pharmacists across the country are already dealing with this issue because they have decided not to fill birth-control pills of any kind. Late last year, CBS News featured one such pharmacist in Louisiana, Lloyd Duplantis."

(there's plenty more, click the link. you know what to do.)

[Aviation Pro]

1. Rapture nut jobs....

...are everywhere including the medical community. Don't be fooled by their degrees, remember, the person with the lowest GPA graduating from medical school is still called 'Doctor.'

These people pray for the end of humanity. Sick, twisted bastards say I.

[nashville_brook]

3. that is such a good point about the GPA!

and i would add that they don't test for human-ness either. real assholes can become docs.

[vpigrad]

2. Wow!

That experience sounds like every experience I've had with dealing with doctors in GA while taking my wife to see one. It's amazing how much hatred they have. They don't want to help. All they want to do is hurt you. They are horrible people. With the type of people that are doctors now, you're best off just not seeing one.

[nashville_brook]

4. wow, again! GA, huh?

keep and eye on these docs and see if they are involved with any prayer groups or discipleship programs. i have some evidence about these guys that they were brought to town thru a prayer group and hob-nobbed with the prayer breakfast people. they were in the Emmaus discipleship program thru the methodist church. i understand the Emmaus has fallen out of favor, but i'm betting there's another group that his filled the void.

[Last Lemming]

5. I've run into this quite often

Catholic hospital--I couldn't chart that I had given a patient the morning after pills--I just gave it to her. Now work at a place with a Jesus Freak (how long has it been since I actually used that phrase) who delights in taking long, extensive detailed sexual histories and then offering patients their options as far as Holy Dispensations go. And when I see patients who come in for the morning after pill--I tell them--this is your right, your right to ask for this drug--but if you ever need to have it again--find me--because the nurses and the other doctors will put you through holy hell about it.

Jesus H Christ--condoms are gonna be next

I'm in despair about my country

[HockeyMom]

7. Ectopic PG

at Catholic Hospital. Trust me, you don't want to go there.

[nashville_brook]

8. i think the morning after pill and reproduction in general is where

they are waging war.

[bettyellen]

6. i think you ought to file a complaint with the AMA because to prescribe

going to church to heal diabetes is just dangerous. Very bad advice. His first obligation is to heal patients, not to counsel them on their morals.

[nashville_brook]

9. i was instructed to file my complaint with a regulatory body of OSHA

Division of Health Related Board att: investigations.

nothing ever came of it, so i went to the press.