free clinics are not as bad as i thought

like most people,  i used to have the mental picture in my head that free health clinics are filled with crackhead prostitutes and the place is all dirty.  i was so very wrong.  since i do not have health insurance (and haven’t for a year) i did some research on where i could see a womens health doctor that won’t cost me hundreds of dollars for an annual exam.  i was told to call my county health department, and to my amazement, i found out that i could have a free annual exam done.  this morning was my appointment and i have never had such a pleasant experience at a doctors’ office before in my life.  not only was the place clean, the entire staff there was so nice, comforting, and educated, plus i learned so much in the time i was there.  i have never had such a thorough exam before either, they spent an hour talking with me about family history of illnesses, new options in birth control (some really great things available now), help to quit smoking, diet and exercise information, and a whole lot more.  my old gynecologist never spent more than the 5-10 minutes it took to have my pap and out the door she went.  ever since i can remember i’ve always had to see a gynecologist about my ovaries and such, and i was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome at a young age.  those visits were always very intimidating and scary to me, but this place just made things feel okay and i felt like i was chatting with my mom.  hopefully by talking about my experience i’ll be able to help someone find a place they can go.  (most clinics also offer free pregnancy testing, free condoms, and std checks).  i also found out today that i am extremely anemic…had a little issue with it this evening but things seem to be a-ok now!  my hemoglobin level was 8.2, normal is 15…i was told it’s likely to be a side effect from my gastric bypass surgery (which is pretty common).