Back in 1950 ...

Mary was 18 and excited to soon be off to college and the wider world, when she came across the medical form in college welcome package. The college required that she provide proof of vaccinations and a full physical exam before scheduling classes. She glanced down the required items on the exam form and winced. This was even more through than her normal exams at Dr. Burnes. She would like to find a grown up doctor, a female doctor preferably, but none of the adult doctors in town would take you until you were 21 and even if they did, she didn't have much time to get this done. "Sigh. I guess it is one last trip to doc bend over.", she chuckled as she went to find her mom to help get an appointment.

Fortunately Dr. Burnes was able to squeeze her in that week so at the end of the day on Friday, she found herself in the waiting room of Valley Care. She had already seen one of her old classmates coming back from the exam rooms rubbing his butt and sniffing. She felt a tinge of sympathy, but at least she would not be getting any painful antibiotic shots today.

"Mary Benson." The assistant called out. Mary followed her back to the exam room giving her the exam form that she needed checked off and signed. "OK Mary, you are here for a full physical, so you need to take everything off, panties too. There is a sheet on the exam table that you can use to cover your lap. The nurse will be back in a few minutes to get your vitals and take some blood." Mary gulped and thought, well at least that won't be a shot in the butt.

Mary quickly removed her shoes and socks and then pulled her dress and slip over her her head, placing them carefully across the back of the chair. She had to take a brief pause and a deep breath before removing her bra and panties. She then quickly moved to sit on the exam table covering her lap with the small sheet.

The nurse knocked on the door and quickly entered carrying a small covered basin. "Good afternoon Mary. I see you are here for your pre college exam. How exciting. Let's get you ready for the doctor. Go a head and put your arms down so I can get your pulse and blood pressure."

Mary sighed inwardly and put her arms down revealing her small breasts. The nurse grabbed one wrist and quickly counted Mary's pulse and then took her blood pressure. "Very good Mary. Please step over to the scale so we can get your height and weight.

Slightly embarrassed, Mary put the sheet aside and walked naked over to the scale. She had always hated this part of her physicals. At least at sick visits, she still had her under clothes on at this point and did not feel so vulnerable. The nurse noted her weight on her chart and then said, "Please turn around. Stand tall, arms at your side." Mary's turned slightly red as she stood there naked being measured. "OK. Back up on the table so I can draw a little blood. Mary wasn't sure if she was more relieved to get some cover back or scared of the needle.

The nurse tied a rubber tourniquet around Mary's right arm and wiped the inside of her elbow with alcohol. "Little pinch." Mary winced slightly as the needle entered her arm. (No screaming like when she was little.) The nurse quickly filled two tubes with blood and then had Mary hold a little cotton ball against the wound to stop the bleeding.

As the nurse was labeling the tubes, Mary though, "Hey she didn't take my temperature. Maybe I will be spared the rectal thermometer this time." But then the nurse said,"OK Mary, I just need to get your temperature and you'll be ready for the doctor. You know the drill; lie down and roll over."

This was the other reason the kids called Dr. Burnes, doc bend over. He had a firm rectal temperatures only policy. She doesn't think that there were even any oral thermometers in the building. She never saw one at least. The older she got the more embarrassing it got. Still, at least this would be the last time. She rolled over and awaited the dreaded deed.

Nurse Amy was new to the practice, fresh out of nursing school. When she had first started a few months ago, she had been surprised about the doctor's rectal only policy. The hospital she worked at as a student nurse had a similar policy for the peds ward and even on the adult wards, rectal temperatures were not uncommon. However the offices that she had shadowed at during nursing school mostly switched to oral at 12, although the nurses would often fall back to rectal if needed due to congestion, coughing, or the parents not using oral. Still, after the first couple of weeks she got used to the policy and had even come to feel that it was better to be consistent. Because they were used to it, the older kids grumbled less than the ones in the other offices who were suddenly "demoted to the baby thermometer".

She took the rectal thermometer with it's pair shaped bulb out of the holder, rinsed it off, shook it down and checked the reading. She then scooped a good bit of petroleum jelly from the jar with a tongue depressor and coated the bottom two inches generously and walked over to Mary holding the thermometer like a torch. Removing the sheet, she used her finger and thumb to spread Mary's cheeks apart and placed the thermometer against her anus, pausing briefly to let her anus relax. She then slowly inserted the first couple of inches of the thermometer, released Mary's cheeks, and put her hand across her bottom to hold the thermometer in place.

As she had many times before, Mary felt the nurse spread her buttocks and insert the thermometer into her rectum. Then the nurse placed her hand across Mary's bottom holding the thermometer and pressing down slightly. This was the part of the rectal temperature that Mary hated the most. She really didn't mind the rectal thermometer that much. Heck, her Mom still took her temperature that way if she was stuffed up to bad or her teeth where chattering. But, this always made her feel a little like a little child who couldn't be trusted to lay still.

After five minutes, the nurse parted her buttocks again and Mary could feel the weird sensation of the thermometer being pulled slowly out. The nurse did a quick wipe with a tissue to pick up any spare lubricant and told her that she could sit up. As Mary quickly covered her lap, the nurse said, "Your temperature is normal. The doctor will be in shortly."

A few minutes later, Dr. Burnes knocked and entered. "Mary, it is good to see you. I guess with you going away to college, this might be your last visit." Mary replied, " I guess so." Dr. Burnes said, "Well if your are ever sick on your stays back at home, you are welcome to see me until your turn 21. Now let's get started. This form has a long list."

