It was late in the when Carl’s phone rang. He answered it “this is reminder for Carl Merrin that he has an appointment Monday at 9:30 am with Dr. Zimmerman, please press 1 to confirm the appointment, or 2 to reschedule”… The call took him totally by surprise. He recalled a while ago his wife mentioning something about a doctor’s appointment for insurance, or something. He hit the 1 button on his phone and the message responded with “thank you, please be sure to arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time, so you may fill out paperwork”.

Carl wondered what the doctor’s appointment was for. He left office and headed home for the weekend. When he got to the house he was greeted by his wife and 3 kids. The Merrin’s had a busy weekend. Dinner with friends and the kids always hectic weekend sports schedules kept them running around all Saturday and Sunday.

Around 3PM on Sunday afternoon, when things began to calm down, Carl all of sudden remembered about the dr’s appointment he had confirmed he’d be at Monday morning. He asked his wife about it: “hon, I got call Friday about going to a Dr.’s appointment tomorrow… did you schedule that? What’s it for? Who is this dr anyways?”.

“oh that’s tomorrow, I totally forgot about that. I scheduled that for you like 6 months ago” she said. “It’s pretty simple, just a new patient visit with my Dr, Dr. Zimmerman” she continued “you will like her, she is super nice, I have been seeing her for a while”. Carl’s wife’s tone got a little more serious when she said “you have not had a doctor since we’ve been married, and we are coming up on our 10 year anniversary, so you need to get established with a dr, you turned 40 last year and it wouldn’t kill you to get a check up”

The words check up rung in his ear. Carl had turned 40 about 5 months prior and hadn’t had an actual primary care doctor since his pediatrician. Besides a few trips to the urgent clinic for minor sicknesses he hadn’t needed to see a doctor.

“you should probably make sure you don’t eat too late tonight, they will probably want to take blood from you tomorrow and you have to fast before that” his wife mentioned.

Carl started to get butterflies in his stomach. He thought about how much he hated going to the doctor. He had never met Dr. Zimmerman, his wife had talked about her in high regard. Carl’s wife had always liked how Dr. Zimmerman’s office was in the local hospital, so any lab work or referrals were always right in the same building.

Laying in bed that night Carl looked over at his wife and said “I’m nervous hon, I don’t want to go to the Doctor tomorrow”

“stop being a baby” his wife retorted “its nothing at all, just a new patient visit, you will just meet the dr, and that’s about it” she re assured him. Carl rested his mind on the “just a new patient visit” line… and slowly he fell a sleep…

The Monday morning came early at the Merrin house, Carl barely noticed his wife walk out the door to take his kids to the bus stop. He was busy on a call with 2 people from his office. He hung up the phone just as his wife was coming back from the bus stop… “Carl, you better shower, you have that doctor’s appointment this morning”… Carl had remembered but was trying desperately to suppress the memory.

“ok… you think I need to shower hon? I was going to try to run to the gym after the appointment and before I went to the office” he asked.

“you BETTER shower” his wife exclaimed “you have never met this doctor, and what if she examines you. PLEASE don’t be dirty and embarrass me in front of my doctor”

“Examine me” Carl asked.

“She is a doctor Carl, you are going to a check- up, if she does a full physical on you, you want to have cleaned yourself” his wife said with a stern and annoyed voice.

Carl didn’t argue any more. He was too concerned about what she had just said. The words “Full Physical” filled him with dread. He swallowed hard, and headed into the bathroom. While in the shower, he reflected on his wife’s words about the doctor examining him. He felt like a guinea pig, going to a science experiment. He was nervous and anxious. He got out of the shower and brushed his teeth and began to get dressed. He threw on a pair of calvin klien briefs, that were light blue, then slim fit jeans, and a button down fashionable flannel shirt. Carl put his watch on and the necklace he always wore, and a pair of low top designer sneakers.

“I’m leaving babe” he yelled to his wife.

“ok” she said “good luck with doctor zimmerman, call me when you leave there”

Why would he need luck at the doctors he thought.

The drive to the doctor’s office was about 20 minutes away. Carl pulled into the Hospital where the primary care was. Carl was familiar with it, because it also was the same hospital his kids were born at.

He went into a large lobby and a general reception area, where he told the woman behind the counter that he has an appointment with Dr. Zimmerman… the response given to him was “Take the elevator to the 3rdfloor, that office is to the right when you get off the elevator.”

Carl looked at his watch as the elevator door opened. 9:26 AM, so much for the 15 minutes ahead of time, he thought. Right in front of him was a big glass wall with a glass door in the middle of it and sign that read “wellness primary care”. He opened the door and found himself in the middle of a large waiting room, that was occupied by about 8 people. One in line at the counter he was approaching, and 7 people of mixed age, sitting in the chairs of the waiting area. In the corner was a TV, which was playing a local news broadcast.

The person ahead of him at the counter finished and walked away to sit down. The glass window the receptionist sat behind, swung open and Carl was greeted with a “may I help you” from the 25 year old girl behind it.

“yes, I have an appointment for 9:30, Carl Merrin”

“with which provider?” the girl asked

“Dr. Zimmerman” Carl said

“Yes, I have you for a new patient physical, with Dr. Zimmerman… Do you have your insurance card?”

