A surprise in the mail.... my medical records
A while ago I requested my birth records, but we have been away. We still are but our mail is being forwarded so today they showed-up! I saw a thick envelope addressed to me with confidential stamped everywhere and snatched it before anyone else saw.
Opened it up and it seems like they gave me everything I wanted to see for a modest $7 which I guess I have to mail them a check for now. I was surprised about how easy it was to get these records without any proof of identity, social security number, or even phone call. You literally just fill out the information and tell them where you want to send it to. It was almost TOO easy. And like I said the stuff just showed-up with no confirmation of my identity or anything. I'm a minor even!! weird.
So anyway moving forward and paging through the documentation, I noticed a few things right away:
1. I was circumcised the day after I was born, not right after. and I was born in the morning so there was at least 24-hours of a delay.
2. On the "discharge summary " which they give you as you leave the hosptial, obviously, they had to physically write-in that I was circumcised, it wasnt a printed option anymore when I was born I guess.
3. The initial birth summary reported that everything was fine and completely normal, and it was a vaginal birth.
Then I got to the circumcision consent form, I noticed a few more things:
1. This was given to my mom as soon as she showed up at the hospital, two weeks before I was born. Signed by her in her same exact handwriting she has now (sigh ) and authorizing only a specific doctor to do it.
2. Then there is a separate section below that that was filled out the day after I was born with the doctors and technicians signatures.
3. The form actually went over a lot of the stuff I didnt think they mentioned. I have typedi t out more below.
"Consent for circumcision
Circumcision is a procedure in which the foreskin ( fold of skin that covers the end of the penis) is surgically removed. Many parents are interested i nhaving circumcision done for ehtnic, cultural , religiouos, or social reasons; but there is still some medcial controversy about the need for the procedure on a routine basis. Please read and sign this consent form if you wish to have your infant circumcised.
1. I/we would like to have our infant circumcised.
2. I/we have read the information sheet "considerations for non-ritual circumcision" and have discussed the advantages and risks of the surgery with our obstetrician.
3. I/we understand these risks include hemorrhage (bleeding ), infection, adhesion formation, cosmetic deformity, or functional defect. Significant complication occurs about once in every 500 circumcisions.
4. I/we understand that other unexpected risks or complications not mentioned may occur, and I/we acknowledge that no guarantees nor promises have been mad e to me/us concerning the results of this surgery.
5. I authorize doctor ______ to perform a circumcision on our infant ___.
6. I/we authorize and request the authorities of the _____ hospital to dispose of any tissue which may be removed and/or use it for diagnostic, scientific, or teaching purposes.
All questions were answered and the parent( s) consent to the procedure"
So obviously I was a little pissed that my parents were still stupid enough to go through with this after its clearly all laid out there but maybe the doctor was soothing about it and stuff. I mean I definitely had some cosmetic deformities like they say but they are now hidden inside my new fauxskin.
One of those cosmetic deformities has now been answered by the NEXT SHEET of paper...
about 12 hours after my circumcision it started 'oozing " and they had to suture part of it. I was WONDERING ABOUT THAT because I can see where it was and always noticed the scar popping apart at one place for maybe 3/4 of a centimeter with it looking a bit "mended ". according to this they then reviewed the suturing 3 hours later and there was nothing more about that.
So I guess this answered a lot of questions for me but I'm not really sure what to do now because I am still upset and havent found closure on all of this yet. Obviously especially thanks to this I cant sue anybody because it was 100% my dumb parents fault even though they wanted what they THOUGHT was best but then ignored the nurse being like "you really dont need to do this ... " by saying it was a " fad" not to cut and telling the nurse it was " none of her business! " (true story ) . I'm sure they didnt know any better until I told my mom like 4 times I was pissed off and she probably didnt know any better since all of my little cousins are still cut by horrible people not knowing any better and this is a total disaster.
-adam
Opened it up and it seems like they gave me everything I wanted to see for a modest $7 which I guess I have to mail them a check for now. I was surprised about how easy it was to get these records without any proof of identity, social security number, or even phone call. You literally just fill out the information and tell them where you want to send it to. It was almost TOO easy. And like I said the stuff just showed-up with no confirmation of my identity or anything. I'm a minor even!! weird.
So anyway moving forward and paging through the documentation, I noticed a few things right away:
1. I was circumcised the day after I was born, not right after. and I was born in the morning so there was at least 24-hours of a delay.
2. On the "discharge summary " which they give you as you leave the hosptial, obviously, they had to physically write-in that I was circumcised, it wasnt a printed option anymore when I was born I guess.
3. The initial birth summary reported that everything was fine and completely normal, and it was a vaginal birth.
Then I got to the circumcision consent form, I noticed a few more things:
1. This was given to my mom as soon as she showed up at the hospital, two weeks before I was born. Signed by her in her same exact handwriting she has now (sigh ) and authorizing only a specific doctor to do it.
2. Then there is a separate section below that that was filled out the day after I was born with the doctors and technicians signatures.
