Men asked if pregnant before x-rays

[ResisterRex]

In the Telegraph today:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/03/28/nhs-trusts-ask-men-pregnant-government-removes-word-female-guidelines/

Male cancer patients and those having X-Rays and MRI scans are being asked if they could be expecting after the Government removed the word “female” from the law governing the medical procedures and replaced it with “individuals”.
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, in Liverpool, now asks “ALL patients under the age of 60, regardless of how you may identify your gender”.

Identifying your own "gender" won't mean you're male or female. And replacing medically accurate language in this case, has the effect of erasing women. One man was reportedly upset:

"One woman whose husband has cancer says that the question before a scan had caused “unnecessary confusion and agitation” and was “unfair” as a combination of steroids and brain surgery had made him emotional.
She added: “This was very confusing for him in his post-surgical daze, his vulnerability and needs completely ignored.”"

It is not all trusts but this one doubled down:

"“We believe asking all people who are having their abdomen imaged/scanned in this way, regardless of gender, is the least intrusive way of ensuring it is safe to proceed.”"

Dept of Health not impressed, it seems!

"When asked about the change in language, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Patient safety is paramount, especially when there is a risk that foetuses may be exposed to damaging radiation. Therefore, it’s important that all biological females of child-bearing age are screened for potential pregnancy to avoid this risk.”"

So, if the sex/gender fields are fucked up, can we start a process whereby they start undoing the fucking up?

Get some markers in saying "Male - definitely - don't ask again". These can gradually displace the legacy "Male - but fuck knows what that means" codings.

If the logic is to avoid offence, then surely you should have markers to allow doctors to make sure their patients are NOT given the impression their sex is in question, or at their doctor is an idiot.

When I had an operation recently, I had to do a pregnancy test on admittance despite being menopausal as the cut-off was age 55. It wasn't enough to say that I knew I wasn't pregnant. Are they going to insist all men having operations have to do the same?

There is a tiktok video recently reposted on the twitter page @Libsoftiktok (not consigning libsoftiktok just want to give the source) of a young looking woman who claims to have multiple people living inside her. She says is set to undergo gender reassignment surgery so that "some of the people living inside me can get the body of their dreams that matches their gender and makes them feel happy"

Surely, surely, the surgeons, gynaecologists and other such professionals will say no to this. Surely? Who stands to win here? How much money does big pharma in USA make from the transitioning industry?

[quote userlotsanumbers]The professional body that governs the imaging people have produced guidelines and training events in this.
The recommendations are prefaced by a glossary of terms, including cisgender and chestfeeding.
This is presented as best practice and as I say, all are being trained to ask this now.

www.sor.org/news/radiation-protection/sor-publishes-guidance-on-gender-diversity-and-pre[/quote]

That document! What utter garbage.

Non issue. ....

It's a standard risk assessment form...

A) when was your last X ray
B) are you pregant

@FannyCann

One of our consultants has given an example of two times he nearly made an error. The CT scan is performed by radiographers and radiologists - Drs specialising in radiology - will report the scan remotely having never set eyes in the patient (bearing in mind the whole point of all this is that some may "pass" and get missed anyway). In both cases the patient was a trans woman, so all the radiologist knew was the X-ray from stating "Female" and a feminine name. He was confused by an abnormal mass adjacent to the rectum. He could have reported it as a ?malignancy subjecting the person to unnecessary tests, a biopsy, the possibility of harm. And extra cost to the NHS too. But something clicked in his brain and he realised it was an atrophied prostate (atrophied die to cross sex hormones).

It is ridiculous, apparently the NHS computer systems currently can't cope with two separate fields for Sex and Gender plus these people get their medical records changed to state the sex they have "transitioned" to.

Personally I think people should be required to take more personal responsibility for their own health at their own risk but that isn't the harm prevention POV.

In medicine we often allude to the “Swiss cheese” model when looking at root cause analysis of medical error. A person having the wrong marker for their sex and it not being 100% clear what sex they are introduces one big hole into the Swiss cheese of their care. The whole itself may not cause a problem, but should it align with several other holes, it’s a medical error waiting to happen.

It’s tremendously irresponsible.

Language has lost all meaning. Can we go back to communicating in grunts and screams please?

@EggNcressida

There is a tiktok video recently reposted on the twitter page *@Libsoftiktok (not consigning libsoftiktok just want to give the source) of a young looking woman who claims to have multiple people living inside her. She says is set to undergo gender reassignment surgery so that "some of the people living inside me can get the body of their dreams that matches their gender and makes them feel happy"*

Surely, surely, the surgeons, gynaecologists and other such professionals will say no to this. Surely? Who stands to win here? How much money does big pharma in USA make from the transitioning industry?

Didn’t this used to be just done sort if multiple personality disorder treated with the relevant medication? Why is any weight been given to such things? I suppose they’re making money out of it but it’s clearly taking advantage of someone in a poor mental state, where’s the safe guarding, this poor girl.

It’s almost the same with that man who wanted to look like an alien, I can’t believe surgeons did it, it’s so unscrupulous and goes against every medical ethical code of practice surely?

I mentioned this here because I wonder if the reason we're going so far isn't to be inclusive but to make money for private pharma companies.

mobile.twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1508456583017099265?cxt=HHwWgsCr3aTRju8pAAAA

@toomanytwinkies I agree I find it heartbreaking. They need help.

