her mid-section. Her mother had let her get her earlobes pierced, of course, but that was nothing special, and both her parents had thrown a fit when she said she wanted her belly-button done.
It didn’t hurt much when the guy at “The Nifty Needle” did it–he was a pro who did his work as easily and as casually as a seamstress darning a sock. But two days later it began to be painful, and pus was oozing from the puncture site. By the time she sheepishly made her way to the doctor’s office in another two days, there was also redness and swelling for an inch all the way around the ring.
“I’ll put you on an antibiotic, but that ring’s going to have to come out, at least until this is all healed,” advised Dr. Lois Gavin. “Otherwise, it acts as a hiding place for the bacteria.”
Gillian burst into tears. “I should have listened to my mother. She told me it would get infected.” Composing herself, she continued, “I don’t want this to happen again. Would you do the piercing for me next time, doctor?”
“No,” she said, “I don’t do piercing.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s really a cosmetic, not a medical, procedure.”
“I think maybe you don’t want to because you’re like my parents and you think it’s weird.”
“Well, I do happen to think the human body looks better without any extra holes in it.”
Body-piercing is a practice that has become very popular, especially among teenagers and college students. For some, it’s a wild new fashion, a bold declaration of nonconformity. Arguments against it range from the aesthetic: “it’s ugly”; to the practical: “how does he blow his nose with that thing in?”; to the moralistic: “it’s mutilating your God-given body.” From a medical standpoint, there are no advantages to piercing (one doesn’t absorb iron into the blood from a steel ring, for instance), but there are certain risks, and therefore many physicians are against the practice. The pain caused by the procedure is highly subjective; many claim after a piercing that “it didn’t hurt at all.”
Bleeding can be a problem if the site isn’t chosen properly, and keloid formation (excessive scarring) can occur in some individuals. Infection is the main risk–not so much from the piercer (although certainly it’s important for the piercer to use proper hygiene and technique)—but rather from your own skin bacteria invading the wounded flesh. So, if you have a piercing done, keep the site scrupulously clean until (and even after) it has healed. But if complications develop, don’t be afraid to see your doctor; she’ll help you get better—even if she does give you a “piercing look” of admonishment.
Do carefully select a qualified piercer before you get any piercing done.
Don’t get pierced in a drunken or drug-induced state, or you may agree to something you’ll regret when you’re sober.
Do see your doctor right away if signs of infection appear.
Do expect not to get a lecture on the “evils” of piercing.
The Macho Man
“How’s it goin’, doc?” asked Dave Carter as he extended his beefy hand to Dr. Jess Heinz, who accepted it and got a no-nonsense, bone-crunching shake. This security guard was accustomed to using his handshake to transmit a sense of his strength and establish his territory–not to show mere friendliness. “You know, doc,” he said, as if using the familiar and diminutive form of address to keep Dr. Heinz in his place, “I’m starting to lose a lot of hair, and I wonder if I could get some of those pills to make it grow back. It doesn’t matter to me, of course, but women seem to like hair.”
It was a simple problem and a simple request, and Dr. Heinz, a busy man most days and especially so today, did not try to delve further into the matter. Handing Mr. Carter a prescription, he said, “It doesn’t work for everybody, but what the heck, you can give it a try.”
As the physician was heading out the door, Mr. Carter asked, “Do you think we should do a testosterone check first, doc?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was just thinking, maybe, uh, I don’t have enough in my system and that’s why my hair’s falling out.”
“If low testosterone were the cause, women would all be bald.”
“But, uh, wouldn’t it be a good idea to check it anyway?”
Dr. Heinz looked his patient in the eye and said firmly, but with a smile, “Look, Dave, I want to help you, but I don’t have time for all this beating around the bush. What’s the real problem?”
“Sorry. It’s just kinda hard to talk about. I’ve been having trouble lately getting an erection.”
So after further discussion (which revealed that Mr. Carter was also urinating excessively and losing weight) and a blood sugar test, the man who almost left the office with a diagnosis of male-pattern baldness left with a diagnosis of diabetes with secondary erectile dysfunction.
“I think we’d better check your testosterone level today.”
Male-bashing has become a popular, even accepted, practice nowadays. Men’s sexist domination existed for so long (still exists?) that knocking them down a few pegs doesn’t seem unfair, and many of them try to “take it like a man.” Even as society is nearing gender equality for employment and other legally-mandated areas, some men cling stubbornly to behaviors that seem not only out-of-date but which can be harmful. Being a workaholic, drinking too much, and denying feelings (both emotional and physical pain) can have disastrous consequences for a man–or anybody.
Letting their guard down can be difficult for men to do, even in the presence of their physicians, who to some may seem to represent intimidating “father figures.” Even if they view their doctors as allies, men often conceal things from their “buddies” for fear of appearing weak. Their relationships with their physicians then often suffer the same way their relationships with their loved ones do: from a lack of communication.
Do tell your physician your intimate problems. Even if he does a complete physical, he still can’t read your mind.
Don’t worry that the physician will laugh at you, and do expect him to show concern for you.
Don’t expect your physician to conspire with you in down-playing or overlooking a medical problem because you’re afraid of it.
Do see a male physician if you prefer, or
Do consider seeing a female physician if that would make you feel more comfortable talking about certain issues.
The Executive
“Thanks for not keeping me waiting, Dr. Hadley,” said the silver-haired gentleman seated in Exam Room 2, Mr. Alex Farmington. Sizing up her
