AIBU to think you should get dressed for a medical appointment

[Ducksbehindthesofa]

Following on from the PJs on a plane post earlier today, curious to hear the consensus on this.

I had the misfortune of winding up in A&E on New Year's Day and was amazed by the number of people in grubby nightwear, dressing gowns, and slippers in the waiting room. There was an enormous amount of groaning, coughing, sniffing and sneezing going on by most of the wearers, so I guess there was a lot of the winter lurgy going on.

And last week, whilst at my GP practice (small village surgery where nobody would live more than a few minutes away), there was a woman in the waiting room wearing a dressing gown and Ugg boots, accessorised with a washing-up bowl on her knee. She did have some make-up on though, so a point was added for effort.

It's just yeuch, isn't it? If you're well enough to drag yourself to a doctor or hospital, you're well enough to at least throw some clothes on.

And I know it's none of my business and it doesn't matter one jot to me really, but I don't have to like it!

I’ve had to sit in a doctors waiting room in my pyjamas once. I was pregnant and very ill with HG, too weak to get dressed, blue lighted to A&E. A&E was too busy so the ambulance then took me to a local gp surgery to be seen quicker. I was embarrassed sitting there in my bright pink Minnie Mouse PJ’s. Was then sent back to A&E so had to sit in a taxi wearing them too.

FGS! I had colds and coughs when I had a brain tumour, people are not always at A&E for the visible symptoms. If you are well enough to make sure you look nice and can sit there judging, maybe you shouldn't have been there.

Dr at A&E recently told me I was sensible going in pj's and a snuggie. I was in loads of pain, needed a number of examinations and emergency MRI. No messing to take clothes off or creating laundry for hospital because I needed to borrow a gown.

Personally I wouldn't be blocking up A&E if my medical issue wasn't pressing enough the keep my mind off what others are wearing. Maybe that could be a benchmark to cut waiting times?

This is hard as I did turn up to the urgent care in my pjs and dressing gown. I was in the midst of my second gall stone attack in 24 hours and was in agony (turns out a stone had got stuck and I remained in constant pain for a week). I just couldn’t face getting dressed, I had two hot water bottles with me as well.

so I can see how in some circumstances you are too ill to get dressed. Not sure you would go to GP that bad though.

Some kids react really strangely to fevers, my son takes seizure meds when he has a fever and they make him absolutely wild. The only way to get him to sit still might be a movie and food. In the event is rushed him to a and e so if he seizes he seizes there (and I've done that in desperation before) I might also have his sister and they might not have eaten as I wouldn't want to increase car time. You honestly have no idea the range of emergencies kids can face that can leave them seemingly hyper but actually in grave danger. One such trip to a and e resulted in my child in an induced coma having been able to wait for an hour in a and e waiting area as he wasn't critical until he seized again then we spent the night in resus and picu. You don't know other people's realities. Best to assume if you're in a and e someone's not well because no, I don't believe anyone would choose it for a jaunt

I can’t get worked up about this but those people who go to Tesco, or the school run, or a hotel breakfast in PJs need to have some self respect and some respect for their fellow citizens tbh.

School run especially, I can’t imagine dropping off my kid to a primary school teacher who’s scrubbed and dressed for the day to look after and teach my child while wearing my PJs (unless of course I was deathly ill / suffering from morning sickness etc which is totally understandable. Otherwise it’s pure laziness and lack of respect for teachers. )

I don't think it's to judge someone over... You just don't know. I understand your point that it's not a fabulous look and falls below societal norms, but I don't think anyone ever really looks their best in A&E?

I also remember being dialled into A&E/quickly onto a ward after a horrific emergency GP appointment when I was so ill with hyperemesis gravidarum whilst pregnant with both children (took a while to recall as it was so tragic I was genuinely suicidal).

I can't remember what I was wearing but all I do know is I wanted to die right there and then and couldn't have cared less about what people thought of the (sick covered/potential jimjams) clothes I was in. The last thing on my mind prior to crawling into my husband's car would've been "oh god, what do I look like?! Everyone's going to think I'm such an undignified pleb!".

Last week I was throwing up due to a bowel obstruction (which can be fatal) due to internal scar tissue built up from numerous surgeries in the past for cancer surgery. I was an enormous amount of pain (and I have a high pain tolerance). I was severely dehydrated, couldn’t keep even sips of water down let alone any medication and causes my sugar levels to drop. This also leads to severe dry mouth and confusion and dizziness.
This has happened many times before. I also get very hot and cold.

