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we did surgery to take out the dildo he had lodged in his
colon." We were able to rush him to the operating room
and do the appendectomy he needed ­ but by concealing
his sexual practices from me, he'd endangered his own
life.
It's stories like this one that inspired me to write
this book. As one of a handful of openly sex- and kink-
positive physicians in the U.S., I hear such sad tales almost
daily ­ in person, by phone and mail, on the Internet,
and at "Ask The Doctor" speaking engagements. Many
people with unusual sexual lifestyles do not dare tell their
physicians about their problems, too often with tragic
consequences.
My concern about such people was a major factor in
my choice to become a doctor in the first place. Today, I
have a private practice in San Francisco focusing on the
medical aspects of sexual problems and the sexual aspects
of medical problems. The care of sexual minorities (by
which I mean anyone who is not traditionally heterosexual)
is a large part of my practice.
When I was in training to be an internist (a specialist
in adult medicine), a very respected and popular physician,
one of my teachers, took me aside for some fatherly
advice. He put his arm around my shoulder and had a
heart-to-heart talk with me. He told me I was a good
doctor and could be very successful, but to forget about
this sex stuff; it would hurt my credibility as a doctor. If I
had taken his advice, I might have been asked to join his
large and prestigious practice. Needless to say, I rejected
it. (I wonder what he'll think when he sees this book!) I
still get this physician's personal patients seeking me out