Tell me about your last abdominal exam!

Hello ladies (especially) and gents, I'd love to hear about your last abdominal exam, whether it was part of a routine physical exam or a specific exam for abdominal problems. How does it make you feel? Do you get all giggly? Do you get nervous when your doctor is about to probe your belly? What all does your doctor do? What does your doctor say?

I always feel nervous. My shirt was lifted up by the doctor to just under my breasts and my pants lowered to just below my hip bones exposing my abdomen. Cold stethoscope auscultating across my belly then palpation. I was wishing the doc would lift my shirt up and listen to my heart but just my belly was examined.

I haven't had any recently, but my annual physical is around the corner!!!

Oh well, I think I could write a book of all the abdominal exams I got...?!

Especially in my teenaged time I had them so often because I had so often abdominal problems by nausea, pain, vomiting and fallings, I was also much too skinny and underweight. So my mom took me so often to our paediatrician for full body and very intense abdominal exams, but I also came into the Childrens clinic few times for longer time because I had a kind of colitis, but I also got two abdominal surgeries there: appendectomy when I was 15 and laparotomy (diverticle and navel hernia) when I was 16.

When I was in the clinic at age 15, I got examined by a gastroenterologist (specialist for abdominal diseases), too, who I did not like at all and who wanted to see me for regular complete full body and very intense abdominal checkups in the clinic three to four tines a year then! I hated these appointments at all, because it was always nearly a whole day at the childrens clinic with so many exams! I felt always so nervous and bad before that, I was totally afraid that these gastro-doctor would let me stay again in the clinic then (what happened then when I was 16), because I always felt so nausea and bad in my stomach during all the exams. This doctor was always so uncontent about me and talked to my mom that he wanted me staying in the clinic regularly for several days because of my sick abdomen, underweight and generally bad condition. My biggest fear was that I get again so nausea during these exams by him that I had to vomit (because that already happened to me few times before by the paediatrician and by a public health doctor!)!!

The exams by the gastro-doctor at the clinic were the longest and most thorough and intense abdominal exams I remember. After the measuring (including height, circumferences of breast, abdomen and hips) and weighting (completely naked) procedures done by a nurse, this doctor also started the exam by inspecting me while I had to stand naked infront of him. He was always complained about my clear underweight and that I was much too skinny, that I generally looked so pale and sick, that I also have so extremely many and conspicuous moles (dysplastic nevi syndrome!), which he also inspected and touched on my abdomen, too, he also pressed with one hand into my abdomen on several places then while he hold me with his other hand on my back, and everytime he was totally dissatisfied because of my completely protruding gnarly (outie) bellybutton (navel hernia!). So during I was standing in front of him he always inspected my whole abdomen, also the surgical scars (first the appendectomy and later the laparotomy scar), but always very closely and accurately on my outie navel, too, and poked with one finger onto my gnarly and completely protruding navel several times while he ordered me to rise my arms above my head to stand completely stretched in front of him, also then during he ordered me to cough several times and also when he ordered me to blow my stomach completely up and down. I already felt so bad and nausea then, still before I was ordered to lay down onto the exam table, when the gastro-doctor started with the normal routine general exam by looking in the mouth, palpating lymph nodes everywhere, auscultating my heart and lungs before he came back to my abdomen then.

Mostly he said that he started now the long abdominal exam - and it was also the longest part of the whole exam at all (!) - but he also ordered me to tell him immediatelly about pain, nausea and when I have to vomit! I felt so ashamed and nervous then and had such a bad, weak and queasy feeling in my stomach when he began to inspect my sunken and skinny abdomen then while I was lying on the table. I also felt so embarrassed seeing his eyes moving all around my abdomen for one or two minutes and when they were fixed again on my gnarly outie bellybutton. After a while he ordered me to breathe in my stomach again in and out several times to blow it up and down again while he watched again on my abdomen and mainly on my completely protruding navel. Mostly I felt like I already could vomit at once still now, but I still hold it. The nurse stand beside the exam table with a bowl for that case and observed the whole exam, too. That made me more and more nervous and was so embarrassing for me.

