<p>I am going to attend a regular private 4-year university. They send all these forms you have to fill out including a health form that includes a physical that your doctor has to complete. When I was looking over the form I noticed on the checklist that the doctor should examine it said “ano-rectal.” Does this mean that the doctor is going to stick his finger up my butt???</p>
<p>does anybody else have this or has anyone already gone through their exam?</p>
<p>…have fun with that.</p>
<p>eh, they might not. there were a lot of things on my checklist that my doctor didn’t actually do,</p>
<p>Yeah, probably not.</p>
<p>idk…that seems weird to do</p>
<p>but i lol’d too hard at the title of this</p>
<p>Make sure he buys you dinner first.</p>
<p>No, not fingers… just a balloon, some electric rods, and a batch of paste ;)</p>
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<p>LOLL…g’luck with that</p>
<p>I’m with Opie. :D</p>
<p>ahhhhhh hahahaha</p>
<p>LOL thank you for the laughs!!!</p>
<p>uh oh time to transfer…</p>
<p>ahaha wow.
my physical form only required vaccination records and a record of a ‘recent’ physical, like within the last year or something i think.</p>
<p>Okay, as a current med student I can promise you that a full history and physical should include a digital (as in a finger) rectal exam and not all that BS in post #7 (which is used when there are actual, very serious problems with defecation, unwanted voiding, etc. exist). However, no one really wants one done, and doctors really don’t want to do them either (which is why 3rd year medical students do so many while on their clerkships). So most people ignore them.</p>
<p>It’s very unlikely that your doctor will give you a rectal exam, and if s/he does it will only be a finger. Unless you tell him you’ve had changes in your bowel habits (diarhea,constipation,frequency), blood in your stool, or dark, tarry stools, I’d be shocked if they actually went through and did it.</p>
<p>so why do they do it with trauma patients?</p>
<p>I’ve been a trauma patient and did not have a rectal exam. They did ultrasounds, x-rays, and CATs to make sure that I was okay. Maybe blood tests to ensure that my organs weren’t shutting down.</p>
<p>I work at a ped’s office and I’ve never heard of a rectal exam on anyone. Maybe they do it to babies, but I have never had one done from the time I remember (I can recall March 1988 on forward) nor have I heard of doctors doing it, at least at our practice (and we have six different doctors, each with their own style/customs).</p>
<p>last time i had a physical required for school (high school sports team) he just wrote a big “OK” across the entire form and that’s it.</p>
<p>Oh, jeez. The doctor just sticks a finger in there for like a second. If you are male, it’s mainly to check out your prostate; if you’re female, it’s to feel the uterus and ovaries as a routine part–and certainly not the worst part–of your annual gyno exam (though it is often skipped). I imagine this is usually skipped with younger patients, as they are much less likely to have any conditions that might be identified by a rectal exam (like prostate cancer).</p>
<p>I had one when I was like 13 and was in the emergency room for possible appendicitis. It was nothing. Guy had huge hands, too.</p>
<p>Relax and it will be much easier.</p>
<p>If the doctor skips it, do it yourself at home.</p>
<p>My first college physical:
Doctor gets to “RECTUM/ANUS” on checklist.
Dr. V: So, Justin. How’s your anus?"
Me: Uh… uh…good?
Dr. V: Great! <em>check</em></p>
<p>Wait, to poster above me: DO IT AT HOME?!?!?!</p>