I have very different views on this topic right now. So before I continue one with what I am trying to convey here, please don't read into what or take offense to what I am trying to say here in my little rant. For I know what I am about so say isn't going to be articulated as well as I would like it to be given the late hour and such. But with all this being and, according to Col Henry Blake, "here's looking up your old address." (Col Henry Blake M*A*S*H)
I have two points, 1) If you are given the chance to be examined by medical students, no matter what kind of students they are or what kind or medical professionals they want to be when they grown up, by all means, please think about your decision carefully. You, by being asked, are being given a special place that most others will never be given the chance to do. And by giving these students a chance to examine you, no matter how big or how small your medical condition seems to you, it probably is to them as well, but also provides them with even more information to take with them in the future, not including that it adds, or could potently add, pieces to a puzzle someplace down the road for them that may actually really save someone's life. Doing and allowing things like medical students to be present, or even assist at some of your examinations, I can't even begin to express these students admiration and respect for you and your willingness to help them learn first hand how a human body works.
Trust me when I tell you that medical students, from STNA's, to nurses, to PA's, to NA's, to doctors only learn on average about 20 percent at best from their schooling and books and the other 80 percent they learn in the field. And I know you have heard many of the medical professionals on here talk and say things like "we've seen it all before, you have nothing to embarrassed about" that is true, but we also realize that you have not been exposed or examined by most of these people before and that can be somewhat embarrassing or difficult for you during this time. And we do, believe it or not, the good ones, meaning the good medical professionals understand and do empathize with and for you during your graciousness by allowing totally complete strangers in the room either watching or participating in your care, where they along with the doctor in charge of both you and your care, and the students they are teaching can come up with hopefully are reasonable and accurate diagnosis for what every issues you may be having at the current moment.
Let me give you a little example I have never told anyone before, not even Doc I don't think. Back when I was in my early years of college, I decided to get all kinky with myself. So I shaved everything down in my nether regions. Everyone else was doing it, I thought I would give it a try too. Boy was that ever a wrong decision at the time lol. A few days later I was in the bathroom urinating and noticed a lot of trouble getting the urine to come out, but the little that I did get to come out burned like fire, to the point that it made me cry. And trust me when tell you, I am NOT a crier by any means. I was still a very fat chick weighing in at or around 240 pounds then and again, to be totally honest with you, was too fat to look at myself down there. The areas at first started to itch but that itching quickly turned into severe pain. It was that hot white pain that made you grip the side of the bars beside the toilet and pray the screams you were making were not able to be heard by those outside the bathroom. Wiping was a real treat too let me tell you. I learned to do the blotting ting in a sure fire quickness. I also learned that a nice cold cloth helped to ease both the pain and the burning that also was quickly becoming a constant. By the next morning I could hardly walk. None of the NSAIDS, i.e. Tylenol, ASA, Advil, and at the time the new med Aleve came out, but none of them even took the edge off the pain.
So, mid-way through my shift my manager gave me permission to head to the ER, which I did. Also in a few of my previous posts I had mentioned it was at the hospital I did my lab work, but hadn't started doing that yet. The ER was empty and I got back to a room almost as soon as I walked into the door. I was promptly taken back to the gyn room and instructed to take EVERYTHING off, and the nurse would be back in a few minutes, and she was. I hardly had enough time to finish, get my clothes in an orderly manner on the chair and get up on the table also as she had instructed me to do. She took my vitals, history etc.
Then she asked to take a quick peek at my problem, I allowed her to do so. I can honestly tell you the look on her face was priceless, somewhat in shock, and said she would get the doctor right away. Then she also asked me if I would mind if he brought in some of the medical student to observe, which would include interns as well as student nurses. I had the forethought at that moment to ask her if what she was seeing was odd or that different than anything they usually see and she quickly nodded her head yes, but then assured me that she was sure they could figure out what was wrong and get me to feeling better shortly.
