Rectal Swab

I had a rectal swab as a 9 year old. I had a bad case of diarrhea that was not going away and the doctor wanted to culture the bacteria. I lay on my side while the doctor slid a Q-Tip in my rectum. The irony of it all was this visit was one of the first that I had been on oral temps. On previous visits for my annual battle with strep throat, I would have a thermometer in my bottom followed by the Q-Tip in my mouth to swab my throat for a culture. Now that I was on oral temps, I started with the thermometer in my mouth and ended up with the Q-tip in my bottom to swab my rectum for a culture.

When I used to do sex work I had to have a rectal swab and an oral swab done every month at the local hospital. It was always done by one of 3 different female nurses who I had got to know quite well. It was always done professionally, quickly and always with lube and without any discomfort. I never had any problems with it being done whatsoever

My doctor always uses a gloved finger to take my stool samples for a quick culture. He uses lube, and I have to say it feels REAL GOOD.!!

I know at least once I've had a rather large swab inserted rectally. It was considerably larger than a standard Q-tip swab, and longer, I believe a wooden stick. That time I saw the doctor opening the package.

Another time I believe the doctor used a swab-type instrument to do something or other while also doing a prostate exam. I didn't see whatever it was, that was brought out while I was already bent over the exam table.

@Medical_test_subject was it a rectal swab or another kind?

Another time I believe the doctor used a swab-type instrument to do something or other while also doing a prostate exam. I didn't see whatever it was, that was brought out while I was already bent over the exam table.

Was the swab taken before or after the prostate exam?

Was the swab taken before or after the prostate exam?

It was nearly 20 years ago, I think it was after the doctor already felt around with a finger. Might have been the other way around.

It was nearly 20 years ago, I think it was after the doctor already felt around with a finger. Might have been the other way around.

If it was taken after the DRE, I’m not sure what it was for. I believe for STI swabs, lube would contaminate the swab.

In Czechia and Slovakia rectal swabs are routinely done to most of the applicants for the health certificate, which is needed in the food industry (or any work related with food). Also I heard some doctors are doing them as a part of an annual check-ups, especially the one for people turning 15, as it tend to be more thorough. However, I have never had it done myself, so this seems to depend on an individual doctor and their practice.

Also during communism whenever there seemed to be a case of some diarrhea disease like Salmonela, those test were done at schools on a mass scale to prevent an outbrake. Mostly couple of nurses would come, transform one of the classes into a screening lab and have the students queued for their turn of showing their naked butt and get it poked by a swab. Those times are long gone, fortunately for the dignity of most people, unfortunately for the imagination fuel for us pervs.

Seems to be a hostpital standard infection control now. I ended up in a Tennessee Hospital and was swabbed because I was from a foreign country (Canada).

Then I was swabbed again and in 'Isolation' because I'd been in a foreign country hospital (USA) within a year.

This was the only time Mom's advice (wear clean underwear) made sense. LOL.

I had both, urethral and rectal swaps, because there was the suspicious infection. The rectal ones were strange and felt uncomfortable because there was no lube used, the urethral one was painful because of the same fact and my urethra is very narrow.

When I had pinworms a swap was done first, but I received a proctoscopy too. It happened because the troop doctor wasn't sure he said.

I got a rectal swab during my last pregnancy. My first kid was born premature. Apparently, there is bacteria that can cause a premature birth.

I have had them done. It's a very fast procedure that was done with me lying on my side, upper leg raised to chest so that my butt cheeks part. It was basically a long q-tip without lube. It was over before I realized just how deep it was inserted and then I turned back over. I think it was standard practice at the university clinic given the population of college and grad students. Half the time, exams were by interns so they generally put you through the wash so to speak.

I have written about this in one of my other posts. Here in the UK (2019) I had some swabs taken (I think they were to check for MRSA and / or other potential bacterial 'colonies'). This was during the course of some major surgery pre - op tests. Because of admin blunders creating a serious lack of time and a temporary unavailability of hospital gowns (explained in more detail in my other post), I volunteered to have the checks done just wearing my underpants. This actually caused some consternation and permission had to be sought from a senior administrator!! But the upshot was that when the nurse informed me that she needed to take a couple of swabs from 'intimate areas' (anus and groin) - when I removed my pants I was then naked. The nurse was very professional...but I think that she was just slightly perturbed as, in recent years, patients usually wore gowns. Like many older members here on Zity.....I was actually fine with it all.....having endured many nude medical exams as a boy / teen. I had already had my mouth swabbed earlier. Neither swab from groin or anus were painful in any way....and both were taken in well under 2 mins. The funny thing was that my wife accompanied me to the examinations. The swabs were done discreetly behind a screen.....but my wife was, effectively, only sitting c. 1 metre away and could hear every word that the nurse said. I am sure that, despite the situation (the tests preceded major cancer surgery) that she was trying hard not to laugh!!!

I've had a mrsa infection before and no one has ever swabbed my groin or anus because of it...they did stick one all the way up my nose though, which was not fun.

I’ve been tested for STDs with a urethra swab but did not get a swab in the butt.

Sounds like rectal swabs are also done for stool samples, is this true? A friend had to do a stool sample once but she said she had to do it herself by pooping in a cup. That sounds awkward.

I can remember getting a rectal swab at my pediatrician’s when I was about 10. I had to lay on my stomach with my pants down to my knees. It was one of the most uncomfortable even painful things I can ever recall being done to my bottom as a kid and (I had a lots done back then). There was no lubricant as it likely would have interfered with the culture and the dry rough cotton burned intensely as he inserted it and twisted it around. The burning sensation was in my anus, as the rectum can’t really sense that type of stimulus, but I don’t know if the friction was from the cotton bulb of the swab or the wooden shaft — I couldn’t tell how far it was inserted. It seems to last a LONG time and there was only slight relief when he took it out. In those days we had to be the courier and and bring the specimen to the city lab ourselves. On the car trip to the lab, the burning continued and made me feel like I really had to have a bowel movement. My mother stopped twice to get me to a restroom, but I didn’t really have to go. My older siblings in the car were getting annoyed and I remember my mother, who was a nurse, reprimanded them and said that it was understandable that I would feel like I had to go after what had been done to me.

After having a swab jammed up my nose for a COVID test, I’d much rather have a rectal swab.

Interesting what was the rectal swab for? I can see tonsillar or urethral but not rectal.

I was having diarrhea, so it was to check for bacterial intestinal infections like Salmonella etc…

I think it is a quicker way than to culture a stool sample and does not not depend on the patient’s ability to provide. A stool sample right then and there. Also, there are other bacteria that just live in the anal canal, not necessarily further up in the rectum and a swab is better than stool sample to check for these (gonorrhea, Group B Strep, Staph)

Personally, i would much prefer a rectal swab for covid-19 than the nose swab...

It isn't routine but likely necessary if suspecting an STD infection. At the college health center, it was a rather common procedure given the age and sexual conduct of college students.

I caught rotavirus last October. The diagnosis was the result of a rectal swab and culture. I was in agony and hospitalized for an entire week. Where they put the giant Q-tip was the least of my concerns.