Aibu to think they'd tell you there and then if ultrasound was clear?

[Paraboid]

Sorry I'm very paranoid at the moment.

I have been having a bit of bleeding in between periods along with thick (not smelly or horribly coloured) discharge and some (not major) pain in my abdomen. I visited the doctor who agreed there was some blood and discharge when she did an internal examination but there was no infection present when they took swabs therefore they sent me for an ultrasound which I had today.

This was internal and took quite a while. They didn't speak at all during it and afterwards said I'd hear from my GP to go over the results in about a week.

Aibu to be flapping and think if there was nothing on there they'd just say it was clear but I'd hear from my GP about next steps? Not "they'll go over the results". Is it me or does that sound like they found something?

I'm very paranoid at the moment, I lost someone close to me to cancer this year, they were only young and it was very quick.

It would depend on who did the ultrasound. Typically, they are done by technicians and then need to be checked over by a junior dr or a consultant. Technicians don't have the powers to diagnose or give you the all clear.
The only time I was given the answer right away during ultrasound is when they were performed by a doctor.

Mostly the person taking the ultrasound is not trained to deliver the results

I have a yearly internal ultrasound and the technician never gives me the results, it's always the consultant

The radiologist/technician is extremely skilled at what they do but most of the time they cannot discuss results, deliver news, or discuss options

scans are performed by radiographers who are not technicals they are highly trained professionals. While the radiographers may be reporting the scans it is usually to have the results sent to the the GP not communicated to the patient

The person doing the ultrasound won't have the authority to tell you anything, so I wouldn't panic. Easier said than done though. Good luck x

Yeah as previous poster said it's likely just that the scan was carried out by a technician who isn't qualified to diagnose. Also, from experience, if something disastrous was spotted they would call for a second opinion and usually tell you there and then.

No, it's not usual. The technician will check with the doctor that they have adequate imaging. Once that's confirmed, you are free to go, and then you wait for the results.

I have had one internal which they talked to me while doing it. And they told me then they couldn’t find anything.

I had a gallbladder ultra sound a few days ago. And she told me what she found while she was doing it. I do think it depends on who does it

Ok - deep breaths. I've been where you are, about 6 months after DH was diagnosed with actual cancer and I was hyper aware of all the ways our own bodies can try to kill us.

They didn't tell me anything at my ultrasound either, the reason being that the technicians take the pictures and someone else with different qualifications actually analyses them. I've found medical professionals are very careful not to tell you things about potential cancer unless they're very sure which is actually very reassuring!

Anyway I didn't have ovarian cancer. I eventually worked out that the random abdomen pain appears when I've not eaten enough cruciferous vegetables and goes away again when I do a big poo, and my other symptoms have gone away since I've gone on the pill - total storm in a teacup. I also didn't have breast cancer a few months later, nor was I having a heart attack a couple of months after that.

You've done the right thing in getting this checked out. If it does turn out to be anything bad you're on the right pathway but you really can't read anything into not being told anything at a scan. Try not to Google things while you're waiting, you won't rule anything out but you will find out about lots of other things that might be wrong with you.

The time the ultrasound takes can simply be due to your anatomy and moving the transducer (probe) to take the best views possible. Generally, the sonographer isn't a clinician so cannot give you your results at the point of testing. The scan is reported by a radiologist/sonographer. The clinician who referred you, here your GP, will give you the results, and discuss the diagnosis and management if indicated. It's frustrating when you're very worried but you should have your results soon and hopefully it's good news 💐

The radiographer will usually have the ability to diagnose something on a scan but does not have the authority to discuss that with the patient. Also the scan has to read in conjunction with other tests.
Often (but not always) anything serious will be flagged and you would be contacted earlier.

they’re probably not allowed. i had a scan on my heart and the ultrasound tech said she couldn’t tell me whether it was good or bad, i was convinced that meant it was bad but it was all fine. she just wasn’t allowed to comment

They never do, don't read anything into it at all

Yes! They are specialised radiographers- ultrasonographers - not technicians. Their role is not to diagnose but to carry out the scan correctly for the required investigation, and report the results to the doctor who ordered it. They are not meant to tell the patient the result in most cases. There are exceptions e.g. with pregnancy scans they are obviously allowed to tell you the baby’s sex if you want to know, and show you pictures. But with diagnostic scans they wouldn’t normally tell you the findings on the spot.

They stay quiet while they’re scanning because they need to concentrate, and also because they don’t want to give you any false ideas.

They usually won't say anything much - they may not really know what the doctor is looking for. Most of us have the odd small fibroid or something that may be seen but unimportant, so they just report what they see and someone else interprets it.

The GP called me today. There is something showing, it looks like retained product of conception from a lost pregnancy apparently. I am being referred to the gyne dept at our local hospital.

Ah okay - well I guess that is good news in that it is nothing sinister. Hope they give you an appointment to get it sorted out soon.