I do know that doctors are all just normal humans (met a small few who didn't seem to think so themselves) but even so every one I have met in the past 10+ years has been that way, and it's been a lot of doctors, nurses and even receptionists who give that shock response over no one doing anything before when I was a child. And it gets my feathers in a bit of a rough when they give my mother accusing stares for neglecting my care in early childhood.

And I do know that I don't look my age, my own DH has been mistaken for my father on more than one occasion. I still get carded at 37 and flattering or insultingly even after a clerk has my ID they check it to make sure it isn't a fake and still ask me to recite my DOB. I've been out with my GB and get comments about how wonderful it is to see such a great young mother, and once one lady even asked the GB if she was having a fun day with her sister! (Really sister was the first thing she thought of I'm 37 the GB is just 3) .

So I can't entirely fault them for looking at me and initially thinking I'm a little kid, but at the same time they have my chart, my DOB is written at the top of every page, and they act like the 79 must be a typo and I was born in '99 or something I dunno. But even after clearing up the age thing as thus far has had to be cleared up before we get into much else, the accusing stares begin as i go through my medical history for them. It's just sooo frustrating. After a few visits we move past it all and they seem to no longer be focused on how young I look but reconciled to the fact that I am much older than I appear and we get on fine, but I always dread those first few visits and defending my parents and pediatrician and my first general practitioner who thought it could be long before my diagnosis but as there was no treatment at the time, why bother doing all the tests to confirm something he could do nothing about?

Granted it was long after that that treatments started coming out, but I'd lost my job and insurance and my DH made too much for me to get any kind of Medicare and disability was out because of insufficient work credits by the time it was determined I should and really could apply for it. Day late and dollar short has been my life's story it seems.

Oh well things will be as they will be, and hopefully in another 13 years, like my grandmother and mother, I might finally look like an "adult". And going to a doctor for the first time will become a little easier.