After all that inspection and eyeing on my abdomen, moles and navel, he took his stethoscope again and began to auscultate everywhere on my abdomen. That took several minutes and much too long for me, too, it was like he auscultated always every centimetre or millimetre of my abdomen again and again from my ribs to my genital area and from the right to the left flanks, few times he put that cool stethoscope directly onto my gnarly protruding navel, what was still more uncomfortable. When he put the stethoscope away, he started percussing and knocking with his fingers also everywhere on my abdomen, what I felt like a hammering with his fingers on it. It did not really hurt, but it was uncomfortable, too, because he did that a longer time (few minutes) and absolutely everywhere on my stomach, too.

After that he always started with the absolutely longest part of the whole exam and what I hated at all: he began the abdominal palpation. It took nearly five to ten minutes and after a while it was for me like I was lying on a rack, because I already felt so nausea at the beginning and what got worse how longer he palpated, I was so afraid of vomiting, and he asked me again and again about that and told me strictly to tell that immediately, because he always knew and saw that I was so nausea. First he began to press lightly everywhere on my abdomen with one hand, but how longer he palpated, he pressed and poked deeper and deeper everywhere. I felt like he pressed at many spots again and again, it was often hard not to vomit, it was often like a fight against myself, especially when he was pressing deeply again and again under my both costal arches left and right and on my upper abdomen. I thought like that would be the ultimate test if I have to vomit! The gastro-doc also talked to my mom during the long palpation and asked her about nausea, vomiting, fallings, abdominal pain and about other exams by other doctors, how they examined me, what they said and so on, what was absolutely embarrassing for me! I was often so relieved when I could hold it and did not vomit during all that time of eternal pressing and poking onto my stomach by that doctor, so I sometimes gave a kind of soft sighe when he stopped with that so long abdominal palpation.

But he then explained seriously that my abdominal exam would still not be finished at all and that he now has to examine my completely protruding navel very intensely and thoroughly, too, because I had a prominent outie bellybutton and a navel hernia, too! It was the part of the whole abdominal exam what I hated most, because it took nearly as long as the whole abdominal exam before and hurt badly sometimes! And I hated my navel at all and was so ashamed about it because it was such an ugly and weird looking and far protruding knot like a cancerous ulcer would protruding out of my stomach! So, I was already used to those navel exam by other doctors (mainly by the paediatrician), too, but by that gastro-doctor I always felt like he paid special attention to the examination of my weird outie bellybutton. I hated that these doctor and the nurses there in the clinic already knew me as "the skinny boy with the sick abdomen" and "with the completely prodruding navel/navel hernia". So the gastro-doc started the navel exam by inspecting it very closely, while he also spread the skin around it and fingered on it, often he also used a kind of metal stick or some tweezers for that, what was also uncomfortable. Then he started fingering and palpating gently on my outie navel, pressed my outsticking navel knot in all directions, tried to turn and squeezed it between his fingers many times and after a while he suddenly tried to press it as far in as possible by giving a very hard poke on my navel and hold it pressed inside for some seconds. He did not say a word before, so it was surprising and so uncomfortable for me! He repeated that several times again so my navel hurt more and more and I "ouched" sometimes. And - like a stupid kid that I was at that time - my silly hope was, that my navel would stay inside when the doctor took his finger away, but that never happened, it plopped always completely out at once then about I was so dissappointed. The absolutely worst part for me followed then, because the doctor now tried the opposite then, too: he put again my protruding navel between his two fingers and tried to pull it as far out as possible! That was always so painful and I ouched nearly everytime, because he repeated that several times, too. I was really shocked when I saw my navel so far out between his fingers! After that, I mostly felt such a burning and pulling pain on my outie navel for the next one to two days (I often could not stand or sit upright without that pain!) and I felt so totally nausea after that, so I did not eat anything for the rest of the day! That was the main reason why I did not liked that doctor at all! But he was always totally uncontent and complained about my completely protruding outie bellybutton and talked to my mom about a surgery of my navel hernia at every appointment, what happened then during the laparotomy when I was 16, after I vomited during the exam by the gastro-doc, when he thought I could have abdominal cancer, too, what was not found fortunately.