3. The form actually went over a lot of the stuff I didnt think they mentioned. I have typedi t out more below.
"Consent for circumcision
Circumcision is a procedure in which the foreskin ( fold of skin that covers the end of the penis) is surgically removed. Many parents are interested i nhaving circumcision done for ehtnic, cultural , religiouos, or social reasons; but there is still some medcial controversy about the need for the procedure on a routine basis. Please read and sign this consent form if you wish to have your infant circumcised.
1. I/we would like to have our infant circumcised.
2. I/we have read the information sheet "considerations for non-ritual circumcision" and have discussed the advantages and risks of the surgery with our obstetrician.
3. I/we understand these risks include hemorrhage (bleeding ), infection, adhesion formation, cosmetic deformity, or functional defect. Significant complication occurs about once in every 500 circumcisions.
4. I/we understand that other unexpected risks or complications not mentioned may occur, and I/we acknowledge that no guarantees nor promises have been mad e to me/us concerning the results of this surgery.
5. I authorize doctor ______ to perform a circumcision on our infant ___.
6. I/we authorize and request the authorities of the _____ hospital to dispose of any tissue which may be removed and/or use it for diagnostic, scientific, or teaching purposes.
All questions were answered and the parent( s) consent to the procedure"
So obviously I was a little pissed that my parents were still stupid enough to go through with this after its clearly all laid out there but maybe the doctor was soothing about it and stuff. I mean I definitely had some cosmetic deformities like they say but they are now hidden inside my new fauxskin.
One of those cosmetic deformities has now been answered by the NEXT SHEET of paper...
about 12 hours after my circumcision it started 'oozing " and they had to suture part of it. I was WONDERING ABOUT THAT because I can see where it was and always noticed the scar popping apart at one place for maybe 3/4 of a centimeter with it looking a bit "mended ". according to this they then reviewed the suturing 3 hours later and there was nothing more about that.
So I guess this answered a lot of questions for me but I'm not really sure what to do now because I am still upset and havent found closure on all of this yet. Obviously especially thanks to this I cant sue anybody because it was 100% my dumb parents fault even though they wanted what they THOUGHT was best but then ignored the nurse being like "you really dont need to do this ... " by saying it was a " fad" not to cut and telling the nurse it was " none of her business! " (true story ) . I'm sure they didnt know any better until I told my mom like 4 times I was pissed off and she probably didnt know any better since all of my little cousins are still cut by horrible people not knowing any better and this is a total disaster.
-adam
posted by adam smith at 6:08 PM
8 Comments:
That sucks. The consent form went into a lot more detail than I'd have expected, and they went ahead anyway.
Good luck with the restoration.
You can do something about it now, especially if you're still a minor. At the time you reach 18, you have a year or two to file a lawsuit (depending on the state in which you live) before the statute of limitations runs out. One suit, filed by William Stowell in the state of New York, who was 18 at the time, was won by him. The attorney who handled the case is David Llewellyn, Esq., who has taken many circumcision lawsuits to court and won. He's in Atlanta, GA, but can practice in other states, too. You can contact him at 404-524-5626. As more and more courageous young men, like you, come forward to sue the doctor who circumcised them and the hospital where the assault and battery took place, perhaps doctors will begin to understand the harm they are doing and put their scalpels down.
Best wishes,
Marilyn Fayre Milos, RN
Executive Direction
National Organization of Circumcion Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC)
hey marilyn! Wow I've seen you on TV and am honored you read my blog
I will call David and talk to him about this, maybe there is something here
I'll second that suggestion. You have sometime before you would have to decide but you should look into a lawsuit. It might be the only way for the Drs to figure this out. If you decide to do it (and I hope you do) good luck. :)
Sue!
I didn't know that I could sue the "doctor" that circumcised me without MY consent until long after the statute of limitations had expired. I STRONGLY encourage you to look into filing lawsuits against the doctor and the hospital.
This is your body, your penis, and that was YOUR foreskin. Yet nobody bothered to ask YOU for permission, leaving you whole until you could make up your own mind later as you reached the age of consent.
You can never get your foreskin back, and an unbelievable amount of the most erogenous and specialized tissue you will ever have on your body is gone forever. You can try to mimic your original foreskin through non-surgical restoration.
Marilyn Milos commented you; awesome!
But just don't get discouraged. What you're doing with this blog and the work you're doing to educate people is helping to put an end to this barbaric practice. The day it ends can't come soon enough, but you're definitely helping to bring it about.
And this may seem far fetched, but with the advances being made in genetics technology, it is quite possible that you may be able to get a 'real' restoration in your lifetime. If they're eventually able to regrow severed limbs, surely they can regrow skin.
Take care!
When your parents said its none of the nurses business about your circumcision couldn't have she said the same thing back
I work in a surgical unit and the Doctors I work with refer to this type of proceedure, to the other surgoens being taught it, that it's a "bread and butter" proceedure, the one that pays for there basic needs at home. Hense why the advercate that the this barbaric proceedure be done... Bring back female circumcision in the name of equality for all. Surgoens butchering childrens genitalia so they can have milk in their coffee and butter on their bread.... These attitude is medically negligent.. File a lawsuit then these basted may think twice about performing them for easy money... I refuse to take part in these proceedures...
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