Afew weeks ago I went to see the doctor for a cold sinus infection like thing. And when I went the nurse told me to take off everything but my panties for when the dotor came in. (Im a 19 year old women by the way)The doctor was a middleaged women and she was polite and went through the usual stuff checking my heart lungs throat ears and everything and I endured it despite being very uncomfortable. She said I just had a simple cold and it would pass in afew days and told me I could get dressed and go home. My basic question here is doesnt this seem abit strange to all of you, I mean Ive heard of guys stripping to there underwear on certain occasions but never women. I thought you were supposed to get a gown to cover up with if you had to do this but I wasnt given one. I dont plan to investigate this and I really dont even think much of it, but still it does sem abit strange to me so umm what do you people think??????

-- Laura (benhar@aol.com), September 26, 2001

Answers

Yes, it sounds unusual. Since you're a bit (LOL)younger than I, I'll give you advice for the next time you go to a doctor. You don't have to do anything that you are uncomfortable doing. You're paying them for a service. If no gown is offered, ask for one. If they refuse...and I doubt they will, tell them you are keeping your clothes on. It could have been worse...the doctor could have been a real stud muffin! God bless!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), September 26, 2001.

Sounds a little strange to not be offered a gown to wear. Next time ask for one. Also, like the above post stated they can't make you do anything you feel uncomfortable with.

Anita

-- anita (anitaholton@mindspring.com), September 26, 2001.

Definitely ask for a gown! Male or female doctor, you should not have to remain "stripped"!!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), September 26, 2001.

are you kidding?? I take my clothes of EVERY chance I get.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 26, 2001.

Calm down, Stan!!! LOL!!!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), September 26, 2001.

Was this a "physical exam" type thing? I had a doctor once who insisted on giving me a physical on every visit, regardless of what the problem was. Perhaps he got paid more that way,,, really don't know. I found a new doctor. I can understand them asking you to remove your shirt so they can check your heart and lungs,,, but why anything else for a sinus infection is beyond me. In my experience, many doctors seem "a bit strange". I guess the key is to find one who is "normal".

-- Dawg (Dawg@not.com), September 26, 2001.

Very Strange. I feel pity for you. Seems everytime I go in the doctors room the nurse will do her thing and then it will be 30-40 minutes before the doctor comes into the room. And its always cold in there too. I can't imagine setting in that cold room for a long period of time in just your panties! Plus, wondering why you have to do such a thing as that. Makes you wonder about the doctor!

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 27, 2001.

I don't see where this has anything to do with countryside living and sharing,or encouragement ***Don't approve of such a question on CS Forum,,this young lady has relatives or close friends to talk to about her experience,,my opinion,,,

-- Patsy, MT (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), September 27, 2001.

Not every young woman has close friends or family she can talk to. This is not an inappropriate question. This is a young woman asking for advice.

My doctor never asks me to remove an article of clothing unless it is absolutely necessary, and then we discuss it beforehand, and he explains why. Now then, I want to believe that this is for my comfort and piece of mind, but he could just be using that extra time to work up the courage to look at this tired, old saggy body of mine! :-)

But to get back to the question, no I don't think it's appropriate to be left in an examining room wearing just your panties, without a gown or at least a sheet to cover yourself. I'm not certain if there was anything "wrong" going on, but it was inconsiderate at least.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), September 27, 2001.

Laura, I work in the medical profession and have for many years. What happened to you is very unusual, if not illegal. I would not go back to this doctor. You have the right to refuse anything that is uncomfortable or unreasonable. If this happens again, insist on a gown,and ask questions, like why strip for a cold and where is the gown?

-- Karen in Kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), September 27, 2001.

could have just been a simple mistake from the nurse.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 27, 2001.

Whether this post is real, or not, I have a doctor like this (strip to panties WITH gown). Regardless of the physical ailment, he checks *almost* everything, including your emotional/physcological self. He also requests that you wear no nail polish or makeup, as he is better able to assess skin color, circulation, etc. He's a fantastic doctor. His nurse is also always present at all exams, and she's his wife. : ) He's an OB/GYN, but wishes to handle ALL of his patients' ailments, and boy I don't know what I'll do when he retires soon!

-- Rheba (rhebabeall@hotmail.com), September 27, 2001.

Well, they should have at least offered a gown but it may have been a simple oversight on the part of the nurse or aid who took her vital signs and started her paperwork. You can always ask for one if you're uncomfortable and should if they don't offer.

Many doctors like to see "the whole patient" because it's fairly common that they'll spot other problems that might otherwise be missed if all they did was look in your mouth, nose and ears for a "simple cold." Docs sometimes will get sued for malpractice when it turns out the patient went in for a cold and they didn't spot the fact that the patient was progressing into advanced cancer, or was the victim of domestic abuse, had some communicable disease (other than the cold).