At the end of the exams, the gastro-doc normally did several reflex tests on my abdomen, followed by genital and a rectal palpation. The laboratory exams would be done by a nurse, then the gastro-doc always did a long abdominal ultrasound. Sometimes, he also ordered abdominal x-rays, too, so that I was so enervated and tired when all was done and when my mom could take me back home in the late afternoon then. The exception was when I was 16 and the gastro-doc ordered that I had to stay in the clinic because I felt so bad in my abdomen and vomited during the exam. I was so dissappointed and sad that I cried, but that is another long chapter...

I haven't had one for so long! Absolutely love them!

My last time was at my annual physical a couple of weeks ago. The doctor had me pull up my undershirt and lay back on the table. She asked me to unbuckle and unzip my pants. Then she felt around my abdomen sliding her hands under my shorts as needed. Not much to it.

My last abdominal exam was rather quick and boring. The doctor just did a quick check and asked some questions. The whole thing was done and over with rather quickly

@Naevi ...wow....I would like to thank you for that incredibly detailed post. Yes...how absolutely awful and horrible that must have been for you. Not only the (very natural) feelings of shame, humiliation and embarrassment but also the fact that some aspects of these lengthy examinations caused you great physical discomfort too. I had a lot of naked examinations too (because of skeletal / muscular problems in my case ). I had some discomfort during many of my exams...but nothing compared to what you had to endure. I applaud your fortitude and trust that those problems are now years behind you, following your surgery as a teenager.

Was a few weeks ago. Was real quick palpated my stomach then checked bowel sounds and i was done

I don't think this really counts, but two weeks ago my ob/gyn measured my abdomen to see how much my uterus has grown. I've been getting this done for a while, 'cause ya know... pregnancy and all. Lol.

As for quadrants and bowel sounds, I don't remember ever having this done that wasn't practice for nursing school. Maybe when I was a kid, but in my adult life I don't recall any doctor vist where this happened.

Normally I’m laying down, either with my shirt off or just in my underwear. The doctor usually uses the stethoscope and listens and feels everywhere. I love that part of the exam.

My last abdominal exam came as part of my annual physical exam a couple of months back. The doctor started it by saying in a rather childish way "I'm just going to examine your tummy now". I was already on the table shirtless and down to my boxers. It started with the doctor doing a visual exam from the end of the table and then lowering the waistband of my boxers slightly in order to expose the lower part of my abdomen. He then moved onto palpating all nine areas softly at first and then again more deeply and asked me to breathe in and out while he did it. He then moved onto percussion, tapping quite hard across my abdomen, and then aske me to roll onto my side to percuss further. Finally he said "I'm just going to have a listen to your tummy" and listened in several areas including just above my bellybutton. The stethoscope was cold which made me quiver a little bit. It's another part of the exam that I enjoy. 😃

Mine was at a physical exam with a new doctor a couple of days ago. After I laid back he lifted my shirt up a bit to the top of my belly and poked around some. While doing this he asked about my scar from having my appendix out and commented on my many moles. He then really started pushing pretty hard all over my abdomen. He put both hands flat all around my belly button like he was spreading it apart almost and, like he was trying to look way down into it (I do have a deep belly button!) and asked me to bear down like I was having a bowel movement. He pressed down pretty hard and asked if I had any pain with that. I'm not sure but guessing he was looking for hernia's (???). After that he grabbed hold of my shirt and lifted it up a little bit at a time one side then the other back and forth. He made another comment about my moles and kept lifting my shirt a bit here and there until it was just above my nipples. Then he had me sit up.

I only ever remember having one, a day before I had my first period (in trans) so when I was ten years old. Remember it well because I was very confused and had started to have feelings around exams. Even although I was hurting at the time.

The doctor had me pull up my T-shirt and I think move my trousers and underwear down a little. He then pushed quite hard into my stomach and I felt some tingling as he worked his way down. It was also more painful down there though, which made sense given what I found out the next day.

I had a very quick abdominal exam. My gyn quickly checked my abdomen. She was only focusing on the lower abdomen. I really didn't bother to ask why abdominal exam, because I knew what was coming next: my first pelvic and I was extremely nervous for that.

She palpated and stethed the lower abdomen quickly before she did the bimanual and then used the speculum.

Then he had me sit up.

What did the doctor do next, or was that the last step in the examination?

