I've spent a week reading this thread and learned many, many things. Among them, soda will burn your sinuses every time you sneeze it onto the monitor while reading this thread. Thanks for the laughs and the lessons.
A word on this situation, though:
When I volunteered in an ED, this was my favorite line of questions/answers with teenage females:
1. Is there any chance you could be pregnant? No.
2. Do you take birth control? No.
3. Do you have unprotected sex? Yes.
4. When was your LMP? 3 months ago.
5. Now, let me ask you again, is there any chance you could be pregnant? No, I told you that already.
If you're a 28 yo female, no one asks you #3. Every urgent care facility/ER I've been to has assumed I'm active - I guess I'm just that sexy?
Anyway, when I arrived at the ER last year w/ massive vaginal bleeding and informed them that no, I'm not pregnant, no, I'm not on birth control, and my LMP (before the current one) was 3 months ago, the nice lady raised her eyebrow and said, "Are you
sure you're not pregnant?"
I smiled. "Don't you generally have to have sex with a man first?" Cue her noticing the intertwined Venus symbol earrings and the labrys tattoo. Light bulb goes on, everyone has a laugh.
I just wish they could note that in my chart somehow. Everyone who saw me that night kept apologizing because they assumed I was having a miscarriage. Still, everyone who treated me was wonderful.
Oh! That reminds me! I also learned on that visit that the ultrasound guys just cannot be trusted. A woman MUST be present during a transvag ultrasound to protect the patient's honor. You never know, those wild crazy men in ultrasound might actually enjoy the procedure a little too much. The vast quantity of blood pooled underneath the patient is just an extra turn-on. [/sarcasm]
Thanks for everything you do, and the next time I visit the ER, I will
definitely order some pizzas on my way.