The world is, thankfully, not full of evil people

[pecunium]

But news like this is enough to make one wonder:

ALBUQUERQUE (CN) - A clinic nurse first removed her intrauterine birth-control device without permission, the patient claims in a federal action, then told her that "having the IUD come out was a good thing," because "I personally do not like IUDs. I feel they are a type of abortion. I don't know how you feel about abortion, but I am against them."

Yeah...

She feels they are a type of abortion. She, personally, doesn't like IUD's, and it coming out, "accidentally" is a good thing.

Why do I mock the idea of accident? "Defendant Olona stated, 'Everyone in the office always laughs and tells me I pull these out on purpose because I am against them, but it's not true, they accidentally come out when I tug.'

"Everyone in the office always laughs." Makes me wonder how many of these "accidents" she has.

This is, apart from the arrogance of it, a pretty big deal.

IUDs can be difficult to get. When Maia was trying to get one, Kaiser refused. Mirena, which advertises, includes, "have a had a child" in it's list of factors when considering getting one. Because of the Dalkon Shield the public perception of them is less than stellar. Other women I know, who haven't had kids, had to fight to get an IUD.

Which means getting it replaced, after one of these, "accidents" is not trivial. The nurse who removed it... refused to replace it. "Too bad, so sad."

They can be painful to have inserted (esp. if one has not had a child). The insertion ranges from, "felt like an intense PAP" to knock you on your ass, and leave you in bed with horrific cramps for three days.

I've had a couple of partners who used them. Know several more women who got them. By all accounts, it takes more than a "tug" to get them out. One of my partners had to get the strings trimmed. I went in with her, and her GYN was talking about it, manipulating them, so she could get the forceps on them, and the scissors in to snip.

Forceps, compared to, "they accidentally come out when I tug". One wonders why she is tugging in the first place.

Short story, sounds like a revocation of license offense to me.

Long story... This sort of thing is going to continue. The fight for choice isn't about Roe v Wade, not really. It's about Griswold v Connecticutt The "conscience objections" the pharmacists who make enquiries about marital status when filling prescriptions for birth control, the emergency room doctors who won't prescribe EC if someone wasn't raped...

All of that is about the right to privacy.

It's about controlling people (esp. women).

It's about freedom.

Comments

[onyxlynx]

Excuse me, I need to throw something through a plate glass window...

There. Now...

Sorry; I'm going incoherent again. I attended a Catholic high school; I converted this year; there is nothing--nothing--about preventing birth control in other people!

[angry chittering with interpolated screams]

[red-silk-robe.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience with Kaiser.

I marched 4 blocks down the road to Planned Parenthood and had the Mirena inserted, no questions, no problems, good counseling and avocation for my choices and my rights as a woman. it's been 4+ years, no problems, and I'll go back next year for the 5-year change out.

I encourage all women--whether they have insurance or not--to participate in their own health care by choosing Planned Parenthood for their reproductive needs.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Look into it. Maia (same route) says she's been sent literature telling her the effective period is extended to 10 years.

[red-silk-robe.livejournal.com]

I am going to do that. I go in later this month for my annual and I'm going to ask about the extended life time. As I recall they told me 5-7 years when I had it done in August of '05.

But I'm afraid that stories like the one related in your post are all too common through the south/southwest. I find it appalling but for everyone of me, who finds that sort of thing shocking, there are 10 more women in that region of the United States that find it compelling and righteous.

It's an illustrative example that it is not just fat, old, Republican, Rush Limbaugh-listening white men, who try to control and repress women. We are sometimes our own worst enemy to our gender.

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I was about to post to say how fantastic Mirena has been; mine is due for a change October this year and I have been waking up in a cold sweat at the thought of it. I would absolutely love to hear that the effective period had been extended to ten years.

[dianyla.livejournal.com]

Can you give more information about this? I have not heard anything about Mirena's effectiveness period being extended and my google-fu is failing me. I'm not challenging you on this, I'd just really like to know the answer to this as well.

A few years ago, the Paragard T380 copper devices were recently extended from a 10-year approval to a 12-year approval. However, this makes a lot of sense because as long as there's still enough copper metal still attached to the device it will be effective. I just had my 12 year old copper IUD removed and there was plenty of metal still present. The main reason copper IUDs are recommended for replacement is because of concerns about the copper corroding to the point that it fragments into smaller pieces. Basically, mechanical failure of the device's structure.

