Many years back I was admitted in one of the Govt. run hospital to have my appendicitis surgery. My dad, being a govt. employee would get medical reimbursement, only when we receive treatment in a govt. owned hospital.
In these hospitals, the night shifts are mostly managed by junior doctors who will call the senior doctors or surgeons only on emergency situation. Otherwise they will take routine rounds and report to the senior doctors next morning.
A couple of days before my date of surgery, I was taking rest in my hospital bed after taking my dinner. Then a young lady doctor, who was in charge of our ward that night, came for her routine round accompanied by a nurse.
She came near my bed and asked me how I was feeling. By courtesy, I sat up to talk to her. She smiled and asked me to remain in laid down position. The she asked me some routine questions about my general health. Then she listened to my heart and lungs with her stethoscope. She measured by blood pressure with her sphygnanometer. Then she palpated my stomach and abdomen and requested me to untie the string of my pyjama and loosen it. She told me to do so since she wanted to check my lower abdomen,
While looking down and palpating my lower abdomen, she suddenly looked at me with a surprise. Then she asked me, " Are you suffering from any hydrocele?" I had no idea about it. She continued to ask me," Do you feel any heaviness down there while walking"
I was feeling confused and could not answer her clearly. She told me that while checking my lower abdomen, just by chance her eyes fell on my genital region over my pyjama and she felt that my genital area is abnormally bulged out.
Then she told me that since my appendicitis surgery is going to take place in another couple of days, she cannot take any chance and hence she has to examine my genital region immediately, to ensure that nothing abnormal is there. Otherwise, my surgery schedule will have to be postponed.
Without wasting any more time, she aksed the nurse to bring a pair of gloves. I was feeling terrified with a sense of upcoming embarrassment. The nurse came back within a minute with several pair of latex gloves. The lady doctor quickly put on a pair of gloves and then without taking any consent from my side, she pulled down my untied pyjama down to my ankle. Then she instructed me, " Please spread your legs apart. Just relax"
Then she got hold of my scrotum and exclaimed," Oh my god! I was correct. You defintely have hydrocele." For the next 5 minutes, she pressed, squeezed, palpated every region of my scrotum, my testicles, asking me time to time whether I am feeling any pain from her squeezing. She told me that she was surprised that I never noticed that I had heavy, swollen scrotum.
She immediately called the Senior Doctor who came rushing. The Senior Doctor praised the Junior Lady Doctor for identifying my hydrocele during her night shift round. He decided to perform my hydrocele surgery immediately so that my appendicitis surgery is not delayed too much.
Within half hour, the nurse shaved my genital area and prepared me for my hydrocele surgery. I was made to wear a gown and transferred in a stretcher to the operation theatre. I was surprised to see that alongwith the Senior Surgeon, the Junior Lady Doctor is also present there dressed in a surgical gown, cap and mask. To my further shock, the senior surgeon told me that since the Junior Lady Doctor had done a great job in idenitfying my hydrocele, he will give her the opportunity to do the operation of my hydrocele. He will supervise.
I was feeling extremely embarrased that my genital will be cut and tore in the hands of a female. But I was helpless. The Junior Lady Doctor came to me and said," I would like to thank you that you cooperated with me to examine your genital organ. That is why today I am getting this great opportunity to do surgery on a male scrotum. I hope you are not feeling bad that a lady doctor will do operation of your genital organ".
She immediately pulled off the blanket from my body and opened my gown and made me lie completely naked on the operation table in front of a group of nurses and the senior male doctor. Then she injected a local anaesthesia right into my scrotum and started her surgery. I could not feel anything more and out of sheer shame I closed my eyes.....
After the surgery, my ordeal did not end. For the next 5 days, the same lady doctor would visit me twice a day and expose my genital region, examine the operated area and do my dressing.