>What did the doctor do next, or was that the last step in the examination?

That was most definitely not the end of the examination. He slid the table extension back in and had me sit up. Then he came around behind me and lifted the back of my shirt up where he looked over my moles quickly and checked my spine. He had me put my chin on my chest while he did this. He then turned and went over to the counter and grabbed his rubber hammer while I pulled my shirt back down. He pushed in the foot stool at the bottom of the table and tested the reflexes in my knees & ankles, then pulled the foot stool back out when he was finished. When he went back over to the counter to return his hammer, I thought we were done and had begun the shimmy to get off the exam table and was just starting to put my feet on the step stool and was going to go sit down. That's when he said he needed to do a hernia evaluation on me and proceeded to tell me where to stand and how he wanted me positioned. I thought the term "hernia evaluation" was different and interesting, never heard it phrased like that before. He spent a good minute or two examining my genitals before giving me the actual hernia exam. When he finished with that he had me go back over to the table, lean on my forearms, and he examined my prostate. The last step of the examination was me pulling my pants and underwear back up, trapping the squishy lube between my cheeks.

It just happened today at my physical. I was lying on the table fully clothed, completely expecting to keep on all my clothes like I normally do at this doctor even for physicals. BUt this time, he untucked my shirt and undershirt, pulled them up, and then asked me to unbutton my jeans. He tried to listen to my heart but then said maybe it would be easier if I just took my shirt and undershirt off. After he listened to my heart, he did the abdominal exam and felt deeply, pressed into my belly, moved his hands under my boxer briefs and continued to press and move and palpate. He seemed to press really deeply into me and his hands were broad and warm.

Giving a male patient an abdominal examination is a treat for both me and the patient prior to genital and rectal examinations.

That's when he said he needed to do a hernia evaluation on me and proceeded to tell me where to stand and how he wanted me positioned. I thought the term "hernia evaluation" was different and interesting, never heard it phrased like that before.

The phrase “hernia evaluation” is a new one for me too. I just love reflecting back on the exact words the doctor used during an examination when masturbating afterwards. Nerdy sounding terms like that add a lot to the experience for me.

I had abdominal exams twice in the last couple of weeks.

I had developed sudden upper abdomen pain late in the night. The pain was bad so my parents rushed me to the hospital. There the doctor did a full abdominal exam- palpation auscultation and percussion all over my abdomen, more focused on the upper left because that was the area of pain. I was literally in tears when she pressed for the first time. She was pressing again and again. It was getting difficult for me so at one point I got irritated and asked "What are you doing" . But she very politely said "I am checking for rebound pain. Does it hurt" I don't know what that means. I was already in so much pain what's so different about rebound pain. I genuinely couldn't answer her.

She asked me to to straighten my legs. That was tough. She checked my tongue and eyes. I would say she actually tried to figure out but couldn't. Then she asked for an ultrasound and later a Doppler but even that didn't give any conclusive result so she said it maybe an idopathic pain. For that she gave a painkiller injection. I felt better an hour later.

Second incident happened a week back when I got bladder spasms. I was in the ER where the doctor helped me getting relief from the symptoms and then I was kept under observation for over an hour. During that time I was examined 4-5 times. Once by the doctor and other times by the nurse.

Since I had bladder issues hence that day they were just palpating lower abdomen and also the sides, to check if I was feeling any pain.

@Naevi: Toller ausführlicher Bericht.

Haven't had one in the longest time,but totally want one- one of my favorite parts of the exam

Generally my abdominal exam happens only during my annual physical. Even the last one happened then. It happens after my ultrasound. I prefer it that way so that I can consult him if anything unusual is found in the scan.

I am always in my own clothes for abdominal exam.

The abdominal exam is generally routine, all that tapping, auscultation and palpation. During auscultation he also checks femoral pulse.

Two years back my appendix showed slight enlargement so he specifically checked for something and then he also did something with the legs I don't remember but it didn't cause any discomfort at all so there was nothing to worry. It has been fine since then and my appendix is very much intact😃

I had one as part of an annual physical earlier this week. It was my first appointment with a new nurse practitioner who I got assigned to after the doctor I'd been seeing for a few years left the practice.

