[honeychile]

Please forgive me for crashing, but I'd like to share my story.

I had a gynie appointment soon after leaving my ex-husband, and she suggested that I get a full work up, just in case. No problem, I'd rather know myself. So, she gave me a prescription and sent me to a lab a few blocks away.

The lab was packed with people, and the receptionist/nurse sat behind one of those bank-like windows that had a half-circle at the bottom. I slid my script under it, and this woman looked at it for a moment, then bellowed, "I CAN SEE THAT YOU NEED A CHEM PANEL AND A PREGNANCY TEST, BUT WHAT'S THIS HIV TEST?"

I mouthed, "AIDS." She bellowed even louder, "SPEAK UP, SWEETIE. WHAT DOES THIS HIV TEST FOR?" I looked around, and of course, everyone is looking at me by now. I said quietly, "AIDS!" Once more, she yelled, "I CAN'T TEST YOU UNLESS I KNOW WHAT IT'S FOR - WHAT'S THIS HIV?" I took the darn script from her, wrote "AIDS" on it, and she then yelled, "OOOHHH!! AIDS!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?"

I could have died. Thankfully, she took me right then, instead of making me sit with the other people - and then gossiped about several prominent people who came to her office monthly for the test.

I can laugh about this now, but at the time, I was furious! I did call my gynie to make sure she knew what was happening at that lab - which she no longer uses!

Thank the Lord, everything was negative...