Wow, that is really unprofessional. Is this common?

I can't believe . . . I mean, REALLY. I am always really careful to be sure I am uber-clean when I am going to the Dr. - how can you not? Poor Thetaprincess!

I dont think telling a patient they need to shower because their stench is so bad it nearly knocks you down is unprofessional. Now if you were rude in your approach about it with the patient then that might be unprofessional. We have quite a few patients that are just nasty. NASTY. Like heavy heavy smokers that will go days without bathing or washing their clothes. we have a family that comes in about once a month that we have to completely spray down and disinfect their hallway once they are gone because of the combined odor of their B.O. and the fact they have a tomcat that apparently is not neutered.......and I'll leave it at that.

But yes to answer your orginal question. Unfortunately it's becoming more and more common for people to not only come in my clinic with "nasty smell disease" but also "nasty smelling crotch disease." I'm just glad I only have to witness and not do anything else.

Oh, the stories I can tell you about my dad's Dental office... :)

Homeless dude that never saw day 1 of a shower popped up into the waiting room of the clinic. Guess dude wanted 1 of his 2 teeth cleaned... Anyhow, ran all the normal patients out of the room... So, my dad trying to be civil, called management, and they told him, just offer homeless dude some soap... My dad tried that... Homeless dude exclaimed, "I don't stank!!!"--then my dad had to proceed to curse homeless dude out...

Old woman, don't know what she had in her purse, but the minute she opened it, all the cockroaches ran out into my dad's office...

Crack addict... (need I say more?) :D

Oh my, there are some smelly people in Santa Cruz, for SURE! I don't see the logic.

Oh oh! ACTUALLY, my dad didn't used to wear deodorant because he didn't think it helped. My sister and I finally convinced him otherwise after two 8-hour flights in a row. It was bad. Lol

Back to the earlier subject about people not knowing they smell...how can you not know? Am I just that self-conscious? If my hair or face feels greasy or I think I need some deodorant, I'm pretty freakin' aware of that!

I feel icky, like a film is all over me if I know I've been runnin' around ragged... So I take a shower or when I can a bath--daily.

During the summer I will often take two showers or baths - can't stand to feel "sticky" when I "glow" like a mule.

OMG a dental office!!!! I cant imagine the kinds of whiffs your dad has endured!!!

We have a family that comes in. It's the mother, her son who is 30 (who recently tried to get us to write him a script for a Tempur-Pedic mattress he saw on TV so Medicaid would pay for it), his wife, and their kids who all live together. They WREAK of pot and cigarette smoke each time they come in and yet expect us to write them scripts for narcotics. Each time we tell them no yet they still come in trying. I dont feel sad for them, but I do for their small children.

They do that to my dad all the time on the C-IV scripts... He started reporting them to the "insurance" that pay for them... Only thing is they stop seeking care at your facility... But, you also get a DSHS taking those kids away from the family.

The sad part is you get some people who need these narcotics--Sickle Cell Anemia patients. After reviewing the scientific pathology and etiology of this disease, my thoughts are they could really benefit from some mindfulness training. The insurances are already making fibromyalgia patients take these mindfulness training...

The other issue is "intention to treat"... Everybody knows why they come in day in and day out. So, how does one treat this kind of patient without education? I think they call them patient adherence...

Hmm, perhaps doc offices should have "decontamination showers" (like in the old military hospitals) and they could send ppl in there with a clean hospital gown before treatment. Unfortunately, they would probably sue the doctor for this.

I spent my semester studying the ceramics of the bathroom, and you'd be surprised at how late the modern bathing traditions and standards started (as in...your grand parents can probably remember only bathing 1-2 times a week. Any more was unhealthy for women, and effeminate for men).

That being said, I work at a gym and I run to work. It is actually in our employee handbook that we are to "shower before starting your shift or after instructing a class. All staff are required to wear antiperspirant and deodorant. Any makeup must be kept light and natural".

I've got some punk friends who eschew showers for various reasons....

ah well, all kinds to make a world.

I've heard that it actually is kinda unhealthy for the skin to shower once a day. It dries it out and creates all kinds of problems. I've also heard that this is why Americans have more acne problems than Europeans - because we tend to shower more often. Any medical professionals know if there's any truth behind that? I personally think that the high-fat diets of Americans also contribute to the acne problems.

I've heard that too (i.e. drying out the skin) but shoot, the Europeans take it to an extreme. One of my friends was over there visiting for a month and the girl in her host family only washed her hair ONCE the whole time my friend was there.

I literally LMAO @ this.