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Being touched made me feel sick inside

Deleted User

Recently I had an ECG as part of diabetes test which required me to be touched by the nurse.  I immediately felt violated and judged as I'm not in the best of shape and several readings were required.  I held it in and feigned politeness until I could leave.  For context I'm male, asexual and touch averse from being assaulted as a teen and harassed in school and the nurse was female.  I'm disgusted by my own body and want to keep it covered.

  • Hi TheFool,

    I am sorry that you found your recent ECG challenging. I have linked our guide to making a My health passport. This can be used to communicate your needs to healthcare providers. If you have any appointments in the future you can request for reasonable adjustments to be made, it may be worth chatting to your GP or hospital about how future appointments could look like to support both your physical and mental health. 

    I have noticed you have posted and commented a few times in the last 24 hours. If you feel that you might need some support I have linked our resource to Seeking help with mental health. 

    Thank you for reaching out,

    Olivia Mod

  • I loathe being touched by people I do not know well. Bus rides can be horrific, if I am sat next to someone and any part of them is touching me. Or they can be physically uncomfortable, if I am contorting and holding myself rigid to avoid contact. However, I compartmentalise medical procedure touching entirely. It does not bother me at all. I even had ultrasound on a testicle once and was not particularly uncomfortable with it - apart from how cold the gel was. I think that if something is being done for my welfare, and by a medical professional for whom it is routine, physical contact is not a problem.

  • You could ask the nurse next time to allow you to apply the sensors, just to point to where they are to go.

    Pint out your contact aversion and hopefully they will let you do this.

  • in reply to Deleted User

    Same here. Clumsy - check. Feel ugly - a lot. Hairy - check. Being born in wrong body can be a complicated issue, so I am not able to advise about that.

    My partner is male and is also hairy. He has the luxury of having great self esteem, so doesn't care. I think that that is what I aim to be more like. To have better self-esteem, so care less.

  • in reply to mrs.snooks

    My body is clumsy, ugly with hair growing where I don't want it and comes with social and behavioural customs to abide by.  I honestly feel I was born in the wrong body but I can't change it.  I worry about being judged as too fat or too hairy so I prefer long sleeve tops even when it's warm.

  • Yes, having an ECG is a difficult thing to have done. On so many levels. It is now about looking after yourself to get grounded again. Please see my other message and talk more if it helps. x