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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in thinking that there should be no delay in being seen for an ultrasound appt?

32 replies

Dumbanddumber · 25/01/2013 13:34

So, I had an ultrasound appt. today. 12.15 pm. I was seen at 12.40 and as far as hospital appointments go, not bad. But not when they have asked you to to drink 2 litres beforehand and that you needed to have finished drinking an hour before the appt. I was in agony - I have an over active bladder Sad and I really thought I was going to end up peeing in my pants. I felt sorry for the pregnant women there too.

AIBU to suggest that it is cruel to keep women waiting with immensely full bladders and that the NHS should get their act together and make sure that we are seen on time?

(Off to the toilet AGAIN after drinking a ridiculous amount of water.)

OP posts:
Tweasels · 25/01/2013 13:36

Unfortunate but maybe unavoidable.

Medical appts are unpredictable by their nature. Think about people being told bad news. Sorry xxxxxxxxx has happened now can you hurry up and fuck off that woman out there is desperate for a piss....

BinkyWinky · 25/01/2013 13:37

Meh, it's one of those things. Not pleasant though.

MumToTheBoy · 25/01/2013 13:38

Sometimes the ultrasound doesn't go to plan, and takes longer than the allotted appointment. This happened to me - they couldn't find a heartbeat, so they made me go and empty my bladder so they could do an internal scan. Again no heartbeat, so they got a consultant. We were in that room for ages, til they moved us to a private family room.

At the time I was so devastated I didn't even think (and hadn't until seeing this op) about the people waiting for the appointment after me. I was very aware of the other still pregnant ladies sitting in the waiting room as my dh and I sobbed our way to the other room. I don't think any of them would have complained about the wait tho.

Sorry to be snarky but this struck a chord.

BartletForTeamGB · 25/01/2013 13:39

What do you suggest?

Booking appointments with huge gaps in between so people need to wait much longer for an appointment date?

Or trying to do their best, dealing with the patients who have had abnormalities found, knowing that the patients waiting will understand that medicine doesn't work to a strict timetable and that a full bladder is not the worst thing that can happen?

NatashaBee · 25/01/2013 13:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Dumbanddumber · 25/01/2013 13:42

Actually I was told bad news (not today, thankfully) during an ultrasound appt. I was given space in another room to talk to someone and to take in the pretty horrible news.

OP posts:
Tweasels · 25/01/2013 13:44

Sad mumtoboy

Same thing happened to me. I had to wait in same waiting room to see a doctor and others were coming out with scan pictures.

You weren't being snarky btw.

fatcuntroller · 25/01/2013 13:44

I never had a full bladder for any of my scans with either dc and it didn't matter. They double book all the appointments at our local women's hospital (according to the receptionist) and I was always seen over an hour late...it would be completely unreasonable of them to expect pregnant women to wait that long.

MumToTheBoy · 25/01/2013 13:45

But the moving to another room takes time, as does the decision to move you there. They don't just blurt out the bad news, they check and double check, then tell you. Which takes longer than a standard appointment. They don't plan extra time in case of bad news, that just happens as and when.

FeckOffCup · 25/01/2013 13:47

2 litres is a lot, I don't think I could drink all that in a short time I thought it was 2 pints before an ultrasound? YAB a bit U about the delay, I'm sure it wasn't on purpose and medical stuff doesnt always go to plan.

MumToTheBoy · 25/01/2013 13:50

Tweasels - thanks. It felt snarky in my head as I typed. It took me many months to come to terms with my mmc and still now, 8 years later, some things really affect me. This thread being one of them, and I can't explain why.

One lovely thing that happened at that appointment was being given an envelope and when we got home it took a while for us to open it. I thought it would be an info sheet but it was a set of 6 scan pictures. I was so grateful to the sonographer for being so thoughtful, it was all we had left.

MrsReiver · 25/01/2013 13:55

But they can't move you to another room to have the internal scan, or to get the consultant to come and confirm the horrible truth, that your baby has died.

When I was lying on that bed praying for my baby to be okay, the last thing on my mind was the women waiting outside with full bladders.

MumToTheBoy have an unmumsnetty ((hug))

milf90 · 25/01/2013 13:55

I have a sensitive/ overactive bladder too. When I was pregnant with lo I told them and they made sure they saw me in time/ first. If they were late an I knew it wasn't going to be any time soon I just went to the toilet. I mentally just can't stand it. My bladder doesn't empty properly anyway so usually they can still do it or they do it vaginally instead! .

redwellybluewelly · 25/01/2013 13:55

We didn't have bad news as such this week (and my heart goes out to all those who have) but we did have to be rescanned and seen by a senior consultant who wasn't in clinic that day. That meant we were escorted out of AN clinic, and then brought back and effectively pushed in front of a huge queue of mums waiting to be scanned.

