Sarah Silverman calls out doctor who made her feel uncomfortable during mammogram: 'This isn't a date'

Erin Donnelly
·Yahoo Life Senior Editor

Sarah Silverman is speaking out after an upsetting experience with a doctor who she says acted inappropriately.

The comedian posted an up-close shot of her chest wrapped in a medical gown on Wednesday, explaining to her Instagram followers that she’d had a mammogram appointment that had left her shaken.

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I had a shitty time at my mammogram appt today. I have to get an ultrasound after my mammograms because I have dense breasts (insert joke here) and this radiologist — the same man I had last year — I do not like him and here is why: He opened my gown and put gel on my breasts and smeared it around with his bare hands. Then he started talking to me about my chest X-ray (I also got a chest X-Ray) and was pontificating with my boobs just out and covered in gel and cold and finally I said “Hey-can we either talk about this when I’m dressed or WHILE your doing the ultrasound? I’m not comfortable with my breasts out just shooting the shit with you” Okay so — he smears the gel on with his hands and NO GLOVES on and when he glides the ultrasound wand thing over my breasts he drags his fingers on them and it fucking bothers me. Again, AS I TOLD HIM LAST YEAR, I said “Hey! Do you need to be touching me with your fingers?” He said “No”. And he pulled them off of me. Then he added “I do that for balance.” I said “Well I believe in you and I think you can do with without your fingers on me” Look, I truly don’t think he was getting off on it, BUT it is his job to be aware that this is vulnerable for a woman. Wear fucking GLOVES – this isn’t a date. For him to be so arrogant that he didn’t even internalize the problem when I said something to him about it last year is obnoxious and probably a subconscious power thing if we’re getting deep. That was my last mammogram with this dude. Or any dude. Look. I’m a grown woman and I’m fine. But this guy does this with everyone and I know that personally it took many years into adulthood before I spoke up for myself. It’s uncomfortable and too easy to think it’s all in your head. And arrogant fucks like this doctor take advantage of women’s socialized instinct to not speak up. All this to say speak up. Trust that thing in your gut that tells you this shit ain’t right. ♥️

A post shared by Sarah Silverman (@sarahkatesilverman) on Feb 6, 2019 at 3:53pm PST

Silverman shared that the radiologist, whom she’s seen before, didn’t use gloves as he put gel on her exposed breasts for the procedure. He also tried to carry on a conversation while she was undressed, making her feel uncomfortable.

“He opened my gown and put gel on my breasts and smeared it around with his bare hands,” she wrote. “Then he started talking to me about my chest X-ray (I also got a chest X-Ray) and was pontificating with my boobs just out and covered in gel and cold and finally I said, “Hey, can we either talk about this when I’m dressed or WHILE your [sic] doing the ultrasound? I’m not comfortable with my breasts out just shooting the s**t with you.”

She added that he “dragged” his fingers across her chest while using the ultrasound instrument, prompting her to call him out.

“I believe in you and I think you can do [this] without your fingers on me,” she told him when he explained that he was using his fingers for “balance.”

This isn’t the first time she’s struggled with this particular doctor’s behavior — but it is the last, she wrote.

“Look, I truly don’t think he was getting off on it, BUT it is his job to be aware that this is vulnerable for a woman,” she shared. “Wear f***ing GLOVES — this isn’t a date. For him to be so arrogant that he didn’t even internalize the problem when I said something to him about it last year is obnoxious and probably a subconscious power thing if we’re getting deep. That was my last mammogram with this dude. Or any dude.

“Look. I’m a grown woman and I’m fine,” she continued. “But this guy does this with everyone and I know that personally it took many years into adulthood before I spoke up for myself. It’s uncomfortable and too easy to think it’s all in your head. And arrogant f***s like this doctor take advantage of women’s socialized instinct to not speak up.

“All this to say speak up. Trust that thing in your gut that tells you this s**t ain’t right.

Sarah Silverman posted about her upsetting mammogram experience. (Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Sarah Silverman posted about her upsetting mammogram experience. (Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Several followers responded by urging her to report the doctor in question, while others opened up about their own uncomfortable medical visits.

“THIS is why I ALWAYS ask for a female and will walk out if there isn’t one available,” read one comment. “Sorry not sorry guys.”

“I think as woman we’re always second-guessing what’s OK/acceptable, especially with healthcare ‘professionals,'” added another commenter.

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