As I sat drinking my wine and shaving my legs, somewhat in preparation for my Ob-Gyn appointment for tomorrow, a few thoughts kept circulating in my head.
1} Why do women’s razors suck so much? Two legs are a lot more skin than one chin, so why are our razors so inferior to the men’s?
2} Why do we “prepare” for these appointments like this? My Ob-Gyn is a man. Is that why? I don’t think so, when I see my family Dr up here who happens to be female, I take the same care. Is it so they think we are meticulous about personal hygiene? A common courtesy? A safety precaution? I am not sure. I do know though that for some reason, I make sure that my legs are always clean shaven. I remember a friend {and loyal Tanjourine reader} telling me one time that she went in for a pap soon after a bikini wax, and the Dr said “Oh my, aren’t we nice and clean down here.” Hmm…. That would embarrass me….a lot…any comment is a comment too many…. I would worry that the Doc thought I was taking a bit too much care…you know, one of those women who has two kids and, ok…. I can’t finish this thought….
I guess it is somewhat like cleaning the house before the maid arrives, or brushing your teeth before the dentist. Are these the only situations where we take these precautions? We don’t eat before we go to a restaurant, God forbid the waiter think we are hungry! Do we remove all stains and wash our clothes before we drop them off at the drycleaner? Cut the grass before the gardener arrives? {No, the metaphor of this one is not lost on me..} Or maybe it’s not really like that at all, since the Ob-Gyn is not there to look at the legs, but happens to pass by them on the way. Hmmm….
3} Third and final question going around is why why why do we pronounce Ob-Gyn “O-B-G-Y-N”? It drives me crazy. SERIOUSLY CRAZY. It always has. I appreciate that my Dr is an intelligent, hardworking human. However, what has my O-B-G-Y-N done to deserve the spell-out? It is almost like a secret code. Did is start in the dark ages before men knew anything about women? Was it so we could spell it out without letting on that we were going to see that hush hush ladies Dr? Perhaps it is to command more respect. Maybe spelling it out like that automatically elevates the importance of the career in the ear of the beholder. I think that is it. If you spell it, people think “wow, you must be really important…” From now on, when people ask what I do, I will simply reply “I’m an M-U-M.” Even better is that I spell it M-U-M when most people spell it M-O-M so I will really throw them off if I say it quickly enough. “Wow” they will think, “I wonder how long she went to school for that?” Be warned friends, only life can give you the training required for this position.
So those are the questions in my head. Until I get some cement answers, from you, or someone else, I know a few things for sure:
1} I will continue to “borrow” my husband’s razor
2} I will continue to shave my legs before these appointments
3} I will continue to pronounce O-B-G-Y-N as “Baby Doctor”
4} I will from this moment forward, proudly list my career as an M-U-M
1 comment:
I have a response to the Dental thing. The reason most people do (and SHOULD) clean their teeth before they go is out of respect for the person who will be working in that area. The O-B-G-Y-N doesn't have an enviable job, so why not make it as pleasant as you can for them. It is bad enough the hygienist has to clean off the months old stain and tartar, could you please give her/him the courtesy of not making them clean off your breakfast too!!!!!
Just my perspective :)
kelly (dental hygienist)
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