The Las Vegas Courtesan

So late last year I had posted an article that went over STD’s and ways that they are transmitted and how you can prevent contracting one yourself. During my most recent round of testing and my annual exam with a new doctor, I learned a lot of new information about testing and transmission of HPV and herpes type I and II and wanted to share it with my readers.

First of all I wanted to update on the information about HPV and how important it is for everyone to be screened. There are over a 100 different types of the virus and over 30 of them can be transmitted sexually. Even though the newest Gardasil vaccine has been approved by the FDA and recommended for teenagers through 26 year olds, my doctor still told me I am not too old to receive the vaccine. Yes, it is more effective for people in this age group, but she said they are currently trying to get it recommended for ages up to 40. Apparently the current age group is the easiest for drugs to be approved for and takes longer for them to be approved for the 40 year old category.  The one down side to the Gardasil vaccine is that it only prevents infection from HPV types 6, 11, 16, or 18, and like I said earlier there are far more types than the four listed. These types are just the most common that are currently being targeted. The testing for HPV has become more readily available and more affordable according to my OB/GYN. I was informed that the newer tests are much more accurate at finding abnormal cells located in a smaller area on the cervix while normal paps smears are a broader survey of the health of the cervical cells and can return false negatives. The one downside to the newest HPV tests is they do not recommend testing until the patient is 29 or above. I was confused as to why they would wait so long to give patients these tests, but was explained that people in their mid-20’s or younger often times get HPV’s that their body naturally combats and the doctor ends up “chasing a red herring”, as she said, with over medicating. By the time the patient is in their late 20’s-early 30’s, the tests are more accurate at finding HPV types that have started to damage the cervical cells and the body hasn’t been able to combat.

Now with herpes type I and II, I also found out new information and how testing has changed recently that greatly aids in the identification of these two specific virus types. Previously when I was visiting a clinic for my exam I had asked about herpes testing and was informed that if I had ever had the chicken pox virus or mono as a child then I would automatically test positive for herpes (even though pox is type III and mono is type IV). Testing just wasn’t easily accessible or cost effective to offer until now. Now you can be tested for the specific types of herpes instead of a broad test that was previously offered. It’s around $100 and is offered even at Planned Parenthood (though Clark County currently doesn’t offer it in their series of testing at the Health District.)

Before both tests I was warned about the odds of testing positive for herpes type I or HPV. My doctor explained to make me feel at ease, “Now if I went out on the street and pulled random people and tested them for type I herpes, 1 out of 4 would have it.” She went on to explain, “but either way it’s good to know because honestly, 30% or so of the genital outbreaks that I send off to the lab to be tested have come back as type I but in the genital region, which means it’s oral to genital contact mostly.” “Wow”, I thought. She went on to explain how easily it’s transmittable. “You could have shared a drink with someone when you were a teenager and gotten it”, she said.  Also she warned me with the possibility of testing positive for HPV since there are so many forms and how my pap smears could have been normal all along but still could have had HPV. Also when reading up on these diseases did I start running across in several places how doctors are currently researching the connection between type I herpes and Alzheimer’s disease. Even more scary. I definitely held my breath for both tests after her discussion and the statistics.

Luckily everything, even type I, came back negative. Now I definitely will stay cautious in my sexual practices, even though I get complaints about my short list of rules, since it has paid off for my health.

Have to look a little hard to see what it is….

I see people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences which includes people with and without disabilities. I’ve seen war veterans who have recovered from severe injuries, people who are physically handicapped, and a even smaller number of deaf or blind clients. People oftentimes ask, “Do any of your clients make an impact on you?” Aside from injured war vets, who always amaze me by what they’ve gone through, one person stands out in my mind. I remembered him the other day: a semi-regular client from a few years ago who has been completely blind since birth.

I saw him a number of times over the course of a year when he would want to come out and gamble (slot machines mostly). Nothing sexual ever happened, and I don’t even think I got naked for dances during these visits. I definitely remember him taking care of me, typically for 3-5 hours blocks over several days to accompany him around town. Normally when people pay just for company, I have to think of transportation; where am I going? how should I dress?, etc. For once I didn’t have to consider hopping in a cab and I actually drove him around in my own car. We usually went to dinner and then I took him shopping wherever he wanted to go. The rest of the time was spent in the room talking about his personal issues — living by himself at home and how he deals with things that we oftentimes take for granted in our everyday lives, like grocery shopping or simply getting around. He really just needed someone to talk to and I felt bad because you could really tell how alone he felt when he was home. Sometimes he got overly emotional during our conversations.

While out shopping or eating, I really started to notice how different life is when you can’t see anything, and particularly if you have never been able to see your whole life. Imagine not knowing what “color” is, what “brightness” is… or darkness. Things that we might use as adjectives to describe something to someone else are limited by only things you can hear or feel. He liked going shopping for nice timepieces because of the way the watches ticked and felt in his hands. I tried describing the faceplates or colors of the armbands or shininess, but this was all unimportant and useless information to him. Most people would be enamored by the way a watch looks, but he liked them for completely different reasons that I would have never noticed before. Even counting cash is impossible if you can’t see. You have to trust that the person who is giving you change is really giving you what is right. I know that in a lot of countries currency has different sized bills or braille to differentiate, but he had a system of folding bills in his wallet six different ways for the six different denominations (I never saw him with a $2 bill). He also liked staying only in hotels that had an elevator that said aloud “going up” and announced each floors. At dinner I often read the menu to him to help him order (and eventually knew what items to skip over that he didn’t like).

And then I had to think of creative ways to “show” him around town. What is something good to hear? Or feel to experience in Vegas? Once I took him to the Bellagio fountains to hear them exploding only to be disappointed that it was a windy day. The more explosive shows were replaced with soft, swaying water sounds. He still enjoyed it.

Though I don’t see him anymore and his numbers have all changed, I used to check in with him every so often to see how he was doing. I couldn’t imagine a world where I couldn’t see or hadn’t experienced color or light before. And what he showed me in his world definitely made me more aware of what I experience in mine.