Healthcare sucks.

[earthbelow]

Ugh. I really hate this part.

My prescription has run out on my birth control. Right now I've still got some glucophage left and one refill on it, so I'm good there and I'm hoarding against need.



But trying to get my hands on birth control without a prescription seems impossible. Trying to do it without repeating the panic-attack inducing, anxious, nerve wracking, emotionally fraught process I went through last year seems even less likely.

Right now I'm lost as to what to do.

For the moment, I'll just be abstaining from sex and trying to stretch my glucophage out.

In October, Andrew's insurance will change and maybe I'll be able to go a doctor, but I don't even know if I could do that. Doctors freak me out so very much. Even the nice ones. I've only had one doctor that I had any kind of good relationship with, and she's in Florida and she wasn't a doctor. She was a nurse-practitioner.

The doctor I went to see at the clinic that would finally even see me is gone. She was nice, and I felt okay with her, but she no longer works with them. So there goes that. I don't think I could go back to that clinic anyway, because it's scary for me.

Planned Parenthood is right out. I love PP for what they stand for, but it really hurts when you know a crackwhore could walk off the street and get all the BC they needed, but they won't help you.

Note to self: don't tell doctors about conditions that aren't their goddamn business. The ob-gyn doesn't need to know about your insulin issues, and she'll withhold medication from you if you do tell her about it.

God, if I'd just been smart enough to keep my mouth closed at Planned Parenthood and nod and say, "Everything is fine, please to be giving me pills now!", I wouldn't have this problem. I'd be swimming in fucking pills right now if I'd just said nothing.

I just can't deal with this mentally. I can't. I have such anxiety about doctors and health care, it's hard for me to even talk to pharmacists, much less doctors. And my fear translates into rage, which bewilders the poor Boy.

Why the FUCK can't they just give me birth control? It's not like I'm trying to get my hands on heroin. It shouldn't be this hard. It really shouldn't.

And of course, I couldn't even get my hands on emergency contraception without a prescription in this country.

Comments

[lagringa.livejournal.com]

Um, dude? Planned Parenthood. Easy peasy.

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

They turned me down the first time, which is why I know better now than to mention insulin issues to gynos.

[br0ken_dolly]

you could try going to a different PP. it's possible that one practitioner you saw was a stickler, or if you show your your script/bottle for metformin and see if you can't at least get one or two more pill packs to carry you over. i've had psychiatrists write non-psych scripts before (and vice versa) because i explained there was an insurance fiasco and i swore i wasn't looking for a year's supply, just a few months to tie me over.

i would think SOMEONE at pp would be helpful if you tell them they either help you get pills now, or they schedule you for an abortion later.

i know it's a different part of the city, but what about the lgbt health center? they might be very helpful, even if it's only for a couple months. http://www.callen-lorde.org/

also, emergency contraception is available without a prescription. you just might have to ask the pharmacist for it, and you might also have to ask a couple pharmacies, since sometimes they let fundies work there.

healthcare sucks. it's weird and fucked up that PP is being so difficult towards you.

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

Do you think the LGBT place would take me? I mean, because I have a male partner and live a pretty het-tastical life right now even though I'm bi.

it's weird and fucked up that PP is being so difficult towards you.

Yeah, well, I just don't think they're equipped to deal with much. They don't have doctors there, they just have midwives and nurse practitioners and what not. And, for most people, that's fine I suppose.

I don't want to say anything bad about PP, because honestly? I know that for a lot of women, that's the only time they get to see any kind of health care person at all, and it's the only thing standing between them and unwanted pregnancies and diseases and what not.

I just wish they'd give me the same consideration.

[denoue-moi.livejournal.com]

I think glbt places would be cool with that. Just wear your pride bracelet. :)

Like, I don't imagine my str8 gyn is going to be all like, "you're with a girl so you can't have any more birth control!"

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

You think that would work? Because, honestly, I'm just so scared they'd say that I'm not queer enough or something.

[br0ken_dolly]

the lgbt place would probably be the last place that would judge you for your lifestyle. if they did, i'd be REALLY upset because the place comes highly recommended by even my legally married (but queer-identified) friends. it's worth a shot.

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

I guess I feel like I don't have enough LGBT street-cred to go there. I mean, I'll look into it, but I feel bad. I mean, should I leave that to people who can't "pass" as heterosexual?

Sorry, don't mean to puke all my issues all over you. :)

[br0ken_dolly]

you're no less deserving of good health and good healthcare.

places like that like to help people no matter what. keeping them in business even helps them to keep getting grants and stuff to stay open, so you could always think of it like that.

i go to affirmations (the glbt community center) for HIV testing. my regular doctor and my insurance (or PP) can do it, but i feel more comfortable going to affirmations.

you could always call them and say "hey i'm bi but my partner is male, and i need birth control but PP is not an option. can you help me?"

the problem with bisexuality (as others see it) is that we're too straight for the gays and to gay for the straights.

but the "b" in LGBT does stand for us. :)

hey, that's what LJ is for :)

[nightsinge.livejournal.com]

Bi is bi, babe. I'm in the same boat right now.

And, as a PP employee, I'm really bummed to hear this. I would hope that you give them a second chance or, at the very least, call and question their decision.

Good luck, girlfriend.

[denoue-moi.livejournal.com]

Good times. It's birth control refill/new gyn season for me too.

What the hell is wrong with them? So they want you to be a pregnant insulin resistant person?

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

What the hell is wrong with them? So they want you to be a pregnant insulin resistant person?

Apparently. I don't even know what the issue was, because the PP lady wouldn't explain it to me. She just said that she couldn't prescribe me anything and told me to use condoms (but when I checked the box to get free condoms, they didn't give me any, so there goes that).

I don't even know what I'm going to do about the glucophage, because I know that there's no fucking way I'm going to be able to get that without going through hell. But at least I still have time to figure that out.

I really hate doctors.

And take it from me, if you ever get unfortunate enough to get diagnosed with diabetes/insulin resistance, for fucks sake, don't tell anyone about it because you'll never get access to good health care again.

[denoue-moi.livejournal.com]

All I know about it is birth control pills may aggravate insulin resistance. According to a study.

But there are a ton of women on birth control pills and glucophage.

I wonder if they'd be keener on giving you something with progesterone only.

Nice of PP to work with you. So helpful!

Good luck with all this craziness.

[thousandpages.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they'd be keener on giving you something with progesterone only.

I dunno. I know that when I first got the diagnosis, sometime in 2004, I was put on Yasmin by the nurse practitioner who said I had insulin resistance - but I can't afford that shit, it's very, very expensive even for the generic. So I went back to the ultra-cheap generic Ortho pill because I know you can get it for, like, ten bucks a pop.

Nice of PP to work with you. So helpful!

Ain't they just. Still, I don't want to defame PP. They do a lot of good work!