I really felt bad for them, however I doubt anyone would have swapped their seat on the 'healthy' bus with full bladders which was delayed with the 'oh shit' bus which was seen immediately and could wee quicker.

PictureMeInThese · 25/01/2013 13:56

25 mins late is nothing, YABU.
Wait until you have to wait 5 hours to be seen in maternity assessment.
Or wait 2 days to be induced.
Then 6 more hours of waiting for an epidural.
Then 6 hours to get your discharge paperwork ready.

MrsDarylDixon · 25/01/2013 14:00

YABU
I had to have an unscheduled scan when i went to see the consultant at 38 weeks because they thought my first dc was way too small.

There were plenty of other anxious looking couples in the waiting room too. If the worst that happened to you there was that you felt like you might wet yourself you should count yourself very lucky.

ipswichwitch · 25/01/2013 14:06

While I'm sorry you had to wait op with an uncomfortably full bladder (which in all seriousness is bloody irritating), I had to wait over an hour dr a scan to confirm my mmc 2 months ago, while surrounded by happy pregnant women waving their scan pictures about. When I finally got in, it took a very lon time to confirm as I needed an internal US. Wen we finally cme out of the scan room and went to the other room to discuss options with the midwife I actually got tutted by some insensitive cow for "taking so long". If I'd had my wits about me I would have gone for her.

With my last pregnancy I had a perfectly routine growth scan for my twins nd was horrified to be told tht one of our boys had died. That appointment took a bloody long time too, but I would rather sit and wait 10 hours with a full bladder than to ever have to hear those words again. I am sorry that you had some bad news yourself op.

MaxPepsi · 25/01/2013 14:18

As others have already posted, you can't account for what is giong to happen before you .

Not the same, but similar - I get tutted at for the length of time I take with the nurses when I have to give blood samples.

It's not my fault my body is very reluctant to give it up and it takes the nurses at least 10 mins to find a viable vein.

I'm used to it now though so I just smile sweetly and whisper that it's a trainee taking the blood!

Fakebook · 25/01/2013 14:29

Scan times aren't predictable. I've had my fair share of shitty scans and have been taken to waiting rooms to digest the news. I've also had some very good scans that have taken equally long or even longer due to the position of the baby. I had to go to get dd scanned 3 times as she was so lazy and wouldn't move so they couldn't see her head. DS was moving too much and wouldn't stay still to get measurements so had to go back 30 mins later to see if he'd calmed down; he hadn't Grin.

ENormaSnob · 25/01/2013 14:33

Yabu

Molehillmountain · 25/01/2013 14:38

I think that yabu, but I say that gently. Before I had been through umpteen fertility tests, procedures, miscarriages and other health problems, I used to get annoyed at a half hour wait at the doctors. Now my mantra is "I'm waiting so that someone else can have the time they need" or "me waiting here means that the Nhs saves resources that can be used for..." And then filled in some service that I'd been really grateful for.

merlottits · 25/01/2013 14:40

YABU, you can't predict what will happen. No matter how well an outpatient department is run you will always get delays.

It's horrible and painful having a full bladder, though. I've never bothered. My radiographer/midwife colleagues always told me its not as important as is perhaps suggested. 3 babies, 5 million scans, no visibility problems.

nefertarii · 25/01/2013 15:14

When there is a problem. It takes alot longer, which you would be aware of.

Usuallys scans are fairly straight forward. If there is a problem, they will try to look at different angles and someone else will need to confirm.

Its common sense that by the nature of the appointment (diagnostic scan) some will take longer than others and problems will take a long time to deal with.

As you have bad news before, why not just have some sympathy for the people who didn't get good news like you did today.

FreshLeticia · 25/01/2013 15:20

Agree with Merlot, I have had scans during three pregnancies and many routine ovarian cancer checks and I have never done the water drinking thing. I flatly refuse to be so uncomfortable. No-one has ever complained.
You can be scanned internally as well - for which they insist on an empty bladder apparently.

everybodysang · 25/01/2013 15:22

Yes, YABU and I think all these examples will have shown you why.

I had 5 MC. So I've had a fair few shitty scans and I can't say it ever occurred to me to feel sorry for the people with full bladders. The absolute worst time was sitting in a wheelchair, sobbing, in a hospital gown, having been brought through from A&E. I was put straight to the head of the queue, but we still had to sit in the waiting room for about 10 minutes till we went through. Nobody in that waiting room looked like they minded us going to the head of the queue.

And even with my one healthy pregnancy, the scans still took a while as DD wasn't very cooperative and refused to get in the right position.

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