This week, I had to have a renal ultrasound, which is an ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder. I had the same kind of ultrasound about four years ago at a different place. The last time It was in the summer and I was wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt. When I went in the male tech asked me just to lift my t-shirt and lower the waistband of my gym shorts down to just under my bellybutton. He did the procedure it took about 15 minutes and it was done This time, I went to Washington Radiology - Sterling a different facility than last time. When I went in, I was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. I had a female ultrasound tech that brought me into the room and instructed me to take off my pants my t-shirt, leaving only my underwear on and put a hospital gown and lay on the table. I immediately said no. I wasn't going to lay there in my underwear as she did the exam. I told her I didn't need to take my clothes off. I've had this procedure before all I have to do is lower my waistband of my pants just under the bellybutton and pick up my t-shirt, there is no reason to get undressed. She said well that's our policy. I said well it's not my policy, so either we're going to cancel this and I'll go someplace else or you can do it my way without getting undressed. Her tone changed now from demanding and bossy to stern but polite, and she said oh well if that's what your comfortable with its fine, but its extremely messy with all the gel and it will get on your clothes. I replied with its water-based gel and its not that messy, and as I said I've had this before, if it gets on my sweatpants or t-shirt its fine. I could tell she was kind of shocked that I challenged the undressing part, but I was always nice and polite but I stood my ground. I got on the table lowered my waistband, raised my t-shirt and we engaged in polite and professional conversation as she did the procedure with no issues. No clothing was ever in the way, and no gel got anywhere on my clothes. I would not have cared if it did. She was polite and professional the rest of the time, but maybe cautions that I didn't just do as I was originally told Now when you have this type of ultrasound you have to have do it on a full bladder, which is why I scheduled it first thing in the morning, but I obviously had to pee. At the end of the ultrasound, you have to void your bladder so they can get an after picture as well. I asked her where the restroom was, and she took me there. I had to walk through the hallways to the other end of the facility, I couldn't believe that there wasn't a bathroom closer to the ultrasound rooms, the bathroom was a one person unisex restroom. I come back and finished the exam; it took about another minute and it was all over. I thanked her and it was all done Had I got undressed and put on a hospital gown, I would have had to walk through all the hallways to the entire facility to use the restroom and come back past all the other staff and patients. I didn't see another man through my entire walk to and from the restroom. Would it have been necessary to parade me through the facility in a gown and underwear? There was no reason to get undressed in the first place. If she was worried about gel on my clothes she could have offered the option instead of saying it's policy to wear the gown. Thar's BS. So I ask would a female patient have been treated the same way? I highly doubt it. By the way, the last time I checked for a testicular ultrasoind, they don't employ any male ultrasound techs in any of thier VA location's. read more