Diagnostic tests and visits are important because they help doctors understand the causes of symptoms and health problems. During these procedures the doctor touches the patient's body both with his hands and through instruments. However, many people feel ticklish when touched on the abdomen, feet and other parts of the body; as a result, doctors find it difficult to spot signs or get useful results. Use the valuable tips described in this article to reduce tickle sensitivity during doctor visits.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Managing the Mental Components of the Tickle
Step 1. Overcome the nervousness
The tickling sensation is triggered by the brain and not by the skin's tactile receptors; nervousness is a significant factor that causes the brain to believe that a person's touch generates a tickle. For this reason, try to control the state of anxiety before undergoing the examination; convince yourself that the procedure is not painful, that it helps your doctor diagnose the problem and make you feel better.
- Deep breathing, meditation, positive visualization, and listening to calming music within an hour of your doctor's appointment help manage anxiety and restlessness.
- Caffeine makes people more agitated and their minds more active, factors that only worsen the nervousness; therefore do not drink coffee, black tea, soft drinks and energy drinks in the last six hours before the diagnostic procedure.
Step 2. Ask for a nurse to be present
In addition to nervousness, the feeling of discomfort transmitted by being in a small room alone with the doctor causes the muscles to stiffen, increasing the sensitivity to tickling. Ask for a third person to be in the office during the visit, such as a nurse or assistant.
- Having a person of the same sex relieves the problems associated with wearing only the gown and exposing certain parts of the body.
- This is a vital strategy if you have experienced sexual trauma or abuse.
- If the nurse or assistant is of the same sex as you, dissipate any tension of a sexual nature that may arise between you and the doctor.
Step 3. Don't feel embarrassed because you have to undress
In addition to causing chills, the hospital gown that is used during visits becomes an embarrassment for many patients; some people feel vulnerable when they have to expose many parts of the body. These sensations, just like anxiety and nervousness, increase the perception of tickling. You can learn how to manage embarrassment or ask if a gown or robe can be avoided during the medical procedure - this is not always essential.
- Choose a large sized shirt to cover as much as possible and reduce embarrassment.
- Some people prefer to cover their face during the visit for this very reason, but in this way they are unprepared for the touch of the doctor and cannot manage the tickle.
Part 2 of 3: Reduce the Physical Components of Tickling
Step 1. Go to the bathroom before your visit
One of the symptoms of a full bladder and bowel is the feeling of pressure and constriction in the lower abdomen which increases the discomfort or tickle even more when touched, palpated or probed during a medical exam. Having an urgent feeling of having to go to the bathroom can make you very anxious or nervous and consequently increase sensitivity. for all these reasons, empty your bladder and intestines before showing up for your appointment.
- In this regard, it is definitely a good habit to avoid caffeine in the first hours before the visit, since it is a diuretic substance that stimulates frequent urination.
- Going to the bathroom before a gynecological check-up is always very important, because the bladder and urethra are put under direct pressure.
Step 2. Keep warm
The cold triggers chills, a normal reaction of the body in an attempt to warm up. However, in this situation the muscles are contracted, which causes the person to be more susceptible to tickling when touched, tapped or felt. Dress appropriately for your visit and be prepared for the fact that clinics are generally a little cooler.
- If the examination room is very cold, ask your doctor or nurse if it is possible to raise the temperature during the examination.
- If you have to wear a gown or bathrobe, ask your doctor what clothing you can keep to avoid getting cold, such as socks, underwear, or tank top.
Step 3. Rub or pinch your skin as you undergo the examination
As your doctor palpates the various areas of your body to understand the source of your health problems, distract your brain a little by rubbing or pinching another part, such as a hand. Having another tactile sensation to focus on is an effective way to reduce pain, sensitivity, and even tickle.
- While the brain is busy "registering" the perception of the pinch or friction you are creating, it will not be able to detect the doctor's palpation as a cause of tickling.
- Sometimes it is enough to rub the fingertips together or scratch one side of the leg; apply enough pressure, so that it is not a slight tickle but not a severe pain either.
Part 3 of 3: Leveraging Useful Techniques
Step 1. Ask your doctor to clearly communicate his intentions
Perhaps the most important thing doctors can do to tickle patients is to fully inform them of whatever they are about to do. Let him participate in your hypersensitivity before he even touches you; ask him to use a gentle or deep palpation while conducting the exam, so that you can be prepared.
- Have him tell you where and when he needs to touch you before he does; by eliminating the "surprise" effect it is often possible to manage the tickle.
- Ask him to be especially cautious in areas that are known to be sensitive, such as the armpits, lower abdomen, groin, or feet.
- Always keep a formal and professional tone, to avoid any misunderstanding of a sexual or "flirting" nature that could trigger nervousness, anxiety, excitement and consequently the sensation of tickling.
Step 2. Ask him to respect your pace
Although most doctors are always very busy and do not have the luxury of spending as much time on physical exams, it is also in their best interest that the patient be comfortable and potentially less sensitive to tickling. Generally, it is better to receive a deliberately unhurried touch rather than a quick and clumsy one; It is also worth starting from the less delicate areas and then concluding with the more susceptible ones.
- The back is usually one of the parts of the body that are least tickled during palpation, examination or massage, while the abdomen and feet are much more sensitive.
- By using a thoughtful and conscious sequence, your doctor can make the process easier for you, to the point where you can develop a level of comfort and confidence enough to resist tickling in the most delicate areas.
- A laughter patient who jolts with every touch wastes a lot of precious time; your doctor should therefore not be particularly sorry to take a few more minutes to make you feel relaxed and thus avoid wasting it in the long run.
Step 3. Ask him to keep his hands warm and dry
Another cause of tickling and uncomfortable reactions is represented by cold or wet hands; for this reason, it is important that the doctor's hands are warm and dry during the exams, regardless of the season or the temperature in the office. He can rub them or breathe on them to warm them before touching you; beating them together or shaking them for a few seconds improves circulation in the extremities.
- Hand sanitizer is a great product to clean them before the doctor touches a patient; however, you need to make sure they are also dry before conducting an exam.
- Chronic smokers and "caffeine addicts" often have poor blood circulation in their hands which therefore tend to be cold.
Step 4. Place your hands under the doctor's while palpating
An effective technique that can be used by hypersensitive patients to resist tickling is to place their hands between the body and those of the doctor while examining certain parts of the body; this allows the physician to perceive the organism through the patient's hands or fingertips. This method is most effective during palpation and percussion of the abdominal organs, but it is not as appropriate for those examinations in which the sensation of the skin is also evaluated.
- This technique seems to work because the patient can predict the movements of the doctor while applying pressure to the skin, thus enjoying a certain perception of control.
- Since it is impossible to tickle oneself (the brain does not allow such a reaction), this "four-handed" method tricks the brain into believing that the pressure is being self-applied.
Advice
- The reason people get ticklish is still unclear; it is thought to be the brain's reaction to an unexpected or surprising touch.
- The greater the number of diagnostic procedures you undergo, especially if always with the same doctor, the less ticklish you feel because you learn to feel at ease and know what awaits you.
- Tickling is much more common among children than adults.
- If you start giggling or laughing outright in the middle of your visit, let your doctor know that you are ticklish, he will understand.
