STD Testing: A Male Perspective
Author:
José Leal
The fourth period bell rang, and all that was going
through my mind was taking the test. I needed someone
there for me, so I tricked my friend into coming
along. As we walked towards my truck, I wondered what
the experience would be like. What was the doctor
going to do to me? I wanted to chicken out and go
somewhere else. But it was something I had to do —
because I said I would.
As I passed the last lights that led me to the clinic,
I was shaking more than ever. When I arrived at the
clinic’s parking lot, I didn’t want to get out of my
car — but we were already there. So I took a deep
breath, and entered the building.
When I approached the front counter, I told the
secretary, “I would like to make an appointment for an
STD test.” She asked me if I had been there before. I
hadn’t. She gave me forms to fill out that asked me
about my sex partners and if I had any physical or
mental problems. After I filled out all the forms, she
opened her appointment binder and told me to come back
next week.
I asked her if I could have the appointment sooner. As
she reviewed the appointment schedule, a doctor came
in and told her someone had cancelled and I could be
seen right away. Right now? !
I watched TV as I waited for the doctor’s call. The
weather was on. It said Watsonville’s temperature was
90 degrees. Very, very hot, like the rising
temperature inside my body.
When the nurse called my name I was excited, but also
scared.
My first test would be the hardest. Man, have you ever
had to pee in a cup? It’s hard when you absolutely
cannot pee under pressure. After three failed
attempts, despite drinking lots of water, I still
could not pee. I was just too nervous.
Having failed the first test, I entered the
examination room. Though the nurse had told me to take
off all my clothes, the doctor told me that it wasn’t
necessary. For this part of the exam, I would only
have to pull my clothes down to where she could see my
testicles. I was a little scared, but it wasn’t that
bad. The doctor informed me of the process and the
steps to prevent STDs. The exam was over in a matter
of minutes.
When the examination was over, the doctor went to get
information about STDs. She came back with some
handouts and a big bag. I wondered what was inside the
bag. To my surprise there were 48 condoms! Forty-eight
giggles came out from both of us, along with a
question from my mouth. Why would a person need all
those condoms? She told me I could return to the
clinic to get 48 more tomorrow, if I wanted to.
I felt so relieved when I left the building that
finally I had a strong urge to go to the bathroom. I
wanted all the liquid inside my body to run down like
water in a river. My embarrassment was so strong that
instead of returning to the clinic, I left for school.