Never have run into any healthcare providers outside of the office.
I do want to offer you some assurance and hopefully make you more comfortable with the process. As others have said, the doc has seen tons of whoo-has and does not think twice about it. For me, after about the first semester of nursing school, looking at someone's hind end became about like looking at their knee - nothing special and every one's is different. I know it is hard to get over the body image issues, I have them too, but I promise you that your doc is not looking at your body and judging it. I promise he/she is not thinking "ewww, gross" or anything else along those lines. I have given a bed bath to a 500+ lb person and no thoughts of the kind ever crossed my mind, it is just another body part! If your doc has thoughts about your weight or body, it will only be in relation to your health, and he/she will be proud of you for working to improve your health!
I hope that makes you a little more comfortable when the time comes!
Last edited by Hello Nurse; 06-02-2009 at 06:35 PM.
Reason: typo crazy!
My old OB/GYN who delievered my babies has retired, but I remember bumping into him at the grocery store a couple of times when I was still seeing him. I didn't really feel weird about it. I just go to a GP now for that stuff and my doctor is a wonderful woman that I really like a lot. It can be kind of weird because I am a software developer at the medical facility where she practices, and we attend meetings together. I just try not to think of the times that she's seen me sick and naked! She's very respectful and proper and that makes it much easier.
Also small town dweller here, and our family doc has seen me through internal exams, pregnancy, breaking down in his office due to depression, and patching me up after a car hit me on my motorcycle. Bless him, he has always been nothing but professional yet friendly. (he also rides a motorcycle, which endears him to me )
I dont' think you need to worry about it, but of course it's your decision and you need to do what you feel comfortable with
I ran into my OB/GYN once in a department store. She recognized me, said hi, and I knew I knew her face, so I smiled and said hello back. It took me several minutes afterward to figure out who she was! No white lab coat, you know...she wasn't "in uniform"!
And especially for OB/GYNs... the girls here are right, they look at so many hoo-has (lol) that I don't think it registers with them which hoo-ha belongs to who. I think we all worry too much about our bodies and who sees them and how people might judge them... but I really don't think anyone cares as much as we do, lol.
You know, if your OB-GYN has seen ALOT of hoo-haws that day, he/she probably won't recognize your face, just your hoo-haw IF it was particularly of clinical interest! And I assume you aren't flashing your hoo-haw at the grocery store, so you have nothing to worry about!!!
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