Ouch

You might think that I’m going to talk about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade today and make no mistake that is a big Ouch, but not what I can talk about just yet. It’s way too raw for me after the other decision on gun rights. All I can say is that, yes, it can get worse for all of us. Instead, I decided to stay on track with the news story I came across last week about the exploding clitoris. Okay, maybe that is a bit of hyperbole, but the woman’s clitoris did rupture.

So what was that news story all about? Unfortunately, for me, it was about so much more than this woman’s misfortune. It was a testament to what is wrong with healthcare today. This poor woman kept having discomfort, starting at age 14 and they kept misdiagnosing her with a UTI. Even when she went to a gynecologist. Finally, after her clitoris swelled to the size of a grape, she was misdiagnosed again and sent home only to have her clitoris rupture. Yup, full-on blood, pus, etc. She went to a different doctor and they identified the real reason-a cyst on her clitoris was infected.

Now, let me tell you that I totally related to this woman’s experience. When I first discovered something wrong down there, I was afraid I had some kind of STD (I was young and naive). Turns out, I also had an infected cyst. Fortunately for me, it was not on my clitoris, but not too far away on my inner labia, which to be honest isn’t a whole lot of fun either. Throughout the years, the damn thing acted up and became infected. Tea tree oil was my saving grace when it happened. I was fortunate to have a primary care physician who was a woman who correctly identified the problem and assured me it was nothing to be too concerned about. I never decided to have surgery to have it removed because honestly, it doesn’t flare up often enough for me to want a surgeon cutting on me down there! The thing is…if only the doctor had really done a thorough examination on the poor young woman, they would have discovered it was a cyst. They are pretty easy to identify. I can feel mine, even when it isn’t infected. Women need to start advocating for themselves. We need to turn the tide around and stop the regressive wave or it is going to get much, much worse.

I don’t think that I will weave this story into any book, because it’s probably not very sexy. Hopefully, for others who might have had the same thing happen to them, talking openly and honestly about this will demistify discussing issues that are taboo in polite society. Because, if we don’t talk about it, we better be okay with continuing to be misdiagnosed. Not much tie into books, but you can still feel free to click on the links below. And…don’t forget to join us tomorrow in Lesbian Fiction Campfire for Pride readings. So many great authors to listen to. Ali Spooner and I will be on 12:00-1:00pm PST.

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