Mary relaxed as Dr. Burnes fell into his normal exam routine. He started with the easy stuff, looking into her ears, eyes, nose, and throat. He then got out his stethoscope and listen to her heart, moving to different places on her chest. Moving to her back he told her to "Breath in and breath out. Excellent. Your heart and lungs are fine. Can you lie down on your back please?"

Mary lied down and Dr. Burnes pulled the little sheet down so that just the top of her pubic hair showed. He took his stethoscope out and listened all over her abdomen. Then he methodically felt her abdomen twice, pushing lightly the first time and then repeating more firmly.

"OK, I am going to check your lymph nodes next." Mary sighed inwardly. She had hoped he would skip this part it was the part that she always found most embarrassing. First, he felt her neck, which wasn't too bad, but then he told her to put her hands on her head as he felt her armpits and along the sides of her breasts. Finally, he pulled the little sheet off totally and said, "OK, just spread you legs a little." Then he felt up one side of her groin and then the other. "I know this can be a little embarrassing, but it has to be done. Can you sit up now?"

She sat up, now completely naked and he tested her reflexes and checked for sensation on both sides of her body. Finally, he asked her to stand up, face away from him and bend over. He traced her spine from her neck to her butt and then watched as she walked away from him and then back towards him.

"Very good. No signs of scoliosis." She relaxed as this was normally the end of the exam and she would soon be dressed again.

"I know that this is normally the end of the exam, but the form requires that I do a few more 'adult' exams. I will have to do a breast, a genital, and a rectal exam. I am going to bring the nurse back in the room for these exams. Is that OK?"

Mary gulped. "OK, I guess." She really did not want to be naked in front of another person, but having a woman here might make her feel more comfortable.

The doctor stepped out and quickly returned with the nurse. She gave Mary a quick smile. "These are the types of exams we all have to go through. Just relax and you'll do fine."

The doctor said, "Let's start with the breast exam. Just sit up and put your hands behind your head." Mary did this and the doctor seem to look over her breast from every angle. Then he said, "OK, lie down and put your arms at your side. I am going to feel your breasts one at a time feeling for lumps."

Mary laid down and closed her eyes. The doctor started at her right nipple feeling in a spiral until he had covered her entire breast. Then he squeezed her nipple gently looking for discharge. He then repeated this with with the left breast.

Mary was mortified. She did not think that this day could get any worse, but more was to come as she saw the doctor put on gloves and get out a blue and white tube.

"OK, that is done. We just need to do the genital and rectal exams. Since it doesn't require it, I am not going to do a full pap and pelvic, but I will need to do a basic vaginal exam. Can you bring your legs up and let your knees fall apart?"

Mary was a little scared. She had had genital exams before, but they were very minimal. In the past, the doctor had just looked briefly and maybe spread her lips a little. This seemed much more involved.

Doctor Burns looked at Mary's pubic hair. It looked normal for her age. He then felt along the outsides of her vulva and then spread her outer lips. This is normally as far as he went, but the form specified a fuller exam. "OK, Mary, I have to feel inside your vagina with two fingers. It should not hurt. Tell me if it does."

He nodded to the nurse who put some lubricant on his gloved fingers. He slipped his first two fingers in and did a basic exam, checking the vaginal wall and the pelvic floor muscles. He then reexamined her abdomen with his left hand while using the internal fingers to lift her ovaries. Finally he withdrew his finger and used tissues from the nurse to wipe the area.

"You have been very brave Mary. We have just one thing left to do. I need to check you for hemorrhoids. I am going to have you bend over the table and then I am going to spread your cheeks and take a look. After I do that, I am going put some lubricant on my gloved finger and put it in your bottom to feel for any hemorrhoids. It will feel a little like getting your temperature taken. OK?"

Mary did not trust herself to talk, so she just nodded. The nurse guided her over the table and gave her a quick pat. "You are doing fine."

The doctor change gloves then spread Mary's buttocks. Her pink anus looked fine. He held out his finger to the nurse who squired a generous amount of lube on to his finger. He then placed his finger on Mary's anus. "OK, bear down like you are trying to have a bowl movement."

Mary pushed and felt his finger enter her rectum. It felt much bigger than a thermometer, but she had had frequent suppositories growing up and even a few enemas and this was no worse than the suppositories. She felt the doctor's finger turn all around and go in and out a few times and then withdraw. She then felt him wipe her behind with a tissue. It was all over in a minute. Oddly the most embarrassing part was being wiped.

"Well we are all done with your exam. I will sign your form and the nurse will make a copy for your record. You do have a measles booster due. The nurse will give your that and then your are good to go."

"I know that these exams are embarrassing, but they are part of becoming an adult. I am going to suggest that sometime in the next two or three years, you go to a gynecologist for a full exam. We could do it here, but you probably want to start a relationship with a gynecologist for long term care. Good look in college."

Mary was a little stunned as she stood there naked, but it really hadn't been that much worse then her normal exam.

The nurse came over with the needle in her hand. "Mary, this goes in your bottom. Would you rather lie down on your tummy or just bend over the table?"

Deciding that "laying on her tummy" felt too childish, Mary bent over the exam table and tried to relax. She felt the cool alcohol on her right buttock and then the nurse told her to put her weight on her left leg. She then felt the sharp pain of the needle plunging into her buttock and the dull ache of the medicine going in. She kept from crying but let out a little groan. The nurse put on a band-aid then said "You are all done. You can get dressed and the receptionist will have your form."

As Mary got dressed she looked over to the rectal thermometer in the glass cylinder and realized that this was the last time that it would be in her rectum. This would be her last time at Valley Care. Or so she thought....

On the way out, after getting her forms, she saw Dr. Burnes heading out the door. She stopped him to give him a quick hug and to thank him for his care of the years. Well except for all the antibiotic shots.