So in less than a minute later, like I said, the ER must have been, no pun intended, really dead that day, in walked a middle aged male doctor, three male interns and three female soon to be RN's. The room wasn't all that big, so all of them would be getting front row seats at my va jay jay. They took turns introducing themselves first and all shook my hand which I greatly appreciated as it sort of eased my tension. The doc in charge went over a battery of questions for me regarding my sexual history, form of birth control, number of partners, onset of symptoms and so forth and so on. He gave the other a chance to ask any questions they might have had as well. For the moment they were quiet.
The doc then had me lay back and relax as much as possible. He gently opened my legs and brought the light over closer so that he could see the issue at hand and so could the others much better and easily. Again, before he removed the sheet any further he again asked me if I minded the others being in the room to observe. I told them that I was already a paramedic, working on my lab tech degree, and eventually was going to be a nurse. I have been lucky enough to have other patients allow me to see and help myself learn on them, and always promised myself that if I had ever been given the opportunity to pay it foreword, I would, and now was my chance and was doing so willingly. That seemed to make everyone relax a lot, including myself.
So Doc pulled the sheet up above my knees, but because of the severity of my issue asked me if he could fold the sheet back all the way to my belly so that he and everyone else could get the full picture and be able to see where all this "rash" was located. With flashlights in hand everyone had a nice close look. Doc asked my permission to insert a vaginal speculum to see if the rash has spread inside as well, and also a rectal scope for the same reason. I agreed to both. All of the areas were palpable, which made them scratch, then burn like fire. I was promptly given a lecture about scratching them, but that's easier said than done lol.
The doctor asked the others from first glance, and from what I was telling them, from listening to my history, what would be their first thought as to what my diagnosis was. 3 of them immediately said, herpes, the three others said that the areas didn't look to them like herpes lesions but more like a topical rash, possibly caused from me being shaved and using a shaving cream that didn't agree with me, infected hairs, etc. The Doc said that he was more inclined to believe that it was more of an irritation/allergic reaction than herpes, but because of my age group, and the fact that I had admitted to recently having unprotected sex, and more than once, it would be a wise choice to go ahead and swab for herpes and a few other STDs while they were down there in "that department" anyway. I agreed to the tests, also peed in a cup, tox screen came out clean as I knew it would. They offered to cath me first to ensure a sterile sample, that I refused and they also offered to place a Foley for a few days to keep the urine away from the open and burning/painful sores when I urinated, but I declined that as well. So he handed me a script for I believe Bactrim DS and another medication and if I remember correctly either EMLA cream or viscous lidocaine to be paced on my nether regions so I could pee in peace, not be afraid to pee, and be pretty much pain free while doing so, in turn, helping me to prevent getting a UTI, bladder, or kidney infections.
By that night whichever cream they gave me allowed me to pee in relative comfort, and in 2 days or a little after whatever meds they gave me cleared up about 80 percent of my little rash. The tests came back, I didn't have any form or sort of an STD that they could tell. Doc, alone this time, had a re-look at the areas in question and determined that I had a severe reaction to something. We went through the whole gamut of questions that could have caused this mess, and finally decided it was the new bright red panties I had bought a day earlier which I had not worn before nor had I washed them prior to wearing them for the first time. Okay, a day later all was healed up and gone. A very expensive lesson to learn, and the hard way too might I add.
Point number 2 I want to make here is to remember the hundreds of thousands of people, both willingly and according to recent government papers, unwillingly allow themselves to be examined by others in various states of their learning and in their education in the hopes that you, as one, could, can, and will possibly help thousands after you by giving these medical students the opportunity to learn from you. It may be them learning from whatever ails you, to how to help communicate with a patient who is shy, embarrassed, or even reluctant to seek medical help to begin with. The more real patients they are allowed to view, examine, interview, and study, the better medical professional they will be. Remember, we are not getting any younger, some of the doc's we have been seeing and trust are getting older and getting close to the age where they are starting to think about retiring. We need to do our part to help the newbies gain the confidence and knowledge to be able to take care of us in the future. So by allowing ourselves to be comfortable enough in our own skin to let the newbies participate in our care as they are learning, is a win win situation for all of us in the future. Think about that.
And that's my two cents worth for tonight.
Mashie