… to be so embarrassed I’m considering writing an apology letter to my GP?

[embarsandash]

Before I start, please don’t judge me. I am so embarrassed and have never had anything like this happen to me before.

I am an exceptionally clean person, I shower daily in the morning and bath every evening, I have never had any concerns with my hygiene and nothing like this has ever happened to me before!

I have been having some very painful stomach cramps over the course of the last 3/4 months, along with some bleeding - and so I have been in and out of the doctors surgery several times to be seen for various tests, scans and blood tests etc.. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment with my gp to discuss my recent scan and blood test findings, so I attended as normal after a super busy morning / early afternoon at work.

when I got to the doctors room, she discussed my results and advised me that she will now need to conduct an internal scan. I was mortified as I was given no prior warning. Usually for something like this, I’d have a shower before going, change into clean clothes and underwear etc… but I had no idea this was going to happen.

I was asked to get changed behind the curtain and lie down for the examination. When I was changing, I noticed that there were no wipes / towels to freshen up like there usually is, so I was then panicking even more.

when I laid down to have my examination, I noticed that my GP had a strange look on her face, almost like concern? She was not speaking to me so I eventually asked her if everything okay. She then told me that I have an ‘unpleasant’ odour ‘down below’ and that I should consider getting that looked into.

Well, I am absolutely mortified. I’ve never ever had any kind of hygiene problems before, never had any issues ‘down below’ and I don’t know how to take the comment.

what do I do! I’ve not stopped thinking about it since. I am so embarrassed in case she will always remember me as ‘the patient that smelled bad’…

I’m considering writing a letter of apology.. is that over reactive? I don’t know what to do!

She then told me that I have an ‘unpleasant’ odour ‘down below’ and that I should consider getting that looked into.

Looked in to by who? She's the GP? The GP who would be looking in to it???

Don’t worry about it OP. They’ll have forgotten all about it. It's their job to inform you so that it can be sorted out. Hope you’re ok.

Exactly. I don’t know if that’s code for ‘not my job’ or ‘I don’t want to’

I am wondering if it’s something to do with the pains and issues I’ve been having, but I’m really not sure. I am so mortified, I don’t know if I ever want to go back to that particular surgery again, let alone doctor!

Exactly!

OP it should be her apologizing to you for the way she reacted. Like the poster above said - get seen by whom? She is your GP, she should have given you advice on it then.

Surely the gp should have addressed the unpleasant odour? Did she not take swabs or anything? Who else does she think is going to ‘look into it’. Weird thing for her to say IMO.

You poor thing. Thar does sound distressing for you. I don't think you need to apologise to the doctor at all. It is part of their job to encounter people in an 'intimate' way that sometimes involves smells and other embarrassments.

For your own peace of mind, you could raise it with her briefly at your next appointment. After all, she did suggest it might have a medical cause that you should explore.

Not sure I understand. If you have having medical issues already surely her concern is that the odour could relate to this. I am not sure whether this was handled sensitively and whether 'getting it looked at' means they are referring you to a gynaecologist as surely as a GP they should be the ones to try to look for the cause of the issue.
How did the appointment end? Did she say anything more about further appointments?

Perhaps she means at another appointment? She was surprised because it wasn’t to do with the original appointment? No need to be embarrassed, that’s her job!

This is a bit strange… surely your GP would be the one ‘looking into’ the issue, with them being a GP? Did they take any swabs or anything to investigate further? Something like BV can cause an unpleasant odour, but there’s no reason the GP couldn’t investigate that. Where did they tell you to go to have it looked into?

Exactly what I was thinking!

"Er, ok go on then!!"

Who the hell else was going to look into it?!

God, you poor thing. So unhelpful of the GP. Surely that should be the cue for them to say something like “I’m noticing a strange smell - let’s investigate you for X, Y, Z”?

Please don’t write a letter. I’m a GP, and would never want a patient to feel embarrassed by something like this. If there’s an unusual vaginal odour it’s often a sign of infection, and in this scenario I would have taken a swab and possibly started antibiotics - I’m not sure why your doctor didn’t do this?

Exactly!

Exactly!!! Why didn't she take swabs etc on the spot? I can't imagine what she was thinking! Anyhow, OP, you can refer YOURSELF to the sexual health clinic, please don't be embarrassed, they are so helpful, and get them to do what your GP should have done. And yes, write a letter, not of apology, but complaint, about your GP. Appalling.

I’ve no idea what she meant by the comment! She didn’t elaborate any further than that, told me she was finished and that I can get dressed.

she said the findings were normal other than the odor, and that I should monitor it and return if it ‘doesn’t improve’ - no further clarification on the ‘get that looked into’ comment!

I will admit by this point I was as red as a tomato and just wanted to get as far away from her doctors room as possible, so I didn’t ask her to clarify any further.

I am considering calling the surgery to ask what the next steps should be.

when I returned home I showered as usual, and I didn’t notice any kind of ‘odour’ whatsoever, nothing abnormal at all.. so I am stumped.

I wouldn't write to apologise, I would write to complain. You have been told about a symptom but not offered any investigation? Book in with the nurse for a vaginal swab. It could be several infections that need treating to protect your fertility and future health. The Dr needs to hear how you have been left thinking this symptom is an embarrassing faux pas not a medical problem.

It all sounds very strange.

I Wish it was, but it’s not. Trust me, I wouldn’t exactly be crazy enough to sit here at 8.45am fabricating a story like this.

This happened to me, and I need somewhere for advice and to vent.

Looked into?

This doesn’t add up. My doctor would have said, “I’m going to take some swabs if that’s ok”.

That's what I was thinking. How many GPs have scan facilities in their examination rooms? None that I've ever seen, you get referred to the hospital for that.

You don’t need to apologise. This kind of odour isn’t caused by poor hygiene.
If anything it’s your GP who needs to apologise. Sounds like it was very badly handled.

OP, GPs will be faced with all sorts of odours. Just think of people who have mobility issues and hygiene is tricky for instance. You don’t need to apologise. She could also distinguish between a sweaty genital odour and an infection so my guess would be that she is referring to an infection smell and she will likely be saying you need to have that checked. I would have expected her to do a swab there and then though. That bit is confusing. She was already examining you down there, so why not finish the job. But no, don’t write a letter you’re fine.

I didn’t have a scan with her, it was done in the gynaecologist department a few weeks ago. She was reading my recent blood report and scan results.

Not that it makes a difference, but I am with a private clinic. They have many facilities here all under one roof.