I actually had an xray while I was pregnant because I wasn't properly asked whether I was pregnant. I wish they would just concentrate on getting the basics right!

So for the whole history of medicine, male has been the default. Now that some men want their marker changed, so now we have to ask everyone, regardless of actual sex, whether they might be pregnant or not because some of these procedures are harmful if so?

And yet, in all the history of medicine, we forgot completely that women were different? But they aren't different, hence being able to change your sex marker? But we are the same, but different?

HOW DO THESE PEOPLE CROSS THE FUCKING ROAD?????

It is ridiculous, apparently the NHS computer systems currently can't cope with two separate fields for Sex and Gender

They are designed to record both. Sex should always be recorded, gender is an optional field with a default of 'not known'. But as the author of this article found out, this is not what happens in practice.

medium.com/@anneharperwright/sex-gender-the-nhs-bb86b0c3ebb

She found that they had recorded a gender for her but left the 'sex' field blank.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

I'm very obviously male. If was ever asked by a medical professional if I was pregnant I would seriously doubt any of the advice they were giving me.

And that is a serious problem. There are various groups of people who have a difficult relationship with medical professionals. Trust in particular is an issue for these patients and much agonising and hand-wringing has been going on over how to improve their trust.

Asking men and boys if they might be pregnant will decrease trust. If any healthcare professionals ever asked my sons that question I would feel very worried about their competence and priorities. Prioritising patient care means not imposing a religious faith upon the patient in my view. And gender ideology is just that - a faith-based belief in souls overriding the facts of the body. Medicine is the last place where this should happen.

@tabbycatstripy

It all sounds harmless (if stupid) until you think about young people, autistic people, people in pain, people with dementia, people who don't speak much English.

Absurd, but also harmful because it makes doctors look incompetent and it confuses people.

Beyond that, I pity any staff who are expected to ask this of someone with a head injury or is fairly intoxicated (neither is an unusual scenario on a Friday/Saturday night when people have been out on the town). There might be some people who think they're being mocked/insulted.

I'd like to see the cultural competence assessment for this.

The social contagion of alters (including animal alters) is quite the phenomenon to behold.

Are NHS GP practices going to need VwSI to be on call (Vets with a Special Interest rather than the usual GPwSI or GP with a Special Interest)?

As long as we are prioritising feelings inside people's heads over ACTUAL biological processes and bodies, I would like to see psychiatry overhauled too.
Positive affirmation is definitely the way forward. I suspect there will be a lot of Queen Victoria's, Napoleon's and Jesus's going around soon.
Affirm at all costs.
Or else.

@RVN123

As long as we are prioritising feelings inside people's heads over ACTUAL biological processes and bodies, I would like to see psychiatry overhauled too. Positive affirmation is definitely the way forward. I suspect there will be a lot of Queen Victoria's, Napoleon's and Jesus's going around soon. Affirm at all costs. Or else.

Are you arguing for Acceptance Without Exception and All Immersive Fictions Count ?

So, I actually know someone who was involved in trying to get medical computer systems in our region (not in the UK) updated to capture both sex and gender information. In order to prepare he met up with the most prominent lgbtiq+++ group in the area, trying to sort out what they'd have to capture.

What he was told by the representative who was supposed to deal i health type issues a ton of gobbledegook about many different sexuality identities (think all the flags), many different and changing gender identities, and many different "romantic" identities.

Nothing ever came of it all in the end, I'm not sure if it was just standard bureaucratic inertia, or it was all too much to even try and they just decided sex was the only relevant category.

What does gender have to do with sexual though? Unless you are seeing a psychologist or therapist - who feels with feelings and ideas - your doctor needs to know your sex.

Why make it into a flipping guessing game?

It’s almost the same with that man who wanted to look like an alien, I can’t believe surgeons did it, it’s so unscrupulous and goes against every medical ethical code of practice surely?

Cosmetic surgery in general is an ethical minefield in traditional medical ethics. It's very difficult to justify invasive procedures done by a doctor or surgeon that have no medical purpose and carry real medical risks, which they all do.

It doesn't matter really if you want your normal, functioning nose reshaped to look like an alien, or like a Kardashian. it's a risk to your health, even a risk to your functioning nose, for a purely aesthetic outcome.

At a certain point this was all just brushed aside, ostensibly because of arguments that it somehow improved people's mental health. (But, only those with enough cash to pay, for some reason.)

I think we are now reaping the results of that, where doctors are increasingly seen as rather high priced estheticians, there to affirm your every desire.

@KittenKong

What does gender have to do with sexual though? Unless you are seeing a psychologist or therapist - who feels with feelings and ideas - your doctor needs to know your sex.

Why make it into a flipping guessing game?

Because it's all about affirmation of identity, even sexuality. It's not just that you happen to be interested in men or women, you have a straight or a gay or lesbian or more likely queer identity.

The people peddling this stuff think the identity is the really important bit. Good mental health is all about society being inclusive and validating your identities. So you can take your whole self to work, schools are full of various lgbt+ clubs, rainbows are everywhere, all the flags. And this is why you get people saying that others are "debating their existence" if they question anything about the framing of these identities.

It's all totally abstracted from material or concrete outcomes, like good health care, or avoiding discriminatory hiring practices.

This will also confuse men with pregnant partners, given how often "we're pregnant"is used. The doctors will be forced to clarify in a way that is ridiculous and more offensive.

This move puts all the responsibilities on medical staff rather than people lying about their sex and groups encouraging them to do so.