Consent

[ailbhe]

I don't know what to think about consent any more. I have, in the past 15 months, consented to a whole bunch of htings I didn't want to consent to. I've given written consent for violent violations of my body, over and over again, by total strangers. At least once I gave the consent while incapable of remembering my own date of birth or reading a simple sentence.

I gave all these consents in the belief that I would end up a healthier, happier person because of them.

And I suppose I have, in a way, ish. I mean, I could be dead. I am definitely healthier than I was before the operation in December. But as I sit here, aching from the exam I had on Monday, with a nice lump where the canula was and a throb where, um, yes, well...

How is this really consent? Where's my choice? Why is it called consent when it's actually just forced compliance with the universe's evil plans? Whose body is this anyway and who gets to decide what happens to it?

I had more power over my own body when I was 16. I was given total power and ownership over my body, in every way that was meaningful to me, when I was 16 years and 47 days old. And I hung onto that. Now I've had to hand that power over to people I don't know and don't trust.

There's something wrong with all of this.

Comments

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

I can relate to this. Maybe not in the specifics, but in a more general way...

I've been thinking about the issue of consent and how it's become a major issue in relationships -- both intimate and not so intimate. Then I've thought about consent on a broader scale, and realise there is a LOT we have never consented to -- it's just part of the process of being alive and being present.

If I consented to being born, I don't remember it. If I consented to having bad menstrual cramps, I don't know when that happened. Damn. And then there's that tacky billboard on 101 N I have to see every time I commute... hey! what's up? I didn't want to see that ugly thing every time I drive home?

And so it goes.

The medicos do what they do based on their knowledge and training, and while they might ask for your consent -- do you know what you are consenting to? How informed are we about the procedures they want to perform and the potential risks of doing them? Not doing them?

I went through several changes of meds over a year ago to deal with depression and they made matters WORSE, not better. It turned out when I decided to stop taking them entirely and make changes in my life that my depression began to lift. So much for shelling out hundreds of dollars on meds that were supposed to remove anxiety and depression but only made me feel sicker and more anxious. Fuck that noise.

I didn't feel like I was in control of that process either. The doctor kept insisting she knew better than I did and pinned my experience of side effects down to anxiety and hypochondria. Funny how I began having side effects that couldn't be due to hypochondria like inability to regulate internal body temperature... hugging a bag of ice in LA in order to avoid overheating was not my idea of a good time. That stopped, too, when the drugs stopped.

They don't always know what is better for you. They are usually taking their best educated guess, based on experience and education. But it is about that and not always so much about *you*, the individual. They're asking you to trust their best educated guess -- and consent to that.

How is this really consent? Where's your choice? Whose body is it anyway and who gets to decide what happens to it?

Ultimately, you decide whether you want a procedure or not. And be proactive, even if you don't possess the education and knowledge they do. Ask them questions like, "If I don't get this procedure done NOW, can I get it done later?". Get second and third opinions. Research the procedure or medication or problems you experience -- online, with friends in the health profession, and through organisations for people dealing with the same/similar issues. Don't automatically believe everything your health care provider tells you, and buy yourself some time.

If you don't know your health providers and don't trust them, why see them? What would it take, in concrete terms for you to trust them? Would you be better off seeing someone else, perhaps someone who has already logged a lot of experience dealing with the issues that concern you -- and comes with a hefty load of positive referrals?

Yes, there is something wrong with all of this: The healthcare system is fallible, people are fallible, and society's social mores are sadly, often reflected in healthcare. Studies are done on more male participants than females. Women's medical concerns are lower on the ladder than men's. There is a vast amount of ignorance about women's bodies and reproductive systems, and they are way more complex systems in women than in men. How can they not be when they have to carry life for 9 months?

[megpie71.livejournal.com]

The word "consent" in medical terms is used in the context of "informed consent". This means "permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences". Or in other words, they've explained what they're going to be doing, and told you what could go wrong with it, along with the likelihood that this would happen. The option to say "no" is always there - even though it may not seem that way to you. Ask your doctors about non-surgical options.

Of course, the other side of this is that informed consent is predicated on the principles that the person giving the consent is sane, rational, and capable of understanding the information they are being given. So if you don't understand things, say so - it may cost you a bit of dignity, but it gives you back a bit more control.

Consent

[ailbhe]

The first consent problem was during labour, when I was told I had to sign a consent form. I told them I couldn't read it - they said I had to sign it anyway. Rob read it aloud to me. I couldn't understand it - they said I had to sign it anyway. They weren't able to explain why. I did say - I remember this bit, it seemed funny - that I wasn't capable of consenting to a haircut in my current mental state, so how could I possibly consent to surgery?

I asked if Rob could sign it. Nope - I was conscious, so it had to be me.

So eventually I got Rob to read it to himself, think about it, work out what it meant, and tell me it was safe to sign.

There were also 37 vaginal exams, about 20 of which were actually 10 exams, it's just that each one was repeated by a student midwife. No-one made it clear to me that I could refuse any of them. No-one asked at any point. That was a bit strange. It's given me an irrational aversion to student medical staff, which is... awkward.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

Your navel gazing is WHY I am writing a PhD on ethics and consent and how legislation has changed how we look at consent. Also how it has changed how we design, impliment and run surveillance programs. Its given me the push along I need to go yell at people about my lack of confirmation of enrolment.