I had to go for a colcoscopy at our local hospital's busy obs/gynae department recently. I'm no stranger to gynae exams having had four cycles of IVF , 2 infants, and various gynae issues requiring investigation (though not at that hospital). I went prepared, drawing on previous experience at other clinics, wearing loose-fitting dress in hope that I could keep it on during exam and retain some dignity.
Enter Nurse Number One who instructs me in no uncertain terms to remove dress and wear hospital gown (you know, the ones that don't meet the back, bearing in mind underwear has had to be removed too). Am then left sitting on my lonesome in side room for ages until Nurse Number Two comes in and tells me disapprovingly that there was no need for me to remove my clothes. Also then grumps at me that I am not to take my handbag or anything else into the colcoscopy room (despite there being no lock on the room where I am to leave everything) and scowls when I insist on taking in file with letter/test results from my GP to show doctor (which is the first thing doctor asks for). I note that there is a place right beside exam chair where I can put down the file and where handbag and other belongings could have been put too without causing any problem.
Am then confronted with exam chair which looks like something out of a Victorian dentist surgery. Have to clamber up on thing (with some difficulty), cannot get legs in stirrups without exasperated help from grumpy-faced nurse (and I am quite agile and fit), chair is cranked upwards by her in jolting fashion with me having to hold on to armrests for fear of falling off, and I am really uncomfortable with sore back because of bad angle of chair into bargain - oh, and having the speculum in was intensely uncomfortable both initially and throughout the procedure because the angles of the chair and stirrups were wrong. In fact, I spent the duration of the procedure with tears welling up because I was so uncomfortable, verging on in pain.
These procedures are never going to be exactly great but AIBU to think that a department which sees women all the time could perhaps manage to have pleasant nurses and a modern exam chair? (And I know these do exist because I've encountered them before elsewhere...).