The whole exam was very cursory. I've always been fully clothed for all appointments at this practice, and this exam was no different. She didn't even lift up my shirt for the abdominal exam. After listening to my lungs and heart, she reclined the table, asked me to lay back, and pulled out the table extension for my legs. Over my t-shirt, she listened for a few seconds in two places, then felt lightly in three places (top left, bottom left, and bottom right) and asked me if anything was tender. When pressing down, she placed her hand flat on my belly so that the pressure was very spread out; she didn't go deep at all. I've gained a couple of pounds in the past few months and I felt aware of a bit of extra fat on my belly. She didn't say anything about it and I'm definitely not "fat," but I'm usually quite fit so I noticed a difference in how it felt compared to the last time I was examined.

I guess doctors just aren't expecting to find anything wrong with a young, healthy guy, but I do wish they'd be more thorough at annual physicals (because I care about my health, not because I'm trying to get off at the doctor's office). I feel like I haven't had a thorough exam, especially an abdominal exam, since I was seeing a pediatrician (I'm 34 now).

I had some tummy troubles near the beginning of the year, and the first time I went and saw a doctor for it, she of course examined my abdomen, and pressed down pretty hard in some spots of course looking for issues. She didn't really find anything of note, and even though i was borderline dehydrated at the time, she said just go home and drink a bunch of water, and she thought it would clear up in a few days (which it did). I didnt have to take my shirt off or anything either, I just lifted it up so she could look at me.

She did give me a referral to a gastro dr abut by the time it got approved and i could get an appointment, I hadnt felt bad in weeks and weeks, and also was having other issues that needed more attention x.x.

My last physical a few years ago was nice, just laying on the table in nothing but my tighty whities while the doctor feels around my abodmen. I have another physical coming up near year's end, hopefully that experience will happen again. 😉

Hopefully I’ll get one soon

My last abdominal exam was done not long ago during my physical. My doctor asked me to lay back and opened my gown. He inspected it telling me to breathe normally and then started to auscultate. He then felt inside my navel and asked me to cough, and then take a deep breath. He percussed and then palpated my entire belly. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait until my next exam.

Normally I am the one who conducts the abdominal palpation. However, that's not the point. My most recent abdominal exam took place 10 weeks ago. My physician, an elderly lady (about 60 y/o) aksed me to lay down on the exam table. I had a naked upper body because she has just auscultated my chest. She went ahead and listened to my stomach for a while. Then she started to percuss my abdomen, and when she percussed my liver, she went all up my ribcage until her fingers met my right nipple. I felt vulnerable and aroused at the same time. Then she finally started a Real thorough palpation exam where she felt all over my relaxed, soft stomach for almost 5 minutes. When she embarked to deep palpation, I felt a tender Spot in my upper right quadrant when she pressed hard on my liver. I felt like punched in the stomach. Really vulnerable feeling. Yet also amazing how softly and cautiously my doctor felt all over my stomach.

As the topic is about the latest abdomen exam, I have an update. Had an appointment at a gastroenterologist due to some pain in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen. My new doctor was a friendly lady in her early 40s, curly hair, curvy figure.

After she asked me some things about my issues and my lifestyle, m doctor led me to the exam table and asked me to lay down and lift up my shirt. After a quick visual inspection she put her hands on my lower left quadrant and started to lightly palpate my stomach. She explained: "i will carefully palpate your entire abdomen now. Since your complaints are in the liver area, I start far away from that region. Tell me if it hurts anywhere."

It didn't. With slow, circling motions, one hand on top of the other, while both hands were lying flat on my stomach, my doctor did a textbook palpation exam. After she had palpated my entire abdomen with light pressure, she announced: "Ok, everything's fine so far. I will go ahead and press deeply into your stomach now. Tell me if you feel uncomfortable."

I didn't. That was, until she palpated my liver and instructed me to breath in. It didn't hurt bad, but was at least uncomfortable enough to make me feel vulnerable. Interestingly, she then even tested for rebound tenderness, pressing deep down into my soft, relaxed stomach to quickly release the pressure. It felt quite special and it was the first time ever that a doctor performed this test. Overall this was the most thorough abdominal palpation that was ever done on my stomach. Surely a memorable exam with a nice and gentle lady doctor.