Stereotyping seems to be an inherent part of everybody’s thinking and can cause so many problems………….

By the time you have lived your life there have been innumerable occasions where embarrassment has resulted in the desire to sink into a deep, deep hole somewhere far away. But what was embarrassing at 17 yrs of age would be flicked away with a quip at 45 years. However when asked my most embarrassing moment I will always recount the occasion that had all the hallmarks to necessitate a metaphorical trip to the moon for at least a year.

Back in the days of contraception, when coils where fitted to women prior to them having had a pregnancy, the said coil was fitted at a family planning clinic at a Plymouth hospital. I was somewhat of a wild child and had left home repeatedly, was hauled back each time, until the age of 16 yrs where the threat of putting me into ‘Care’ was no longer valid. I had my own bedsit, a job and a great social life – what more could a young woman want?!

I walked back from the hospital and was about a mile away when a ‘ping’ resulted in the coil falling out of my womb and lodging in the most uncomfortable place. What to do – as I stood with tears rolling down my face in the middle of Mutley Plain, I did the only thing I could……………. I walked, very gingerly, at a snails pace back to the hospital, in the style of John Wayne sitting on a horse. It hurt, it hurt a lot.

Arriving back at the hospital the receptionist immediately handed me a wonderful gown – fortunately, as I was a very tiny 17 yr old it covered me completely with much room to spare – and put me in a curtained off area on a bed – what a relief. I waited a long time, but I didn’t care, lying down was so much more comfortable than being upright.

The most gorgeous, blonde, young, New Zealand doctor pulled my cubical curtains back, accompanied by a nurse who didn’t impact on me at all……….. Embarrassment level rising…………… The gorgeous, blonde doctor then proceeded to sort out the problem, stopped suddenly as the voluminous gown was raised and proclaimed ‘My god, you have red hair all over’. Embarrassment level hit overload and continued to flow into the ether ………. At this point the nurse intervened and dragged the gorgeous, blonde doctor out of the cubicle and proceeded to give him a lecture on what you should and shouldn’t say to a patient – I could hear every word and it didn’t help a jot.

The gorgeous doctor and nurse returned, the doctor somewhat chastened and proceeded to remove the offending coil as quickly as he could – not quickly enough as far as I was concerned. I should have stayed on the bed for a 20 minute ‘rest’ before leaving the hospital. I didn’t, I fled as far away as I could, as quickly as could.

I never did return to that particular Accident and Emergency Unit in abject fear that I would meet the gorgeous, blonde, young New Zealand doctor.