“Call in Renee!” the nurse assisting my OBGYN hollered out a crack in the door. In came an older nurse, kind-faced and eager to help. “I heard you down the hall, I knew they must be taking care of one of your dangles. I had one of those too…” She grabbed my hand with both of hers and gave it a firm pat and I was reminded once again that although I was uncomfortable, I was safe.
My ‘dangle’ as my angel nurse called it was something like a skin tag that had grown when I began to heal from my third-degree tear gifted to me by childbirth. Although the muscles had healed fine, there was still this bulb of skin that was continually irritated. I knew it needed to be taken care of and when I told people about it, I casually explained how they’ll just cut it off.
I was anything but casual in the doctor’s office.
Thankfully I was the last patient of the day because the first thing my doctor needed to do was give me a shot of lidocaine. Excuse me? That’s right, some lidocaine around the lady bits. That’s when the yelling started and I realized that this would not be as simple as it sounded. My doctor and nurse let me yell all the profanities I wanted and when they called in the reinforcements to distract me, they hurried to finish their work as safely as possible.
When the procedure was over a nurse offered me a snack and brought me a glass of water. My doctor hung out with me until I was ready to get dressed and then I waddled to my car. A week later it was like nothing ever happened; the site had healed beautifully but my mind shifted back to the procedure. It was one of the most painful experiences I had gone through but it seemed overshadowed by the women who rallied around me.
They didn’t just want to take care of my dangle, they wanted to take care of me. They worked together to make me feel safe and comfortable and all the while striving to improve my health. It highlighted that finding a practice you trust is important and that I was worthy of care. And so are you.
Take care of your dangles and anything else that impedes your health because you are worth it.