But for you I will wear my best dress and blow dry my hair and hide my sick bowl in my designer handbag to make you feel comfortable. 🙄

I was taken to A&E by ambulance in the early hours of the morning, crying (silently) with pain and clutching a sick bowl. Unfortunately I neglected to get dressed before hand. I'm an absolute disgrace and will now go and stand in the corner, facing the wall and think about what I've done.

I’m with you. There’s something about seeing people out in their nightwear that’s turns my stomach. I’m not sure why, they’re not harming me but it’s just so.. off! I’ve never ever been that sick that I couldn’t throw on some jeans and a jumper. I hate it and I judge. Fed up of people saying don’t judge, we all do!

This is what happened to my son. Intussusception in his case which made the pain start gradually and come and go, he had it for a few days before he even thought to tell me and that was after a few days of vomiting with what I thought was a tummy bug.

His was caused by cancer. He started the day in A&E laughing at his ipad and ended the day with a cardiac arrest and a transfer to PICU as he was in septic shock and had multi organ failure.

It was 2 years ago for him now and he's doing well. I hope you are feeling better soon.

I once took my dad to A&E in the middle of the night with a suspected heart attack (it was a 3hr wait for an ambulance). He was dressed, I was still in my pjs.

I don't think the Drs judged me for my attire but I did feel like a bit of an idiot.

I was in a&e once in pj trousers although technically they were leggings and proper clothes on top half. Couldn’t get dressed as I thought I’d broken my feet, and trying to get any material past it was excruciating

Just be grateful that you've never been that sick it is the last thing on your mind. When someone is extremely unwell and in a large amount of pain, they are not exactly concerned with how they look. Try having a spinal fluid leak and getting dressed! There is judging and then there is nastiness...

Been in A&E twice in jammies, once they even had a tear at the knee and the bum. Both time my young daughter stopped breathing, both times she was rushed into resus without triage. The time of the ripped pj's she was ventilated and blue lighted to a specialist hospital 25 miles away. Weirdly my child struggling for breath seemed more important than my outfit choice 🤷

I agree. I knew exactly what she meant, and that she wasn’t meaning seriously ill people. Anyone who doesn’t believe that there are people in A&E who have nothing wrong with them that a lemsip wouldn’t help, either live in a very fortunate area or aren’t using the NHS. Similarly, not every hospital is the same. People don’t go from ambulance to waiting room in the hospital near me. They wait in a separate area from the walk ins, and if there is no space at the time then they are kept in the ambulance until a space becomes available.
OP has updated her post to clarify, and to apologise, but still people pile on with their tale of being blue lighted etc
OP as a fellow cancer patient, I wish you well with your journey 💐
Personally, I don’t care what anyone has on, but I know what you meant OP

There’s a small number of occasions when people could end up in A&E in pjs but mostly they can put joggers and a jumper on
This

I went to my GP in my jammies! I was feeling far too weak to change, and i thought i had really bad fever. My sister took me, the Gp saw me and sent me straight to A&E. I went to the hospital still in my jammies, and Im sure if a normal person would have been judging me like you did. I had sepsis, really bad! I had to stay in hospital for a long time.

I’m also a fellow cancer sufferer, extensive chemotherapy needed.

Two nights in A&E, one because my creatinine level was too low and to have chemo the next day, i needed a saline drip. The other for an uncontrollable nose bleed.

I never care or judge any other user, I have no right.

So, I think OP and you are totally judgemental and unreasonable, I’d never judge others, based on “I know what you mean”.

Sometimes I think these are a windup!

We all went to the dentist in pyjamas on World Book Day because we’d been somewhere else before where the World Book Day dress code was pyjamas 🤷‍♀️😂

I went into an a&e, where i work, with flu in pjs, dry robe, no bra, and hair unwashed for several days, because i was ill and needed a litre of iv fluid to stabilise me as my blood was acidic and my blood pressure low. If i was still well enough to dress i wouldn't have gone near the place.

Huh...assumed this was going be better about people going to GP appointments. I mean, if you think you're having a heart attack or something in the middle of the night you're not going to be changing your outfit.

Last time I was in a&e I had a bowl on my knees that I was continuously vomiting into. I was admitted for two weeks on that occasion. I cannot remember what I was wearing. I was so unwell and in so much pain that I could have been naked and wouldn’t have remembered or cared!

I had a friend call me in a panic as he had bad symptoms (was an appendix about to pop), and he refused to call an ambulance as he was just in his pants (middle of summer).
I managed to talk him into putting on a T-shirt and lounge pants.

I have gone to the GP and A&E in all sorts of clothing. They don't care. Why do you give a shit? It is not a job interview FFS.