My doc is a teaching physician at our college of medicine and we're both adult enough that I'm completely unconcerned when she sees me naked (one of the perils of approaching forty I'm afraid) but when she has a resident who looks like one of my adolescent daydreams of years gone by with her I'm afraid I can't help but turn red in the face!

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), September 27, 2001.

My Doc is always quick to tell me when to put my clothes back on..

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), September 27, 2001.

I would second the notion that although you should have had a gown, if you're sick, the doctor does need to look at all of you to make sure you don't have spots, skin discoloration, and other weirdness, just to be on the safe side. No gown was probably just a fumble.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 27, 2001.

Heck, if I were a stripper, people would pay me to put my clothes on!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), September 27, 2001.

I would say that you should never allow yourself to be put in a position where you feel uncomfortable. The doctor is working for you after all. Please don't be a victim! Most adults know if there are strange spots on their bodies for goodness sakes. You will know better than anyone what is normal for you. I have had 4 children with more clothes on than this poor girl had on for a sinus infection. I wouldn't go to a doctor who asked you to remove all of your clothes before they have even seen you. Some people still have a sense of modesty. Hard to imagine in this world today but true none-the-less. If after a consultation the doctor feels the need to see certain parts of your body, by all means dis-robe to the point that it is necessary. I know of women who have neglected even the most basic health care because they have to take off all of their clothes. But it seems to be more common now, not to have to take off everything for an office visit.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), September 27, 2001.

I had a friend years ago. BEAUTIFUL woman. Absolutely stunning. Asked me in confidence if I had to undergo a rectal exam everytime I went to the doctor for anything. I was horrified. I asked her about family problems or cancer. Told me none. I told her to seek another doctor immediately. Sometimes when we don't ask questions we think experiences are normal. Some doctors, like any other folk, are NOT normal. If you are uncomfortable, ask the relevance of being naked. At 19 I am not sure I would have had the guts to question an authority such as a doctor. Good Luck and tell him HE owes YOU money... :)

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), September 27, 2001.

Since I am also in the medical profession you certainly should have had one of the fashionable paper gowns to put on. I probably wouldn't have felt strange but for just a cold I would have reminded the nurse that this wan't a complete physical. She could have been mistaken why you were there to see the doctor. But true....sometimes you might just think it is a cold but it could be something totally different. Listening to your lungs and heart are easier without clothing on. I thought one time I had hurt my back. The doctor had me do the usual things for it. Then on one appointment, after several weeks, I went for my visit and found that my own doctor wasn't there and I had another. Well....she discovered that it was a bone spur in my heel and it was causing my "body alignment" to be out of wack causing my aching back !! So....I figure if they want to look, look. !! But please ask for a gown and ask why and a lot of questions. Doctors want you to ask about your treatments and the reasons for them. They are there to help you understand and to teach you as well about your body. I would stay with a women doctor or physians assistant if you are more comfortable with them. Just tell them politely what you want...after all you are the boss !! And I don't think this was the wrong type of question to ask. Women have to be able to discuss with others and perhaps it is less embarasssing to "talk" here than with friends. Afterall, we are all "family".

-- Helena (windyacs@ptdprolog.net), September 28, 2001.

First off I have to say I think this Thread is fake. But my first instinct if it is real is who would raise their child to be like this.. Some one posted that "At 19 I am not sure I would have had the guts to question an authority such as a doctor." I would certainly hope that knowone is raising their child of either sex to not question authority, to not stand up and say "I am uncomfortable with this and will not do this". Laura if this thread is true I would love to invite you out to visit, to meet my 19 and 23 year old daughters. My email is real, please write. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 28, 2001.

What Vicki said!

I just now presented this scenario individually to my two daughters, 14 and almost 18, and asked them what they would do. Both stated emphatically there is no way they would have disrobed with no gown in sight in the first place. They both would have demanded a gown before proceeding.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), September 28, 2001.

It's easy to say what you would do when it's not actually happening. But get caught off guard and things could be different. I'm a guy. About a decade ago when the new CDL license came out, the place I worked for required us to get physicals and drug testing. I went with about 10 other co-workers. I was 24 years old. When it came time for my physical, the woman LPN asked me to "drop my drawers". Having been through physicals before I didn't think too much about it although none previously had asked me to be fully nude for that particular part of a physcial for guys. She proceeded to do way more than what would be done in a physical and it went on for a few minutes, her 'inspection' of my private parts. All that was going on in my head was controlling myself so I would not end up being embarrassed. I was fairly uncomfortable and confused but went along with it anyway I guess because I didn't know how to respond. It really didn't hit me until later that something very very weird had just happened. I asked a few of my co-workers and they all said it didn't happen to them.