The Mirena comes with an impregnated dose of levonorgestrel, which has to be exhausted sometime. I think the risk with trying to push the lifespan of the device is that you just don't know when that supply of levonorgestrel will run out. Maybe there's some way to test whether effective hormone levels are still being emitted, or maybe longterm users will notice their periods returning to normal heavier levels.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I can try to remember to ask Maia when I talk to her again.

As I recall, when she went to see about replacement, she was told the period was longer now.

[dianyla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been looking and can't find any updated info on the FDA's site about approval. Nor have I heard anything at the PP where I volunteer. But, it'd certainly be nice! :)

[grum]

I believe it was just the copper IUD that had it's labelling changed. So Mirena is not affected by the change.

In related good news, they changed the label (again of the copper IUD) so that it no longer has prior childbirth as a prerequisite. Nulliparous women and those at high risk for STIs* are eligible for placement per the FDA approved labelling.

*It is still contraindicated to have one placed when you have an _active_ STI

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Jesus Fucking Christ on a Pogo-Stick of DOOM.

When I was looking for good, safe, reliable contraception (because I'd tried every variety of the Pill on the market then, and they all made me puke), no doctor would even discuss an IUD with me because I was (a) unmarried and (b) had not had a child. I wound up getting my tubes tied in an inner-city Detroit clinic that catered to unmarried mothers, because it was the only way I could be certain I would not get pregnant.

But that was *33 years ago*.

I'm bookmarking this for next time someone tells me feminism is passe.

[audrawilliams.livejournal.com]

Oh man I totally had to fight for my IUD. Anyone coming for it will have to pry it from MY COLD DEAD UTERUS.

[supergee.livejournal.com]

That nurse is a serial rapist.

[pgdudda.livejournal.com]

...and from the description pecunium gives of how difficult it is to remove, the nurse is probably also causing damage to these women's uteri that could potentially result in fatal bleeding and/or inability to safely carry children in the future. Very Not Cool.

[lexica510.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. When I had mine inserted, they instructed me (in no uncertain terms) that if it slipped out of position, I was NOT to try to pull it out myself because of the chance of permanent injury. "We will get you a same-day appointment if necessary. Do NOT try to do it yourself."

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

Permanent damage or fatal bleeding sound pretty unlikely to me from the procedure described.

And I say that because, having had a Mirena both put in *and* taken out, the procedure described sounds to me like a routine IUD removal, which is a medically safe event (which is not to say no risk, but it's not an event in which you have a serious chance of suffering more than a cramp or five).

I checked out the article, and I cannot imagine why the nurse tugged on the strings after shortening them. There was no point to doing that at all.

The Mirena was the easiest birth control I have ever dealt with, and after I'm done having this baby, I plan to get another one.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I will go out on a limb here.

She tugged on them with the specific intent of removing them.

It wasn't an accident. It might have been one the first time, but after that... nope. The, "laughter" of, "everyone" just encouraged her.

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

This is an awfully solid limb we're standing on.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the first time wasn't actually an accident, either.

And what the fuck is up with her coworkers laughing about it? Why was she not disciplined after the first, second, or nth time? Why does she even still have a job at this point, and why has she not been arrested for some kind of bodily assault? And yes, why was she even "tugging" on any of the IUD strings in the first place?

I personally am squicked by IUDs and never plan to get one myself, but if I were a nurse or other healthcare professional I would never allow my personal squick to interfere with the reproductive health and rights of any woman who thought an IUD her best choice.

SO MUCH RAGE.

[lexica510.livejournal.com]

Another data point (possibly encouraging) — when I got my IUD, about four years ago, Kaiser Oakland was nothing but positive and cooperative about it, even though I've never been pregnant or had children. (Insertion took two attempts, in fact, and required use of a sonogram the second time to ensure that it had been placed correctly. Ah, so that's what my uterus looks like...)

The doctor was, as expected, not enthusiastic about the suggestion I get my tubes tied, but not for the usual reason. "This is abdominal surgery," he said. "It's a surgery that we do a lot of and are very good at, but it's still surgery and it still requires anesthesia. Your husband is willing to get a vasectomy. For him it's not abdominal surgery. Let him get snipped."

