In play exams where Iāve been the patient, a big part of the excitement comes from following the doctorās instructions and orders. Different playdocs have had widely varied preferences and procedures for when and how I undress for the exam, and Iāve always been OK with whatever they decide. Itās interesting to see that there are so many ways to handle even this very simple step in a play exam scenario. Hereās a quick run-down of the spectrum Iāve experienced as a play patient:
1) He has me remove clothing piecewise, as needed during the exam. Usually first he has me remove my shirt for auscultation, then my shoes, socks, and pants or shorts for height, weight, body measurements, and range-of-motion assessment, and finally the briefs are removed for genital and rectal exam. Most of the exam is usually conducted in briefs in this scenario. This approach seems to be favored by doctors who are more on the ārealisticā side of the play-exam spectrum.
2) He tells me to go to a separate changing room and change into an exam gown, usually stressing that I am to wear nothing under it. This is my least favorite option, but I comply if this is how the doctor wants me. Even though it covers quite a lot of the body, the gown is curiously humiliating in its own way, due to its shapelessness and wide-open feeling. For an adult man, itās almost infantilizing to put him in a shapeless/sexless and overly modest gown that covers so many body parts that most men are not shy about.
3) He tells me strip to myself down to my briefs immediately at the start of the exam, or after he conducts a medical history interview and takes vitals. Usually he is in the room as I disrobe but sometimes he leaves for a few moments, which I guess is a more realistic simulation of what happens when thereās an assistant to take vitals and then you strip down to wait for the doc. In this scenario, when itās time for my briefs to go, sometimes he tells me to pull them down or off. Other times he just removes them for me, sometimes without comment or warning.
4) He tells me to strip completely at the start of the exam or shortly thereafter. One doc handled this almost like a strip search, where I stood at attention and he ordered me to remove and hand over each piece of clothing, one at a time. Another doc had me go to a separate āchanging roomā and return to the exam room fully naked and slightly red-faced.
5) On the least-realistic end of the spectrum was a doc who insisted on removing all my clothing himself. As soon as I entered the exam room heād say āarms upā so he could remove my shirt. He then told me to place my hands behind my head while he removed the rest of my clothing prior to starting the exam. He would usually (but not always) leave my briefs on for the first part of the exam. Knowing that I would be undressed by the very strict doc immediately, but not knowing exactly how much clothing would be removed was a very interesting feeling. I think he only started this practice the second time I saw him.
While Iām more often the patient, I am also sometimes a play doc. In this role, I usually try to tailor the exam to the patientās interests and level of comfort, but my preference is generally for him to undress himself to briefs at the start of the exam, even before taking vitals and medical history. Then Iāll lower and remove his briefs as needed during the exam. Of all the options, this is usually also my favorite as a patient, I think.