i feel like i was the freak show

[btp54]

I am a man and had a procedure done at a near by hospital about 10 days ago, it has left me very angry but didn't say anything at the time as I didn't know if they did wrong.
I was brought into the theatre and got on the bed I was lying there and was told to lift my gown where I was naked from waist down , they made no attempt to cover me up to save my dignity there were 5 members of staff including nurses , consultant and others in the room, 3 of them doing nothing but all having a look and making comments, I know they have seen it all before, so am I right to feel angry, would I have been treated differently if I was a woman.
as the procedure failed I now have to have an operation, but I am already angry that if they can not look after my dignity when I am awake what will happen when I am under a general anaesthetic, should I make a complaint

Probably being unreasonable, there is nothing to complain about. As you say, they have seen it all before and they just need to get on with whatever they were doing. What kind of comments were they making?

I don't think that you would have been treated differently.

They are medical professionals, they need to look at your body?

Did they make comments not related to the procedure?

I have loads of lower body medical procedures and pretty much asked to strip off constantly.

I think it depends on the procedure. If it was in that area they have to see. If it was on your foot it's completely different.

I don't think you would have been treated differently as a woman. You leave your dignity at the door when you have a baby and smears can also leave you feeling very exposed. I think they were probably staff being trained, or junior doctors. It's not a case of them having a look for nothing better to do. They just see it as any other day in the office.
I'm sorry you feel upset though, maybe next time make a point of asking for a sheet?

I’m not sure how different a woman would be treated; what do you think they should have done differently while still being able to see what they were doing clearly?

You do realise that they were medical professionals right? When I was giving birth I has spectator student midwives both times. Perfectly normal.

I have had two c sections and remember being very exposed with about 12 staff in the room at the same time prior to the procedure starting. Try not to worry like you said “they have seen it all before”

Were they commenting on the size of your penis or the procedure you were having done?

Having given birth several times with folk wandering around, it is a side effect of certain procedures.

3 of them were doing nothing just standing around, did not need to be in the room, one of the comments was I haven't seen one of those before

Did they talk you through what was going to happen beforehand?

Why would a woman be treated differently? Literally hundreds of women are going through this every day. They have their legs apart and everything on show to any relevant medical professional who enters the room while they push a baby out.

I think women are probably more used to having to expose themselves to medical professionals.

There would have been a reason they were all there. There weren't there looking at your bits for a treat.

Perhaps you felt uncomfortable but they were trying to resolve a problem that required them to look at that area of your body. They will certainly have seen it all before.

You need to get a grip. I've had 2 kids, numerous smear tests, 2 breast cancer surgeries and my ovaries removed. I feel like the hospital staff of most of east London has seen my bits tbh. They're medical professionals. This is what they do.

Quute laughable that you think women are treated better.
When I was pregnant I had 12 people in the room looking at my vagina. Yes my vagina, I had a speculum in and the consultant had a miners type head lamp on.

Unfortunately there's no way to look at your genitals without, well, looking at your genitals.

Sorry to hear of your experience, but sadly you probably wouldn't have been treated differently as a woman. Gynae procedures in particular can be very undignified and I have had some unpleasant experiences. You should complain though if you feel the comments etc were inappropriate.

Women deal with this constantly. In labour you get all manner of people coming in for a feel or a look, the Doctor, the Midwife, the student. When having my last smear, there was 3 women in the room, only one was doing the procedure. Stitching you up afterwards, checking your stitches till they have healed, diagnosing you with thrush, checking urinary incontinence, looking at prolapses etc etc.
My mum used to tell me, "leave your dignity at the door and pick it up on the way out because they have seen it all before".

Saying they hadn't seen one of what before?
Were the comments professional and related to your medical case or are you suggesting they were mocking your genitalia?
Were the extra people the anaesthesia team, nurses, ODPs, surgeons?
YWNBU to raise it through PALS, but what is the base point of your concern?

So God really is a woman after all?? @RealGod

Smear tests, a couple of Bartholin's Cysts and haemorrhoids.

Also, not nakedness, but I am a psychiatric oddity.

I have had a small audience of students and a video camera rolling during what should have been a private session with the psychiatric consultant.

I have just had a gynae procedure and was treated with the utmost respect: I undressed behind a curtain, given a piece of paper roll to wrap round me, then put that over me while I waited on the bed. Everone in the room introduced themselves to me and what was going to happen was explained beforehand and throughout, as circumstances changed.

It is how it should be - and in the past I have had bad experiences that have not lived up to that standards and have left me vulnerable as a result

I agree that women have these sorts of examinations repeatedly thoroughout their lives, and on the whole, men don't, but I would expect men to be afforded the same respect.

I was having stitches in theatre after a horrific after birth tear. I swear there were about 15 people in the room while my legs were akimbo and other medical professionals seemed to be using the room as a short cut.
Just one of those things tho. They needed to see that bit of my body, no matter how undignified.

Also, all women, absolutely all, have these examinations. All women have to have smears. All older women have mammograms. Most women will have multiple examinations of their vagina and breasts in their lifetime, even those who don't have children, both by male and female medics.

I am sorry this happened. I totally understand how you feel.

Unfortunately, I don't think you were treated differently. I still feel embarrassed after both a cs and natural birth about how I was naked from the waist down and people were just in and out (and not it's not true that you don't care anymore re giving birth).

Sadly, I think that those who see it every day get so used to it that they lose sight at the person on the other end.

I was having stitches in theatre after a horrific after birth tear. I swear there were about 15 people in the room while my legs were akimbo

Yep, me too.

I have two sons and if anyone told me that they should get a grip I'd be unhappy.

But yes, it is laughable that you think women are routinely treated better and it makes me wonder what your agenda is?

Unless they were commenting on the size and shape of your genitals rather than the medical problem with them or laughing at your bollocks when they were supposed to be treating an ingrowing toenail, I think you have to put this behind you.