Bladder and kidney ultrasound - relevance of what radiographer says?

[RadioDorothy]

I've had a bladder and kidney ultrasound before, 13 years ago, and it was quite quick and they didn't say much. The findings were unremarkable.

I had a gallbladder ultrasound last year, and from being chatty and workmanlike the radiographer suddenly went quiet and spent a long time in one spot, taking lots of images and asking me whether I'd had kidney investigations before, what was the outcome etc. The GP called me the next day to say I had a giant gallstone, so I guess that's what he had been looking at.

Today I've had another bladder and kidney ultrasound, as I'm having some symptoms (leakage, lack of sensation, incomplete emptying, poor flow, pain). Again there was some time spent over the right kidney (it has been enlarged before), less time on the left, then a lot of time in one spot over the bladder. So much so it was hurting.

The radiographer asked if I'd had children, and I said no. Then she asked if I'd ever had abdominal surgery, and I said only my gallbladder removal. She said, no I mean in the pelvis, so I said no.

Going on my experience with the gallbladder scan, I can't help wondering if there's anything to be read into those questions!

I don't have health anxiety, I'm not worried, simply curious and interested. Does it mean something, nothing? She said she would write to the GP and I should call in a week...

[AllButterShortbread]

I’ve had several ultrasounds recently. Some sonographers have chatted all through the scan, telling me what they’ve seen. Others have said absolutely nothing. I’ve had various things found at these scans and there is def no correlation between how much they say and or/tell you and how good or bad the news is.

Hope you get some results soon

[goose1964]

I had an ultrasound recently and at the end she said they would send the results to my GP the following working day, they had found ball and a huge kidney stone.

If they found something you will hear from your GP soon or if nothing of note was discovered you should get results in a couple of weeks

[RadioDorothy]

Oops sonographer, sorry.

No I'm not expecting them to find anything of note - will just have to wait, normally if you never hear anything again there was nothing to see!

[AllButterShortbread]

Yes definitely true, you’ll have a call in a day or so if there’s anything to report if my experiences are anything to go by.

And yours might have been a radiographer! I’ve had both do scans (I think) but can’t always be arsed to type either/or

[gobbin]

And yours might have been a radiographer
Diagnostic Radiographers all start off the same (plain film and head CT) and specialise after a while doing the basics. Some choose to specialise in sonography, MRI, nuclear medicine, CT etc.

[gobbin]

...and some choose to stay and specialise in plain film.

[RadioDorothy]

By way of an update, everything was normal!

[AllButterShortbread]

Good news - I hope you get to the bottom of your symptoms soon