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

[Dumbanddumber]

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 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.)

[MummytoKatie]

When we had our second scan at the early pregnancy unit (had had bleeding and they couldn't find a heartbeat first time so they sent us home for two weeks to see what happened) our appointment was for 10am and I didn't get scanned until 11:50am.

It would have been a hellish wait anyway - for anyone who hasn't been imagine 10 slim women staring into space all knowing that more than half of them will be told their babies have died - but by the end I thought my bladder was going to explode. Then they couldn't find the baby because my bladder was too full so I got to go to the loo and have an internal scan. (Where they found a blob with a heartbeat. )

The only amusing bit was afterwards dh literally diving in the loo as he was desperate but hadn't wanted to go as he thought it would be tactless!

The way I see it is a little bit like childbirth - I knew when I was in labour with dd that my friend who can't conceive would give anything to swap with me but that didn't mean that it didn't really really hurt!

[Spatsky]

My daughter had to wait nearly an hour with a full bladder for a bladder scan at the age of 3! It was very frustrating but I always work on the basis that I expect everything NHS will run late.

[Overreactionoftheweek]

I got potentially bad news at my 12 week scan (turned out fine fortunately) but I still resented waiting around 2 hours for every scan - I'm not exaggerating, the wait was unbelievable.

I've moved now so am hoping that if I ever have a dc2, this hospital will be better staffed. It's scary how understaffed maternity stuff is

[DIYapprentice]

I think you're right Mrs Reiver. I had a scan when I was in my early 20s, not for a pregnancy, and the first one had to be done with a full bladder and then I had another one done with an empty bladder. Apparently it shows different parts of your internal organs. (Although I did have to have a bit of a wee because I simply couldn't wait - stopping was hard!! )

[gasman]

Nature of the service. Sometimes over runs etc are unavoidable.

I'm often in the position of taking critically unwell patients (ie Intensive care patients) to scan. I'm afraid if you are that sick and you need a scan it requires a massive amount of organisation and the convenience of those you displace in the queue for the scanner tends to not to be of prime concern.

It isn't very safe for ITU patients to hang around in waiting rooms so we do just jump the queue. Depending on departmental layout you might be unaware that this is what has happened.

For US scans the sonographer comes to us. Again it may be urgent and again the patients in the waiting room might be unaware that the person doing the scans has been off the unit.

It is unaffordable for the NHS to have scanners sitting empty on the offchance that someone might become critically unwell.

[MrsReiver]

I don't think the OP was having a pregnancy scan, so perhaps the full bladder was a specific instruction relating to the nature of the scan she was having.

[galwaygirl]

YABU, plus as others have said you don't need a full bladder. At my 20 week scan with DD I couldn't hang on so had literally just come out of the bathroom and got called in - ended up being asked to go and empty bladder again when they needed to double check for placenta praevia.

[everybodysang]

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.

[FreshLeticia]

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.

[nefertarii]

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.

[merlottits]

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.

[Molehillmountain]

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.

[ENormaSnob]

Yabu

[Fakebook]

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 .

[MaxPepsi]

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!

[ipswichwitch]

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.

[MrsDarylDixon]

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.

[PictureMeInThese]

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.

[redwellybluewelly]

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.

[milf90]

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! .

[MrsReiver]

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))

[MumToTheBoy]

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.

[FeckOffCup]

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]

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.

[fatcuntroller]

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.