Do you ask or tell your doctor everything during your examination

I am very comfortable with my primary care doctor. I've been going to him since I was a little girl, and I trust him completely.

I can't say that I've ever held anything back from him, but his questions have never been inappropriate. He would ask me personal questions, but they were always appropriate, medically-related questions. He would often ask the usual awkward questions with regards to elimination, such as did it ever hurt to pee? Or, how often to I poop? As I began to enter puberty, the awkwardness increased somewhat with the questions about my breasts. I still remember when I was 12-years-old and he asked me if I was having any vaginal discharge. Awkward! But, I didn't hold anything back.

Regarding folks who have asked about the "In the past 12 months have you run out of food etc etc" type questions, they're being asked as in the field there's a big push at looking at SDOH, or social determinants of health. Basically "We've got patients who may be struggling and it's showing up in their health, how can we find out who they are and connect them to resources who can help or change what we're doing to help them."

I'm fairly open and straightforward with my primary.

Saw my doc today and asked her about the new "Social" questionaire. Her clinic has added a social worker to help with the "older" patients who may be experiencing some of those difficulties (food, transportation etc.). The data (currently) is only used so they can provided information to the patient on resources to help alleviate the problems. This is sort of a "beta" project to see how needed, and how effective a service it is. Many folks don't make it to their visits due to transportation issues etc and there are local volunteers who will provice this as a free service as well as free food services and delivery etc.

It's voluntary, you don't have to answer the questions - I doubt it is useful as far as creating any meaningful statistics due to the current sampling population. So far, they have had limited situations where they could assist an individual with resource recommendations.

As far as communicationg with my doc, we're very open. I told her I gave up drinking (almost), smoking and that I needed to keep one vice. She understood and renewed my Talafadil (Cialis) script!! She recommended some tests, but also said there's no point in getting them done unless I am willing to follow through with treatment if something shows up. I'm approaching the age where that will be an important decision; e.g. which will kill me first, the disease, old age, or the treatment itself. She told me I'm not "ripe" yet to deny the tests.

I fully understand to goal of the social questioning and they might pick up someone that needs help that is reluctant to reach out. But personally I now just decline answering them and if pressed I tell the assistant to put down "none of your business". At my last colonoscopy I was bombarded with the questions, one included "do you have firearms at home", Yep big "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS", at that point I told the nurse I was done answering these questions.

Overall I try to be pretty open about issues and even kinks if it pertains to why I am there.

I fully understand to goal of the social questioning and they might pick up someone that needs help that is reluctant to reach out. But personally I now just decline answering them and if pressed I tell the assistant to put down "none of your business". At my last colonoscopy I was bombarded with the questions, one included "do you have firearms at home", Yep big "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS", at that point I told the nurse I was done answering these questions.

Some of those questions are really invasive and nobodys business. In the past I have lied about wearing my seatbelt, speeding, thinking about suicide, depression, violence etc just to see the reaction. The nurse asked the questions and just noted the answers.... when the doc came in, she just sort of smiled!

Lately, I just don't give a shit and go ahead and answer them - mostly truthfully.