True story:
I went to a new doctor last week for my annual physical. She was recommended by moms in a pro-intact group because she respects their decision not to circumcise boys and knows not to retract little boys' foreskins. (I always shop for pro-intact doctors because I don't want to hear that my sons or I should get a circumcision; that would also tell me they aren't thinking doctors when they say stuff like that.)
So I go through the usual things with the assistant -- blood pressure, weight, heart rate -- and she tells me to disrobe and put on the gown for the doctor. I do that and wait about 10 minutes.
It shouldn't matter, but this doctor turned out to be a very good-looking 40-something. She made direct eye contact with me for the Q&A about my history and habits. I'm generally comfortable in doctors' offices, but this time I started to feel spotlighted. So many docs just go through the motions, but this one seemed genuinely interested in who I was and in my background.
When she said, "Stand over here for the testicular exam," I knew what to do. I stepped in front of her and hoisted my gown. She groped my balls per routine, asked if I was sexually active, then surprised me. I couldn't see past the mound of gown in my arms (nor was I trying to), so it took me a second to realize -- by touch -- that she was peeling my foreskin open!
The cold air on my glans sent a little chill through me. She skinned me all the way back, rolled my penis over, then tugged my foreskin forward to the closed position. "Okay," she said, and I took that as the signal to lower my gown.
We talked for a moment about my prostate (exams are routine at my age), and we agreed on a "digital check." I leaned over the table, took the probing like a man, and got her OK for the size of my prostate.
What also surprised me about all this was, she did not pause to bring in a third party. That's normal in all my previous physicals. Usually an assistant comes in and pretends to be busy with something on the countertop while the doctor feels my testicles and probes my rectum. It's done to stave off legal claims of improper touching, and if they have a witness for the women they have to do the same for the men. But no such precaution took place.
Further, this woman handled my foreskin as if she did this every day. (Maybe she does, but not for my age bracket: 85 percent of my cohort is circumcised.) But she didn't say a word about it.
Many of you know [Login to see the link]. The real doctor's office isn't like that, of course. But this one ... hmm. Maybe there's a story in there.