Medical checkup routine

@twinlodo

First one took my weight and various measurements like height and waist width, then he checked my spine straightness while standing, bent down and while walking, and finally he made me get on a feet scanner. Basically it was a glass surface with a green light underneath. So he took my footprint, printed it and put it in the exam form.

Very interesting! Was this just a podoscope or an actual scanner like a photocopier? Hiw did he take your footprints?

Was this just a podoscope or an actual scanner like a photocopier

I just searched and yes, it was a podoscope. Didn't know how it's called.

Pediatrician through age fifteen. The nurse would take me back (with my mother until I was in middle school) to the exam room. All the usual questions. I was told to strip to my briefs and was weighed and measured along with having vitals taken. Nothing out of the ordinary. Went in alone once a became a teenager.

Adult doctor from age sixteen. Always bare chested. A treadmill stress test was done as a baseline to help evaluate my fitness level.

All new patients, regardless of age, got the treadmill as part of their initial visit. This was in addition to measuring body fat and agility. Every physical from the following year included a resting ekg.

Pediatrician always examine me from head to toe, the last part was the genital exam. My gynecologist exams the breasts and the last part is a full pelvic.

@twinlodo

The exam started with me fully dressed and sitting on the table. BP, ears, nose, throat, lymph nodes, reflexes, the usual staff.

Do you remember what reflexes were checked? Knee only or more?

My childhood medical exams were non-invasive, without blood tests, thermometers, or removing any clothes. My doctor was a very kind person, and professional. He would listen to my chest, check me for a hernia, check blood pressure, and maybe an updated vaccine.

It would start with the nurse calling my name and leading us to that heavy sliding weight scale in the hallway. I remember the sound of the metal weights clinking back and forth until they balanced, followed by the height bar being pulled up and resting on the top of my head. Once that was over I was brought into the exam room to wait on the table, where that thick white paper would crinkle loudly every time I shifted my weight. When the pediatrician finally came in she would ask a few questions before starting with the head portion, checking my ears, looking down my throat with that wooden tongue depressor, and following the light with my eyes. Then came the stepthoscope, which was always a bit of a shock because the stethoscope was inevitably freezing against my chest and back. The doctor would have me take those exaggerated deep breaths while they listened to my heart and lungs before moving on. This is when I would be laying completely flat on the crinkly paper as they pressed firmly on my tummy. This is also when there would be a quick lift of my waistband to take a peek. After all of this the doctor would head out, and my mom and I would sit in that heavy silence for a few minutes until the nurse returned with the tray. It made sense to save them for last so I wouldn't be crying or tensed up for the earlier parts of the exam, but the anticipation of those shots always made the rest of the routine feel like a long, slow build up to the finish line. Once it was over, I’d finally get to hop down, grab my sticker and head out the door.