Finally made an appointment

So I finally made an appointment with a dr. for a complete physical. It's been a while, probably 5 years. Of course, I can't wait for the stethoscope exam and I found out when i made the appointment that this dr. does not do gyn exams on the 1st visit, so I will have to go back. 😮 Why do they do that????

I am not sure that is bitter or sweet but I am thinking it's sweet 😳

So this time I have to get 2 exams in a year (this one), like I posted a question about before. But after this it will just be one.

I hope the exam meets / exceeds your expectations !

Respectfully,

Del

Nothing really happened, I was disappointed. I was expecting a full work up except for what I wrote about. I went in, they did ht/wt/bp. When the nurse left I was expecting her to give me at least a gown & say undress to underwear/take off bra/etc. But she ddin't. She just said the dr. would be in.

Then the dr. came in and didn't do much--finished the rather short history and I was fully dressed, she listened to my heart in one single place over my shirt. She didn't even go under it or ask me to lie down. So disappointing! Then she listened to my lungs in the back again over my shirt. Then I went down to the lab for bloodwork b/c I told her it had been a long time since I had it and since I hadn't eaten all day, she said let's go ahead & do that. So they drained me dry and I left, and that was it.

At the checkout area they asked if I wanted to make another appointment, which I did, but I thought I'd wait 6 months b/c I take an allergy prescription which she wrote for me for 6 more months. So, in 6 months I will make another appointment for a REAL physical...not the express kind. When I go back I will tell her I want a complete physical. Ugh.

Btw this is a new dr. to me.

If that was meant to be a "complete physical", you were definitely shortchanged. Listening to heart and lungs through a shirt is quite unacceptable in this day and age. A change of doctor might not be a bad idea.

Actually woodpecker, with the electronic high powered scopes and even with most of the better non-electric scopes, listening over normal, (meaning shirts etc, not coats, sweaters or sweatshirts, etc) clothing is absolutely acceptable and appropriate.

Just saying.

Good point Mash, but the issue is more one of perception than of medical necessity. I would not have much confidence in a doctor who felt that he or she could carry out a thorough physical without any clothing being removed.

Well if you are talking about a complete physical, then absolutely, clothes need to come off. As a matter of fact, a real physical should expose every inch of the patients skin at one point or another during the exam.

It used to be that way at one point, but over the years, people have become guarded, and sue happy, thus causing doctors to have no choice but to protect themselves first. As it should be and has to be. And I am saying this from a medical perspective, not a kinky one, lol.

But if you are just in there for a check-up, what have you, then really no skin needs to be exposed and listening to systems over clothes is fine and appropriate.

Mashie, I like as you say this:

a real physical should expose every inch of the patients skin at one point or another during the exam.

😉 😃

M.

Weirdly enough my dr exams seem to be more thorough when I'm sick than for checkups. Maybe docs feel like well visits aren't 'serious' enough to take as much time.

Hmmm, didn't mean to spark a debate here. Apparently they don't do complete physicals on the 1st visit for getting established or something, i dunno. I should've clarified it but didn't ask after the receptionist told me they don't do all that on the 1st visit.

During the checkup the dr. did say something to the effect of what she does w/physicals is to do X, Y and Z on the bloodwork, etc. I guess what I had wasn't really a physical but just a "necessity" of getting my daily prescription refilled (i take a regulatory med. every day). She basically listened to my heart like i said, and my breathing, and felt my neck.

I was expecting to be at least w/a gown to my underwear w/o bra (b/c I expect a breast exam as part of a physical for a woman with or w/o the pelvic)...and have eyes, ears, throat, neck, reflexes, stethoscope exam, breathing, abdominal, stethoscope exam on my abdomen, and breast exam. I guess I will have all that next time I go back, plus the gyn exam.

I am in my 40's and I have never had the classic complete physical. I do see different Doctors for different things. For example, when I see my allergist, she checks my ears, nose, heart and lungs, weight and blood pressure (101/60 yesterday). When I see my GP, he checks my heart and lungs and anything that may be troubling me during that appointment for which I have seen him.

Then, I have my Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor who checks his areas and my Gyn Doctor who checks her specific areas and my Dentist, Eye Doctor, etc. who all check their respective areas. It is a lot of different Doctors for one body!

But, I have never had one Doctor check everything. I am not sure what one would expect in a "complete physical".

Lady Teddy, healthy in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Lady Teddy,

A complete examination, today is no more so common, however I must say that some decades ago, it was very common, probably because the docs were less specialized.

The family doc was very more than now a "doc for all the problems" ...

M2000