DOCTOR DOCTOR

So a Men's Issues forum I visit with some regularity has a section on embarrassing doctor's visits. I had an interesting appointment this last week that I recounted and got a few online-style chuckles from the other members. I thought I'd share the story here too.

It wasn't really embarrassing - I have a very high threshold for that these days, as my regular readers will acknowledge - but I had a consult with a urologist this last week over whether or not some kidney stones needed to be removed via ureteroscopy. I don't have any pain from them, but my regular urologist wanted me to have a second opinion from a specialist.

So I traipsed down to see the new guy and was promptly led into the exam room (very fast, which was nice). After an extended wait one of the secondary doctors came in, apologized for the delay and said the specialist had been called to a different room with an urgent situation. This guy was going to check my vitals and go through the history, etc.

All is normal until he asked me to stand and drop my pants. Since this was a kidney consult I thought it was a little weird. Nothing at all about his demeanor suggested anything beyond a clinical examination, so I complied, dropping my pants and underwear for an examination. In particular he said he'd seen the notes about my varicocele and wanted to know if that was causing me any pain, explaining the examination. He had me then sit and lay back on the exam table, still naked from the waist down, and continued his exam. Finally satisfied he told me to sit up, and conducted the rest of the prelims - further questions, more vitals - with me still pantsless. Finally he gets up, tells me to put my pants back on and leaves.

I wait another five or so minutes and the specialist comes in with the first doctor. He gives me the good news that he had examined the X-Rays and CT scan and decided the stones were in a "safe" zone and we didn't need to do anything more than check on them periodically to make sure they didn't move. He was a little annoyed with my regular urologist for putting me through three lithotripsy sessions before sending me down.

Then he, too, asked about the varicocele and told me to stand up and drop my pants. So now I'm standing in front of both men as they ask questions and talk about options, and again they leave me hanging, so to speak, for the rest of the appointment. The specialist got up, told me I could get dressed and thanked me for coming in and apologized for the long wait.

This is the sixth or seventh time I've had multiple people in the room while my groin was on display, not including surgical procedures and the lithotripsy treatments.

(The other times, a few I've discussed here before, were when I had a rash on my right thigh and testicle that was examined by two doctors; twice during testicular ultrasounds; an ER visit when I developed complications from a hernia operation; and a couple of annual physicals when a doctor had a nurse or student present. So my concern about nudity around the medical field is zilch.)

Again, don't really have a problem with it and not embarrassed, just thought it was different.

It wasn't really embarrassing - I have a very high threshold for that these days - but I had a consult with a urologist this last week over whether or not some kidney stones needed to be removed via ureteroscopy. I don't have any pain from them, but my regular urologist wanted me to have a second opinion from a specialist.

So I traipsed down to see the new guy and was promptly led into the exam room (very fast, which was nice). After anm extended wait one of the secondary doctors came in, apologized for the delay and said the specialist had been called to a different room with an urgent situation. This guy was going to check my vitals and go through the history, etc.

All is normal until he asked me to stand and drop my pants. Since this was a kidney consult I thought it was a little weird. Nothing at all about his demeanor suggested anything beyond a clinical examination, so I complied, dropping my pants and underwear for an examination. In particular he said he'd seen the notes about my varicocele and wanted to know if that was causing me any pain, explaining the examination. He had me then sit and lay back on the exam table, still naked from the waist down, and continued his exam. Finally satisfied he told me to sit up, and conducted the rest of the prelims - further questions, more vitals - with me still pantsless. Finally he gets up, tells me to put my pants back on and leaves.

I wait another five or so minutes and the specialist comes in with the first doctor. He gives me the good news that he had examined the X-Rays and CT scan and decided the stones were in a "safe" zone and we didn't need to do anything more than check on them periodically to make sure they didn't move. He was a little annoyed with my regular urologist for putting me through three lithotripsy sessions before sending me down.

Then he, too, asked about the varicocele and told me to stand up and drop my pants. So now I'm standing in front of both men as they ask questions and talk about options, and again they leave me hanging, so to speak, for the rest of the appointment. The specialist got up, told me I could get dressed and thanked me for coming in and apologized for the long wait.

This is the sixth or seventh time I've had multiple people in the room while my groin was on display, not including surgical procedures and the lithotripsy treatments.. I'm not exceptionally huge (I'm a supporter, not a "member").

(The other times were when I had a rash on my right thigh and testicle that was examined by two doctors; twice during testicular ultrasounds; an ER visit when I developed complications from a hernia operation; and a couple of annual physicals when a doctor had a nurse or student present.)

Again, don't really have a problem with it and not embarrassed, just thought it was different.

It wasn't really embarrassing - I have a very high threshold for that these days - but I had a consult with a urologist this last week over whether or not some kidney stones needed to be removed via ureteroscopy. I don't have any pain from them, but my regular urologist wanted me to have a second opinion from a specialist.

So I traipsed down to see the new guy and was promptly led into the exam room (very fast, which was nice). After anm extended wait one of the secondary doctors came in, apologized for the delay and said the specialist had been called to a different room with an urgent situation. This guy was going to check my vitals and go through the history, etc.

All is normal until he asked me to stand and drop my pants. Since this was a kidney consult I thought it was a little weird. Nothing at all about his demeanor suggested anything beyond a clinical examination, so I complied, dropping my pants and underwear for an examination. In particular he said he'd seen the notes about my varicocele and wanted to know if that was causing me any pain, explaining the examination. He had me then sit and lay back on the exam table, still naked from the waist down, and continued his exam. Finally satisfied he told me to sit up, and conducted the rest of the prelims - further questions, more vitals - with me still pantsless. Finally he gets up, tells me to put my pants back on and leaves.

I wait another five or so minutes and the specialist comes in with the first doctor. He gives me the good news that he had examined the X-Rays and CT scan and decided the stones were in a "safe" zone and we didn't need to do anything more than check on them periodically to make sure they didn't move. He was a little annoyed with my regular urologist for putting me through three lithotripsy sessions before sending me down.

Then he, too, asked about the varicocele and told me to stand up and drop my pants. So now I'm standing in front of both men as they ask questions and talk about options, and again they leave me hanging, so to speak, for the rest of the appointment. The specialist got up, told me I could get dressed and thanked me for coming in and apologized for the long wait.

This is the sixth or seventh time I've had multiple people in the room while my groin was on display, not including surgical procedures and the lithotripsy treatments.. I'm not exceptionally huge (I'm a supporter, not a "member").

(The other times were when I had a rash on my right thigh and testicle that was examined by two doctors; twice during testicular ultrasounds; an ER visit when I developed complications from a hernia operation; and a couple of annual physicals when a doctor had a nurse or student present.)

Again, don't really have a problem with it and not embarrassed, just thought it was different.