The Cellar
A
40 year old
woman came to my
office with obesity, a history of eating disorder, severe dietary food
sensitivities, irritable bowel syndrome and migraine headaches. This is a fairly common
presentation for
survivors of sexual abuse. Sue
was
estranged from her family
After many
years of therapy, Sue had
been able to recover fragmented childhood memories.
She wasn’t sure they were all real. Some seemed like dreams. Others were much more
clear.
“I
remember that it always happened
in the cellar. Dad
had remodeled it into
what he called the rumpas room.
He and
his friends, they would all take turns and laugh.
I think it went on for many years.
There are parts I can’t quite be sure of, but
there’s one thing I need to know doctor.
I remember a lot of pain and blood one time – I
think I might’ve had a
child or maybe an abortion. Can
you tell
by looking if a woman has had a baby?”
So I did a
pelvic exam on this
apprehensive 40 year old woman who had never had this exam before. As carefully and gently as
I could, I did the
exam and when we were finished I had the answer.
In fact, a baby had passed through her cervix
at some point in her life.