[pbrim.livejournal.com]

If you want something permanent and don't want surgery, you may want to check out Essure (http://www.essure.com/). According to the women on cf_hardcore it may also be easier to get.

[lexica510.livejournal.com]

That was my first choice when I was researching the possibilities. Unfortunately, the allergy test showed that I have a severe nickel sensitivity, which makes Essure a bad choice for me.

[slave2tehtink.livejournal.com]

Yeah I wanted Essure like whoa, but it was a no-go because of the nickel. Luckily, I have an appt for my surgical consult for tubal ligation towards the end of this month.

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

License revocation isn't enough. Prosecution for rape would be appropriate.

[wetdryvac.livejournal.com]

I suppose this shouldn't surprise me, but the guts say otherwise.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

I know, preaching to the choir here, but...

[benet.livejournal.com]

God forbid government bureaucrats make decisions about your health-care.

[feonixrift.livejournal.com]

Added to the list of reasons why I don't intend to ever return to New Mexico. Being from there, this surprised me only a tiny bit, and horrified me a whole lot.

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

For a variety of reasons having to do with six years of staring at photographs of what some IUDs (yes, including the first gross photos of the damage done by the Dalkon Shield), I really do not like IUDs.

But that is my *personal choice.* That does not confer upon me the right to make that decision for anybody else.

I surely hope the state board revokes the license.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

That nurse sounds like the definition of evil person to me.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Accident my ass. Removing an IUD is a medical procedure and you don't pull them out by accident, not even once. Over and over again? No way in hell.

This makes me angry for so many reasons. I'm in my 50s and I keep hoping the days of this kind of BS will vanish. Boy is that naive.

My mother was 18 when my parents married. By the time my mother was 24, she'd had 4 children and two miscarriages. It was against the law for her doctor to tie her tubes, but he did it anyway during surgery to repair the damage one pregnancy after another did to her body. Forget about losing his license. He could have gone to prison for giving my mother what she asked for and wanted. But he did what his patient asked and what was in her best interests medically.

Olona deserves prison time IMHO. Assault comes to mind, though it might not fit the legal definition. She took free agency from the women whose IUD she tugged out by 'accident' and she sure wasn't following their stated wishes.

Yeah, angry. Very very angry.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

The nurse should have her licensed revoked. This is unconscionable.

I had no problem getting an IUD prescribed -- three kids, three episodes of PPD/PPP made sure of that -- but the insertion was a royal bitch. I ended up having to be sedated for it. Having someone just pull it out, and then tell me she didn't approve of them? *I* would have committed assault. On the nurse.

You're dead right about the fight being about Griswold, not just Roe. It's damn scary. While part of me is relieved I am old enough I don't have to worry about this on a personal level, I am very afraid for younger women.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

That is just appalling.

There is no moral justification for removing a person's birth control device (without immediate plans to replace).

She should have her licence removed.

[elf]

I'm just past 10 years on my Copper-T, and my company changed health care providers last year; I made sure to ask if they covered IUDs before I signed up for the new plan. However, that doesn't tell me anything about individual doctors, and I'm dreading calling around at random to ask.

It does not come out with a tug. It does not come out with a nudge, a poke, use of a Keeper, or intense finger manipulation in the area. And pulling on the string, rather than using a device to remove it (and flatten the curves out) would tear the flesh. It would "come out with a tug" the same way a fishhook would.

I hope this one loses her license. Directly interfering with a patient's prescribed medical treatment should be a loss-of-license situation. I'm glad she's being faced with battery charges along with the other charges.

[dianyla.livejournal.com]

Um, no, actually tugging hard on the the strings is how they're usually removed. The arms fold upwards and the whole thing just scrapes its way out through the cervix.

If the strings are trimmed flush, they have to probe with forceps to grab the strings inside the os, or fish down deeper to grab the end of the device. That's much more invasive and painful than just pulling it out by the strings.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

If someone is incapable of performing a procedure, they should not be allowed to do it.

Even if it was truly accidental, and her attitude wasn't like that, how the HELL would someone let her continue?