I just had to share a good experience

[Coffeechick88]

This probably will seem silly to some people, but I had a good experience when getting my labs drawn.  I will give a little background.

I had two big difficulties:  being infected by a rape, my first sexual experience and then the stigma that followed by both instances.  This ranged from what I must have done to cause the rape, to the fact that the guy who did it was someone I dated--as a white person I went out with an African (gasp!) which didn't sit well with some of the family and those people loved to do the I told you so, to ignorance about HIV--being fired from one job, a woman afraid I infected her possessed cat with HIV, so many more things I don't mention, including just plain rudeness from doctors and people.  All that made me extremely afraid of telling my status because of all the rejection, to the fact that even though I work at a hospital, I drove to a hospital 2 hours away just to get labs drawn (that is the nearest specialist, but I had to pay more just to get it done there). 

Well, my insurance company decided to force me to get my labs done at one of the facilities of the hospital chain where I work.  I at first was going to drive to another hospital, but that would have meant after my appointment (2 hrs south of me) I would have had to drive 3 hrs north to get the labs drawn, then 1 hour south back to my house and considering this is a day after I have worked a 12 overnight shift. 

I then decided that was stupid and I'd have to take a leap of faith.  I didn't get it drawn right at my hospital, but at a clinic associated with the hospital--she sends most of her stuff to us, but also has a courier to another reference lab which is where my tests would have gone anyway.  I was so nervous I was already planning on rewriting my resume--not everyone in that hospital is educated and not everyone at that hospital thinks HIPAA applies to staff members.

Well, it went really well--we had a nice chat and she was just so kind to me and she said that I was still a patient and the whole lab didn't need to know.  This was something I really needed.  After all the time I've spent being afraid and not trusting people, I got a lesson that sharing my status with non-sex partners can be painless.  It really helped my self-esteem a lot, because I think I contributed a lot to the stigma by stigmitizing myself.  Anyway, I will stop rambling now, but I had to share.

[AlanBama]

hi C.C., thanks for a positive message, I needed one this evening.

Glad your experience went a lot better than expected.  That's always a blessing.

hugs,

Alan

[emeraldize]

Sharing your good experience isn't silly at all. It's heartwarming. There are some decent folks out there who know how to handle patients especially colleagues who are patients. I'm glad you won't have to go through such gyrations in the future for your labs. That's one more stressor off the list!

[Eldon]

Hello Coffeechick88,

It is always GOOD when a member of this forum shares GOOD news. It is ever so nurturing. I am happy to hear that everything went well with you on your visit to the clinic to get your blood drawn.

Just as you said and I agree that sometimes it is our internal anxiety which makes it more than what it actually is. Take care of yourself.


Make the BEST of each and every Day!