As i just posted to Facebook:

Did I say an hour and a half on the bus? shit. I walked out the door at 9:16, got to the bus stop at 9:47, caught the bus at 10:06, which put me at the transfer point at 10:47, and the next bus came around 11:20. I got to my destination at 12:05. they put me through with hardly any wait, but I didn’t get alllll the things done until 1:55. I walked in my door at 4:53.

It was almost 3 hours there and 3 hours back.  YUCK

The actual exam…

They herded us two males into the Male Locker Room — which was barely as equipped as a changing room at Lord & Taylors; except the ‘curtain’ didn’t quite span the width of the door opening at both sides, and the bins under the benches were locked without keys.  I was told to put one gown on to open in the back, and the other one like a jacket to open in the front, and take off ALL my clothes except my underwear and shoes.   I left my socks on as well, just to show my rebellious nature.  🙂

And my clothes were not put into a locker but into a cheap plastic drawstring bag that I was supposed to tote around with me, including The Walk from the “locker room” to the ultra sound room, which was at the other end of a hall, along which was floor to ceiling windows into the waiting room out in front.

Now, mind you, the lady on the phone said I needed no special preparation, but the ultra sound works better with a full bladder.  By the time I got into the ultrasound room and on the table it had been more than three hours and the bladder was plenty full.

So the first exam was for the testicles and the knot in the scrotum. Once he got me all draped and toweled, he introduced me to warm lube. Really. Warm. Lube.  I told him where the nugget was, and that’s where he started.

In fact, the first thing he said when he started seeing images on his screen, was “Oh!  Yes, i see the … umm… I see what you were concerned about.”

And then he spent another 20 friggin’ minutes scanning this way and that, pressing the warm-lubed sensor all around the scrotum.

And then he draped a towel over all my bits and said, “I’m going to go show the doctor these pictures and see if he wants some more.”   I told him the nurse told me to have a full bladder, so I wanted to know if he was done or if there was more.  He wanted to ask the doctor first.

And he left for 5-10 minutes.  And I still haven’t peed.

He returned and announced they did indeed need a full bladder.  I told him he would likely find four mesh patches from the two hernia repair surgeries (the first one failed and they didn’t remove the patches).  He found whatever he needed to find by rolling his warm-lubed sensor back and forth across my abdomen, pressing it deeper and deeper into my full bladder each time.

Finally he announced he was done, and I asked if the were going to do the prostate as well since I was there.  He said, they just did it, viewing throught the bladder, which is why he was pressing so damn hard.  I said I thought they were going to use the wand and go the other direction, and he said they didn’t have those type of wands at this facility.  I said, “Thank you,” he said, “Thank YOU.”

Jiminy Christmas!!!  What an ordeal.  He finally let me wash.  He didn’t give any indication of what he’d seen, but he was pressing me for when I’d be returning to see the regular doctor to “discuss” it.  EEEK!   So apparently he did see something that needs to be addressed further.  But he wasn’t calling for me to be rushed to the hospital, so I’m not going to sweat it.

But I did get to FINALLY pee before leaving the clinic.  Finally.