To think the radiologist shouldn’t have said anything?

[ThemysteriousH]

So have a wide variety of symptoms, different conditions but new ones that need investigating.

Had an abdominal/internal ultrasound to check for cysts. Chatted generally throughout and how long waiting times are for gynae (I’m under them for endometriosis and not had an appointment for a few years, I understand Covid’s impact etc).

As I was getting ready to leave asked when would I get results and she said,
“You’re GP will get them within days, you’ve no ovarian cysts, your scans abnormal, but at least you’ll get that gynae appt quicker now!”

Not coming here looking for a diagnosis but AIBU in thinking she should’ve just said “you’re Gp will do receive the results in such and such time” rather than above?

Now I’m unnecessarily worrying about it. Doesn’t help my CA-125 blood test was abnormal. (Work in ED which doesn’t see gynae/peads etc and not asking a colleague).

Sorry for the errors and waffling above!

I don't think she said anything wrong!

I expect she was trying to give you as much information as within her remit to help reassure you about the waiting times, she probably gets pestered at every other scan for any and every minutiae of information.

I don't think she was being unreasonable.

Seems unreasonable to me to tell you your scan is abnormal without explaining why. Not very caring is it. Can understand why you’re worried.

Maybe I’m overthinking it as it’s a long preying time

You have endometriosis. So your scan to be abnormal isnt unexpected. Either she should say nothing (but then it might be a shock when it comes back with something) or have told you exactly whats going on (and then youd still have to wait a few weeks for the next step and that might cause further stress). Theres no right or wrong answer.
Also make sure you arnt getting confused between a sonographer and radiologist. A sonographer doesnt have the same skillset or responsibilities as a radiologist. I wouldnt expect a sonographer to give bad news for example.
In the short term ring your doctor and ask them to go through the report to explain.

YANBU, if she did that, then she should have explained it as well.
I suppose the only thing you can do now is wait for a copy of the letter to your GP (if they do one), or otherwise get hold of your consultant's secretary and explain what happens and that you want to know what's going on.
If I were you, I'd call the secretary and say how worried you are, and see if you can get an explanation.

Yes, that's really not very helpful and would almost inevitably leave you worrying.
I don't understand the bit about working in ED/not asking a colleague - did they do your blood markers at work?

I can also understand your worry . I would have thought that if your scan was abnormal then that should be up to the GP to tell you when they receive the official report.
I hope everything turns out OK for you.

She was trying to be reassuring and helpful!

Sonographers and radiologists do the same thing. They report on what they see and suggest follow ups. Sonographers tend to do gynae scans though. Most radiologists don’t.

I agree it's not great

Did you ask in what way was your scan result abnormal?

gone are the days when radiologist are secretive and tightlipped. Mine told me she thought I had cancer, I was so grateful to her for her candour,

But your scan will be abnormal due to endo, so surely that's not a surprise.

Well why didn't you say 'what was abnormal?' When I went for a scan of my gallbladder the radiologist talked me the whole way through it and showed me the stones on the screen. I asked her a few questions and she seemed happy enough to answer.

Given radiologists are doctors I’d be happy getting that kind of diagnostic information from them. If they were a radiographer I’d maybe be a bit more reluctant but depends on their skillset

I had a pelvic ultrasound, both internal and external, today too. The radiologist just told me that she would write the report and to phone the GP in about a week for the results. When I've had them in the past, the radiologist has given me a running commentary and showed me on the screen what she's noticed. Including ovarian cysts and things. She always chatted through things and made sure I was okay etc.
Not sure which I prefer?!
I would have been a bit floored by being told that on the way out the door tbh, perhaps phone the dept and ask for some follow up about what they meant?

Probably said it’s abnormal, meaning the endo and assuming you’re already aware of that.

I think if it was anything sinister that was new she wouldn’t have mentioned it and would have just told you you’ll get the result from your GP.

I understand your worry though. I’m a worrier too but looking in from the outside I think she was trying to be reassuring.

Why didn't you ask what was abnormal about the scan ? Or did you and I'm not reading properly.

If you've got endometriosis, isn't that why your scan is abnormal and your CA125 is raised? Nothing to do with cancer.

I think if they're going to comment, they should explain what they mean. So for that reason, I think she was unreasonable and you are not.

What does that mean?

CA125 can be raised with endometrosis OP try not to worry

@Emeraldsrock sonographers and radiologists really don't do the same things. Sonographers are like radiographers but with ultrasound instead of X ray. They are trained to take pictures using ultrasound. They aren't trained in interpreting it. If you have a scan done by a sonographer they will take lots of pictures and sometimes video. They won't interpret it. The pictures will be looked at by a radiologist who will interpret it and write the report. Most sonographers will know what the report is likely to say, but they aren't officially allowed to say it or interpret it.

Radiologists are doctors, they went through medical school and if they trained in this country spent two years doing traditional doctoring post graduation. They can do ultrasounds themselves and take the pictures and write the report themselves. They also look at the pictures they take and others take.

Scans can be done by sonographers or radiologists. Radiologists can tell you while they scan you what the findings are (they will know what the findings are officially as they do the scan). Sonographers can't tell you in the room because even if they know the findings, they don't have reporting training.

You don’t think dropping that a patient has an abnormal scan without further detail is a problem?