Ever refused part of a physical due to feeling uncomfortable?

Has anyone for any reason, during an RT examination. Refused, or said No! To any part of an examination?

Has anyone for any reason, during an RT examination. Refused, or said No! To any part of an examination?

It never happened to me

I'm estimating that, over the 40 years plus that I was involved in the practice of clinical medicine, I performed on the order of 100,000 complete physical examinations and many, many more limited, problem focused exams. The vast majority of those would have included rectal exams. To the best of my recollection, refusal of any part of the exam was incredibly rare: at the most a half a dozen times a year.

In 37 years of Family Practice, I would concur with @Pollux - refusal of an indicated part of the exam no more than a few times a year. Usually, it was by a younger female who wanted a female GYN to perform the intimate exam. I was quite happy to refer them on.

I never have. When I was a kid, I didn't like them, but Mom made it clear I was to do what the doctor and nurses said, and no crying, or she'd "give me a reason to cry when we got home" Then I was in the Navy, so the very thought of NOT doing what the MO ordered was not an option. As I corpsman, no one ever refused anything I told them.

However, the opposite happened to me. An elder at my then church came in for sick call, and he was having sexual problems (don't remember what kind, but NOT an STD.) I do remember it had to do with him and his wife. I told him to hang on and went to the Medical Officer and explained my unease, and fortunately he understood and did the exam himself. If necessary, I'd have sucked it up and done it. That was the first time my "professional detachment" failed me.

When I was younger I visited the doctor so infrequently it was never an issue. I absolutely hated the genital exam I got as a pre-teen due to a temporary bedwetting problem I had, but that was more due to my parents' negative conditioning than my own attitude.

I refused a DRE once because I felt I had to take a shit. The doc argued but I refused the exam.

I feel so uncomfortable I don’t even want to say no to the extremely uncomfortable parts.

Not at all.

I always obeyed Doctor's instructions.

I felt that they knew best, although when young it wasn't always apparent.

Not in the past or now. As a child and teen, there were certainly times when I really didn't wish to be examined or get some updated shot, typically in my butt, or endure an embarrassing genital exam. Then, my parents or the doctor/nurse as authority figures ruled. Surely some of those exams have become valued memories.

As an adult, I surely have control over what is proposed. Going for an exam means being examined!

Not refused part of an exam, but after i was sexually assaulted as an adult, during the exam / assessment afterwards, I did have to ask them to take a break, as i was finding it rather emotional and painful. After a pause of about 5 - 10 minutes; during which they gave me lots of support and reassurance; i was able to continue the exam / assessment.

No I have never refused any part of a physical, when told what he was going to do I agreed to let him do it. But looking back I think I should have questioned his reasons for wanting to do a couple of things that he did during the exam. I should have asked why he thought it was necessary for examining me the way he did considering the type of physical I was there for and my age at the time.

I have refused a few things over time, but not due to feeling uncomfortable. In a couple of cases I refused basic BP, temp, pulse when the appointment was for a consultation or to review bloodwork, a week after the main appointment. I also continue to refuse BP etc when I have my annual appointment with my prostate cancer doctor.

For a while, I had a male primary care provider. At the start of a physical, he came in the room, and while setting things up, put a pair of gloves and a big tube of SurgiLube on the counter. I pointed at it, and said, "That is not going to happen."

My ass is off-limits to males. I will only see a female GI, or urologist. One time I had to see a GI for what turned out to be a hemorrhoid the size of a musket ball. She went to set me up with a surgeon, and I insisted on a female one.

@Botsiebuddy

I have refused a few things over time, but not due to feeling uncomfortable. In a couple of cases I refused basic BP, temp, pulse when the appointment was for a consultation or to review bloodwork, a week after the main appointment. I also continue to refuse BP etc when I have my annual appointment with my prostate cancer doctor.

Why do you refuse simple vital signs?

@Ccc

No I have never refused any part of a physical, when told what he was going to do I agreed to let him do it. But looking back I think I should have questioned his reasons for wanting to do a couple of things that he did during the exam. I should have asked why he thought it was necessary for examining me the way he did considering the type of physical I was there for and my age at the time.

Do you feel like saying what you thought was unnecessary under the circumstances?

@DocH2O

In 37 years of Family Practice, I would concur with @Pollux - refusal of an indicated part of the exam no more than a few times a year. Usually, it was by a younger female who wanted a female GYN to perform the intimate exam. I was quite happy to refer them on.

In that time period, did you find it becoming more common that a woman didn't want a man performing a gyn exam?

Not a physical exam, but I did decline a BP testing at the DENTIST. This was something new they sprung on me, and the dental hygienist could not explain why they wanted to check my blood pressure. I was just there for teeth cleaning that time and I thought it was silly.

I understand they want to know the BP when they're going to numb an area for drilling, root canal, etc. There have been a few times I thought they would never get me numb with repeated injections. That, and the pain, are stressful. And there is a limit to how much lidocaine they can use at a time...too much and the heart can stop.

During my visit to a pediatric gastroenterologist that I’ve written about in other threads - when the doctor was doing a visual exam of my rectum - The doctor asked if I’d be comfortable with him inserting his finger in my anus, to which I said no, and he agreed not to do it.

That’s one of the more uncertain details of that experience, but I do remember him asking that.

@Fandomi

@DocH2O In that time period, did you find it becoming more common that a woman didn't want a man performing a gyn exam?

Yes, as the availability of female OB/Gyn's increased, more and more women wanted to see a female for that specialty.

Only in recent years have I asked them not to weigh me. We all know I'm overweight and my weight's been steady for at least twenty years, so why bum myself out about it?

Frankly, it's kind of empowering, after years of weekly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers with very little change. And the medical staff seems to be okay with it. I don't get lectures from my present doctor, whose main concern is how my weight might affect my overall health and quality of life.

I’m the same I will not be weighed. Or BP or Temp. I had to get a bursa sac syringed once, I knew it was a bursa and my GP knew and the visit was to get it syringed. So when I walked in I politely declined, I asked them to focus on what I needed doing as arranged.

@PinotNoir

Only in recent years have I asked them not to weigh me. We all know I'm overweight and my weight's been steady for at least twenty years, so why bum myself out about it?

Frankly, it's kind of empowering, after years of weekly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers with very little change. And the medical staff seems to be okay with it. I don't get lectures from my present doctor, whose main concern is how my weight might affect my overall health and quality of life.

That's a really good approach for doctors to take...how does this affect your life and health, rather than a weigh in, which has a negative connotation for many.

It probably helps that I live in a place with a pretty serious obesity problem, so doctors must see overweight people all day every day. But my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are fine, I'm not pre-diabetic, and my slightly elevated liver enzymes have been at the same level for more than a decade, most likely my normal.

I urge anyone who's made unhappy or depressed from the weigh-in part of a physical to consider telling the nurse you're going to skip it this time.

I didn’t know you could refuse part of a physical

I didn’t know you could refuse part of a physical

This lol. I would never even consider refusing a standard part of it. Now something that costs me extra I'll need some convincing, but I would never dream of refusing something like being weighed or vitals checks, or even a more "uncomfortable" part like genital or rectal exams. One of the things I've been trying to train my doctor on is "tell, don't ask." Basically meaning that me calling in, scheduling the physical, and then showing up for it was me consenting to a complete physical exam. They don't need to ask to examine any part of my body because that's literally why I'm there. Just give me a heads up so I don't jump back from having my balls grabbed suddenly without warning 😂