“physical?” Carl asked as he dug in his wallet for a card. Handing the card to her he asked “I thought it was just a new patient visit”

“yes, a new patient physical” she said, as she took his insurance car.

Carl was more nervous then ever now. He stood there, with sweaty palms, as the girl made a copy of his insurance card and began to stack papers onto a clip board. He wondered what the girl was thinking about as she got his papers together… was she delighting in the fact he was going to get a physical from a women doctor.

“Have a seat, fill these out, and give them to the nurse when you are called”

Carl sat down and began to go thru the numerous pages. His hands were sweaty on the pen, and his mouth was dry. He filled out almost all of it, glossing most it over and giving simple one word answers. Trying to give an impression that nothing is wrong with him, and lets leave it at that… He started thinking of ways to explain to the doctor, that lets just get me in the system and fulfill his wife’s wishes… He was sure that he could talk his way out of this. His thought was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a women’s voice “Carl” it said.

“Hi” Carl replied, as he got up and headed to the door that the nurse was standing at. She held the door for him as he handed his paperwork over and walked thru. “I’m Meghan one of Dr. Zimmerman’s nurses” she said. He noticed she was kind of cute, wearing matching top and bottom purple scrubs. He noticed she was probably in her early 30’s and was slightly overweight, but had really pretty face, with a nose ring in her left nostril.

They were now in the inner office area. A giant nurse’s station was in the middle, people were moving all around. Some in white lab coats, and some in scrubs. There were doors with numbers on them all around the center nurse’s station. On the outside of the doors was a plastic paper holder and what looked like 3 metal flags, almost like you’d put up on your mailbox, when you were alerting the mailman that you had outgoing mail. They were red, green and yellow, respectively. Carl wondered what they were.

“Let’s get a weight and height on you” Nurse Meghan said. Carl jumped up on the triple beam scale. “woah” Meghan said, “shoes off first, please”. Carl reached down and untied his sneakers, took them off, and got onto the scale with just his black ankle socks covering his feet… Meghan adjusted the scale “172” she announced, “now turn around, stand up tall… Great..5 feet, and 11 inches” she began writing her findings down on Carl’s folder “you look like you keep yourself in pretty good shape” she said. Carl just smiled at her.

He bent down and began to put his sneakers back on. “Just carry those, and follow me, no need to put them back on” Meghan said. Carl didn’t like that he was now carrying his shoes. Why is there no need to put them back on. Another concerning remark. Anxiety filled him, even worse then before.

They walked to the far left corner of the big opened area where the center nurse’s station was. On the wall was an eye chart. “Stand on this line, cover your left eye and read the 5thline down” instructed nurse meghan. “E-A-P-D-L” read Carl.

“Good, now cover your left eye and read line 5 again”… Again Carl read “E-A-P-D-L”. He thought to himself that it’s kind of stupid he had to read the same line again.

“Great, now over hear please” said Meghan. They were in front of exam room #4. “You can put your shoes in here, then go the bathroom right over there. We need urine sample”. She handed him a cup with his information already labeled on it “ Wipe your penis with wipes in the bathroom, begin a stream, stop, fill the cup up to the line… when your finished leave the cup in the cubby behind the toilet, and come meet me back in here”.

Carl hesitantly took the cup and walked into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him. He felt gross to be in a unfamiliar bathroom with only socks on his feet.

He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled out his flacid penis. He then took a wipe from the counter, and opened the package. It felt weird to rub the end of his penis with the moist towelette. He began to pee and as the nurse instructed, he stopped, went in the cup until it was at the line, set the cup down, and finished to void in the toilet. He then put his penis away, and screwed on the cap of the cup, and stuck it in the cubby behind the toilet. He then washed his hands, and left the bathroom.

As he walked back into exam room 4, he noticed that the green metal flag had been swung out. Upon a closer look, he realized that on the green flag was written the word “PHYSICAL”. He walked into the room. It was about 15’ X 20’ ft. There was an exam table kiddy corner in the room, there was a desk to the left of the exam table, and across from the table was a sink, cubbards, and one single plastic chair. As he walked in he also noticed, right near the door, in a circular rung, was a curtain. The current was half swung out, Carl noticed it now, as it was completely put away when he first went in the room to put his shoes down.

Carl went to sit in the chair, but Meghan stopped him “up here please”, and she patted the paper covered exam table. Carl made an audible sigh. He climbed up, and still fully clothed, besides his lack of shoes, and sat down. Meghan began by sticking a thermometer in his mouth, which was proceeded by a “open up”. As he sat there with the thermometer in his mouth, the nurse put a blood pressure cuff on his arm and began to inflate it. He started to have that “I’m a science experiment” feeling, the same one he had earlier in the shower.

“temp is normal” announced Nurse Megan “blood pressure is a little on the high side. You nervous?”

“maybe a little” Carl replied. “I don’t go to the doctor much”

“well you should” Meghan began "you are 40 years old now, you need to make sure you are healthy, I see from your paperwork you have kids, you want to be around for them right?”

Yeah” numbly replied Carl

“Dr. Zimmerman is great” said meghan, as she turned her back on Carl. She began removing things from the draws and cabinets in the room. She then sternly turned around and said “You’re here for a Complete Physical exam, I’m going to step out, please undress. You can leave your underwear on, and I will be back with Dr. Zimmerman in a few. Minutes”.