Extended well-child and well teen physicals

Girl, Western Europe, participating in a medical surveillance project on children and teens

I am female. It happened in Western Europe, each year from 2010 to 2016, from I was 6 years old and until 16 years old. Sometimes my parents drove me to the exam, sometimes I got there in a bus in group from our school. The exam happend at various places: At the regular nurses or medical room at the school. At a regular hospital. At a doctors office. In the kindergarten. And the exams also occurred at home. All children in my school of the age group participated in these exams.

Preparations and arrangements for the exams: I was not allowed to eat some time before the exam. I got laxatives at home to clean out my stomach the day before the exam or I got laxatives to clean out my stomach at the place where the exam took place.

They washed my body before the exam. I sometimes got a traditional enema before the exam to clean out my stomach. or my stomach was cleaned out by a tube incerted into my anus that was connected to some pump and flush mashine.

I was totally naked through all the procedures. I had to strip totally naked before the exam. 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 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 leg. I got electrodes, 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.

Anesthesia: The use, type and degree of anesthesia varied. For some parts I did not get any anesthesia. I got lubricating and numbing cream into my vagina. The anesthesia only took away pain.

Examinations with outer equipment: 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 also did some other type of test with advanced machines.

They examined my upper body, my stomach area, my shoulder area, my hip area, and arms and legs with an ultrasound device or something similar.

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

They used electrodes at my chest, at my belly, and at my limbs to record body functions.

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

Internal endoscopic inspections that I remember: 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.

The doctor explored my vagina with a finger and they used a speculum in my vagina. They took specimens from my vagina with a tube. They inspected my vagina with a scope. They also performed an ultrasound exam inside my vagina.

The doctor explored my anus with a finger and they inspected my anus with a speculum. They took specimens from my anus with a tube. They inspected me through my anus with a rigid scope. They inspected me through my anus high up with a flexible scope. At times they also performed a full colonoscopy with a flexible scope. They inspected me through my anus with an ultrasound probe.

They also made an opening in my belly button or just under it and inspected the inside of my belly with a scope. They took specimens from the inside of my belly with a needle or tube through a hole in my belly button.

Arrangements after the exam: I had electrodes on my body. I had catheter into my bladder. I had a tube going in through my anus. I lay with my legs in stirrups some time after the exam.

The school I attended I attended ordinary daytime school.

COMMENTS It looks like this girl and all the kids at the school, or at least all in her class, participate in a project where all aspects of the body development, health status and body functions are recorded, at several age levels.

When they want to record everything regarding the kids' development, all the methods mentioned are likely to be used, but probably not each time.

She reports that she was awake all the time, but got anesthesia to take away pain. She surely also got anesthesia to calm her down through the IV. Possibly she also got anesthesia to put her fully to sleep, and hinder her from remembering, but that this only managed to calm her down, and when the same procedures are repeated year after year, most of it will slip into memory at some time.

The whole procedure seemes to follow a standard algorithm that I have seen reported several times, from USA and Western Europe. It seems to be a part of some international surveillance project subjected upon children and teens.