Non Physical Exam Visits

I’m curious to hear peoples experience at the doctors office when they weren’t going for a physical, like when you were sick.

Did you still have to undress? How much of an exam did you get (if anything)? Did you see your regular doc or another doc? Was the experience always the same? Or different?

It would depend on what’s wrong with you, and why you are seeing a doctor - if you’re seeing your regular doc, an emergency ER doc, a visit when your regular doc is out of the office, or a specialist.

I saw my pediatrician through the end of high school. No matter what I went in for - full physical exam, sore throat, sprained ankle, etc. - I would have to strip down to my tighty whities or my boxer shorts. Once puberty started he would always end up examining my testicles.

After high school I went to my father's doctor and it pretty much was the same thing - I never wore anything more than my boxer shorts in there.

Never as an adult, but as a kid the doc was old school and would usually do a full examination. I would be asked to undress to my underpants, or my parents asked to undress me. They would then take my height and weight, check my eyes, ears and throat, do reflex tests and listen to my heart, lungs and tummy, as well as palpation.

I never had my genitals examined at the docs only in exams at school.

It always seemed to require me to undress to my briefs. If a non physical was on tap, it likely meant no genital exam but did not rule out having a rectal temp taken!

I averaged going to the doctor around twice a year for sick visits through high school. They were all pretty much the same. The nurse would tell me to undress down to my underwear. A parent was always in the room. I would sit on the table afterwards waiting for her to return. She took my blood pressure and then told me to lie down on the table, and to turn over on my tummy. They always used the word tummy when they needed to take your temperature or to give you a needle. I would be lying down, and the nurse prepared the thermometer, which was glass with mercury. She took it out of the small jar which was filled with alcohol, and shook it down. Some nurses shook quickly, while others did it more slowly and deliberately. She then opened the jar of Vaseline, and put on enough to take multiple temperatures. Then she pulled my underpants down. Sometimes a nurse would have my parent come up and while she got the thermometer ready she would have my parent pull my underpants down. This happened a lot when a teenager. She then inserted the thermometer, and it was left in for at least 5 minutes, which seemed an eternity.

I would be lying there in total embarrassment waiting for the ordeal to end. Finally the thermometer was removed. She would wipe off the excess Vaseline with a tissue and read it. On a sick visit the temperature was always above normal. She or my parent would then pull my underpants back on. I would sit on the table, and was instructed to remove my undershirt and wait for the doctor.

The doctor would exchange pleasantries with my mom or dad and then start to examine me with the stethoscope, which felt very cold. When he examined my back he had me take deep breaths. Everything was examined, including lots of feeling around my belly, checking my knees, and my feet. Then he would have me remove my underpants and examined my genitals, as well as my buttocks. I would then start to put my underpants back on, but he would stop me by saying, not yet, the nurse will be in shortly to give me medication. The word medication meant an injection, but I guess he didn't want to scare me.

Usually 2 nurses came in and one would escort me to the table and once again I was on my tummy. My mom or dad would be called upon to hold my feet while the other nurse grabbed my wrists and together I was held down for the needle, which I was always afraid of. While younger I would cry a lot, as a teenager through high school I would holler out rather than cry. I had a couple of years around 11 or 12 where I had allergic reactions to penicillin. That seemed to clear up during my teenage years, but they would always retake my temperature after the needle.

After all that I could get off the table abnd get dressed. We would then go to the nurse’s office where she gave my parent a prescription for medicine, as well as instructions for them to take my temperature every 4 hours by rectum. The first night I had to take a hot bath, and then again in the morning. She told my parent to make sure I used the toilet, and to give me a suppository if needed.

Every doctor’s visit was a nightmare for me. I don’t know how I survived the embarrassment but I somehow did.

No undressing at all as an adult. As a kid and teenager, if my brothers and/or I were at the doctor because we were sick, they would usually tell us to open our shirts (if button shirts) or pull them up (if pullovers/t-shirts) and sometimes loosen the top of our pants. That is what set physical exam visits apart. I remember one time we had been to a clinic because we all had a stomach flu, and then, a couple months later, we were back at the same place and it was the same physician's assistant getting us started and ready and he mentioned having seen us for the flu, and asked how we were feeling, etc. and then, after the preliminary stuff, said something about us getting undressed and my brother said "we didn't have to last time" and the PA said, "you guys are getting physicals today, so that means your clothes have to come off, I'm afraid."

So as a kid and teen I didn’t often go to the doctor unless really sick. And in those cases usually the most that came off was the shirt especially with asthma attacks. Also once tested positive for a TB skin check so would have to get a chest xray once a year that involved taking shirt off as well. Don’t recall ever getting into underwear just for no reason.

As an adult the only clothes that come off are the ones that are needed to expose. Once ended up at urgent care with a leg injury and they may me put on exam shorts after removing snow pants and stuff…

It always depended on why I was going to the doc. When I had an inguinal hernia, I had to pull down my pants and underpants both at the PCP's office and at the surgeon's office. I usually had to undress from the waist down at the urologist's office and at the colon and rectal surgeon's office. Also, another time at a pain specialist's office, I had to strip to my underpants, and likewise for having skin checks at the dermatologist's office.

From early childhood until my early thirties I always stripped to my briefs, as was the norm back then, From 30 on, it depended on the doctor. I never had any problem being striiped either to my broefs or totally nude.

It was only upon moving to Florida when I was 35 that the tide had changed, and doctors here discourage you from

even taking your shirt off for auscultation. Pathetic, if you ask me.

As for non physical exam visits I can remember going to the doctor a few times as a kid when I was sick and only one of those times having my pants taken down by the nurse in order for her to take my temperature.

As an adult the only time I have had to remove any clothing for a non physical exam visit was to get checked for a hernia due to a pulled muscle in my lower abdomen.

A few months ago I ended up getting COVID. When I called the clinic to see about coming in to get tested they told me not to come in. To test myself at home first and then if I test positive to call them back. When I called back to tell nurse that I had tested positive twice. She said she would text me a link to set up a video exam. Which I understand that they don't want you exposing a lot of people. This didn't even require a exam in person. Just a fifteen minute video conversation with a physicians assistant who asked me some questions and then prescribed some medication.

Only one time did I go in for strep throat and they had me strip to my underwear. I always thought it was because I had a physical coming up anyways but they still had me go back to do a physical like a month later

If my asthma is bothering me my doctor (or other provider) has me remove my shirt to listen to my heart and lungs. I recently sustained an ankle injury while exercising and surprisingly she also examined my heart and lungs but I kept my t shirt on.