-- anonymous (tooshy@tosay.com), September 28, 2001.

You didn't say if were offered a gown to wear; I'm assuming you were. No, it's not at all unusual to strip down to the undergarments for an MD, so long as you are wearing a gown. Some doctors also have the nurse attend the physical exam for liability reasons (particularly a male doctor examing a female patient). The most likely reason the doctor had you take your clothes off is so she could check all organ systems, including the skin (she may have been looking for a rash). It's easier to palpate the liver and spleen, and to listen to heart and lung sounds when clothing is off. I think this doctor sounds like a thorough diagnostician. And, like others said--if you feel uncomfortable, then speak up. Next time, ask the doctor why you need to be nude for the exam and listen to her explanation.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), September 28, 2001.

To anonymous: "Yeah right"

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 29, 2001.

r.h., don't call me a liar. What I said is entirely true. During that experience that lasted a good 2 or 3 minutes she was discussing medical related things like testicular cancer, how to look for tumorous lumps, particulars of those parts of anatomy and things like that but later on I realized that even so, she definitely crossed the line and I'm certain something weird was going on. It didn't hit til later and I don't know exactly what her intentions or motivation was but it was definitely nothing to do with a physical exam.

-- anonymous (toshy@tosay.com), September 29, 2001.

Anonymous Dear, she probably never saw anything THAT small before on a man!

-- Cherie/ NH (dearme@sosmall.com), September 29, 2001.

Anon, don't let them bug you. I believe you. I've been asked to do some pretty strange things over the years and sometimes you don't think about questioning it until later. It was instilled into a lot of people to not question "authority."

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), September 29, 2001.

thanks Gailann. That's basically why it didn't seem strange at first. I was in a big hospital where they ran a business services office for employers physicals and drug testing. You just don't expect weird things to happen in a place like that. She didn't say anything out of line either but I didn't go there for that kind of checkup and even so I really doubt it would be like it was. Later on I thought wait a minute... that stuff was no part of any routine physical. It didn't traumatize me or anything but it sure made me wonder what it was all about and if the LPN put others through that.

Cherie, I can assure you it definitely wasn't that.

-- anonymous (tooshy@tosay.com), September 30, 2001.

Okay . . . . have two answers for ya'll. First . . . . approximately 5 years ago I had an earache which I assumed was an ear infection. I called for doctors appointments all around the area (being new to the area having just moved there) for someone to see me FOR MY EARACHE. I was told that I would have to have a complete physical . . . . that meant strip naked with a breast exam, pap smear and the works!!!! I got very irate. . . . told them my chest nor what was between my legs had anything to do with my ears!!! I kept calling around and finally found one doctor (out of 10 or more calls) who would do simply the ear exam. Turned out I DID have an ear infection beginning as well as impacted wax in the ear for which I needed irrigation. No problem . . . have had it before and will most likely have it again.

My second answer is this . . . . at the age of 21 I became VERY VERY sick. Threw up constantly, aches and pains, bellyaches, my eyes even changed color (AND YES THEY TRULY DID!!!). Turns out I had a non- functioning gall-bladder AND an ulcer AND a heart-murmur (which had never before been diagnosed).

But . . . before this was discovered I lost 40 plus pounds . . . spent all my time in the bathroom throwing up and in pain and was miserable. I saw doctor after doctor after doctor (a total of maybe 7 or 8 doctors in the area) and none could come up with a diagnosis until my very last doctor. However, during that journey from dr to dr I ran across one whose nurse insisted I strip to the waist for the exam. Knowing my complaints were undiagnosed I assumed this was for a better exam of my stomach area. Actually, this doctor did an exam of my throat, neck area, breasts and stomach and kept coming back to and paying particular attention to my breasts!!!!! He made comments to himself (and me) about them as well as a mole underneath one of them.

I was miserable, deathly ill and young and it did not hit me exactly what had taken place until I left the office and really gave it some thought. I was embarrassed, angry and even abit ashamed that I had allowed it to happen. I never again trusted any doctor without question and to this day will refuse any treatment or test if I do not feel it is necessary.

(This has caused problems with nurses in doctors offices when I refuse to take a blood test when going in for a pap smear!!! To me it is unneccessary and just jacks up the cost that comes out of my pocket for something I don't need. I have had many a nurse get irate and downright rude with me when the doctor says he will see me anyway after my refusal.)

-- unknown (unknown@unknown.com), December 27, 2001.