Extended well-child and well teen physicals

Boy, western Europe, medical study at the ages 8-17.

I am male. It happened in Western Europe. I had the exams in 1990-2009 in the ages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 year old. Mom just told me it was time for my medical exam, I had twice a year. My parents drove me to the exam. It occured sometimes at a health center,sometimes a special establishment used for these type of exams. The exam happened to selected percentage of the children in my community. Mom put me in some medical study for which i had these exams

Preparations: They washed my body before the exam. I got a traditional enema before the exam to clean out my stomach. I was totally naked through all the procedures. They placed me upon something like a dentist's chair, but with devices to lift my legs onto. I was placed to lay on my back with my legs flexed up, spread and mounted upon two devices. I was placed to lay on my stomach with my legs flexed down and spread.

I got IVs, tubes into blood vessels, in an arm. I got a device on a finger or a toe to measure pulse and oxygen in my blood. I got a blood pressure monitor wrapped around an arm or a toe. I got electrodes on my cheast, on my stomach or hip region, on my legs and on my head.

I got a tube or wire in through my urethra. I got a tube or sond in through my anus. I got some numbing and lubricating cream injected into my urinary opening and into my anus. The anesthesia only took away pain.

Every time i had to squad, lie on stomack, sides and back, diaper position an all/fours so they could have the best posible access to my openings and body.

External examinations: They performed an EEC (electroencephalogram) - functional test of the brain with electrodes on the head. They performed an ECG, functional test of the heart function, with electrodes on my chest and other body areas. They performed an analysis of my breathing and oxygen uptake where I had to breath into a tube. I had to do some physical work, like cycling or running on a threadmill when the ECG and breathing analysis was performed.

They did some other type of test with advanced machines. They examined me with an ultrasound device or something similar at several places, my head, my upper body, my stomach area, my shoulder area, my hip area, my arms and legs.

They took chest and stomach x-ray pictures. They took x-ray pictures of my shoulder area, my hip area and my limbs.

They used electrodes to record functions inside my head. They used electrodes at my chest to record body functions. They used electrodes at my belly to record body functions. They used electrodes at my limbs to record body functions.

They examined my genitals with an ultrasound device. They also had electrodes at my genitals to record my functions in this area.

Internal examinations: They ispected the inside of my nose with a scope. They inspected the inside of my throut with a scope. They took specimens from my throut with a tube. They inspected the inside of my urethra and bladder with a scope. They took specimens from my urethra with a tube. They took specimens from my bladder with a tube.

They inspected my anus with a speculum. They took specimens from my anus with a tube. They inspected me through my anus high up with a flexible scope. They performed a full colonoscopy with a flexible scope. They inspected me through my anus with an ultrasound probe. The doctor explored my anus with a finger. Not any inspection inside my belly that I remember.

Other moments: it was embarresing and it took so lang before the exams were over, usualy it took more than a half day.

Arrangements after the exam: I had breathing tube. I had catheter into my bladder. I lay with my legs in stirrups some time after the exam.

I was rolled to a recovery room where other also were, all were still in stirrups and completly naked, when i had the first exam at age 8 it was not so embaresing to lie there naked whit kids my age but when all of us hit puberty it was more embarresing. At the end of the day we were al dressed in the same room. Mom would pick me up at the end of the day.

Type of school: I attended ordinary daytime school. It were just normal public schools.

COMMENTS:

This seems to be a medical study of the development of kids from 8-17. The development and possible signs of disease in all body areas were closely recorded, and also body functions were recorded.

It seems like around the world, some communities are selelcted to do such extensive studies, and in those communities a specific percetage of the children are selected to participate. It seems like these studies are done on an international basis, led by certain medical research institutes and sponsered by certain medical or pharmacy companies. During the exams equipments and drugs from these companies are also probably tested on the kids.

Since body functions and neurological functions were recorded, the boy had to be relaxed but, awake during much of the exam. But since he had breathing tube, at least at the end of the exam and in the recovery time, it is possible he got full general anesthesia for some parts of the exam.

The tube in his anus during the prepartation was most probably to flush out all content from his colon to prerpare for a full colonoscopy.

The anesthesia he got probably had the aim of erasing memory too, but when a kid undergoes the procedures that many times, something will be remembered each time and eventuelly a full picture of the events will be built up.

The practice of letting the children lay in stirrups during the recovery period seem to be common during such events. On reason seems to be some further studies of bodily functions with recording equipment. Another reason is that the kids need some nursing in their lower digestive tract, and for girls in their vagina, to normalize the functions after these extensive interventions. In this case, it is likely that the boy was held in general anesthesia some time during this period, so that he does not remember the nursing procedure. Most probably they flushed the colon free from digestive content as it came from the small intestine down to the colon and provied that air in the colon was emptied out.

These kind of study is very expensive to perform, but one tries to bring down cost and do as much as possible during the day. This is probably the reason why the kids got so little privacy and several kids were taken in groups.