There was one time that I could think of. I must have been 12 or 13 and I was in the hospital for a surgery. I had “graduated” out of the main pediatrics ward to a section for adolescents. It was more like the adult section. There were only 2 or 3 beds to a room, they were more careful about pulling the curtains, etc.
Before surgery I developed a sudden fever, as measured with the disposable, flat plastic Temp Dot oral thermometers that they used. My nurse went over to the regular pediatrics section and got a new, still in the wrapper, glass rectal thermometer. She said that she was going to retake my temperature with it because these thermometer were more accurate than the TempDot ones.
I could clearly see the word RECTAL written on the wrapper and I expected her to tell me to flip over. Sadly, she just took it orally and they used that thermometer on me until I was sent home later that day, with the surgery rescheduled.
Given the need for an accurate temperature to decided if the surgery could go on and the fact that she had already gotten a rectal thermometer, she really should have told me to turn over. I guess that she didn’t to spare me the embarrassment.
I do wonder what would have happened if I would have asked “Is that the kind that goes in your butt?” I wonder if I would have spent the next 3 minutes with her hand on my bottom holding the thermometer in place. If I would have gotten a couple of more rectal temps before being sent home.