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!

She also judged how people were dressed in A&E while they were having an emergency.

Cool story as in, I'm lying about my GCs health issues? I've posted in the past about my youngest GC being left with issues because of a lack of hearing/ENT services during lock down. Also on the threads of children starting school in nappies, because the eldest, obviously did that. You obviously don't realise the conditions that are seen at A&E, so I thought I'd inform you and the other know-nothings.

Sorry should of known you were a boomer. "Cool story bro" means I dont care about your paragraph on a thread that died days ago. Hope this helps.

Ooh look at you, the Thread Police, caring so little about a thread that you post on it to tell us how little you care. 🤪

If I have to walk the dog after putting on my Jim jams I pull a hoodie and a pair of jogging bottoms on. I’d do the same if I had to go to A&E. My GP appointments are usually booked well im advance so I have plenty of time to think about what to wear.

My grandad used to wear a suit and tie to see the GP. He was born in 1908 though.

He used to wear a tie when he was gardening too.

It’s not your thread, you don’t have to care. If you don’t want to see additional comments stop going back into the thread.

They are wearing clothes lol. But yeah you are over reacting. It's really not your business what other people who are sick wear to a doctor's appointment. If they're not feeling well then they probably want to be comfortable and may have just felt well enough to drag themselves to the doctor to get whatever medicine or diagnosis they need to get better. You're not in their body so you don't know how they feel or what's going on with them that they can't get fully dressed. And honestly it's a doctor's office not a nice restaurant or a bank etc. No one there really cares what you look like because they're just focused on your health. Most of the time when I feel sick I just go to the doctor in my sweats and a t-shirt.

The "you feel well enough to get there" is va pretty weak argument because if they felt well enough to put on nice clothes they wouldn't need to go to the doctor at all. Most of the time when I'm sick I have to take myself to the doctor because I live alone. So I feel well enough to make it only because I have to if I want to feel better.

Posting a judgmental essay on how sick people present themselves when they turn up for urgent healthcare is unreasonable, yes. It’s also snobby and scummy and offensive. I wish that lady had vomitted on your nice shoes.

Yes you are being unreasonable and extremely judgemental. Accidents or emergencies don’t always happen when you’re nicely dressed.

If you are going to a doctor's or hospital appointment then obviously dress suitably for that situation. But if your taken into A&E in an ambulance one would assume you were poorly or in a state of some distress. But the 44% who think you are not being unreasonable, I hope you never have to be taken to A&E because you are probably so ill, the last thing you're thinking about is getting dressed

A and E isn't a medical appointment though is it? When my appendix burst I had been very ill for several days and was a complete mess, I think I did get drssed but really how I looked was the last thing on my mind. I cared even less how everyone else looked. If you were fit to judge other people did you really need to be there?

It's not much effort to put trousers and a top and trainers in at least. These people sound like total slabs but it becoming all to common unfortunately.

PJs in A&E is fine. Arguably if youre ill enough to need A&E then you dont have time or the ability to change. If youre dressed when you become ill fine. But you may be in PJs. If you can spend time and effort making yourself presentable maybe your medical needs aren't urgent enough for A&E

I had to get dropped off at A&E in a vest and bed shorts once as there is no parking for miles at our hospital in central Bristol.
Temp was 104, I didnt really know what was going on so the last thing in my mind was my attire, turns out I had sepsis from a kidney infection, so yes in my opinion you are being unreasonable to think one should be suited and booted when one feels so very, very poorly.

As a lone SEND parent, I often don't get time to eat or drink, shower, brush my hair, never mind makeup. Half a dozen times I've had to go out in public inappropriately dressed, including hospital, with my disabled child, . You'd think I'd have enough on my mind to notice how judgemental people are but no, I'm painfully aware. Too busy fighting for my boy's basic needs to be met by school and now heading for tribunal, to give trivialities like this a second thought.

I always tell my daughters to wear clean underwear in case they are run over as well as proper makeup and make the effort with clothing (vintage Chanel at the very least). If they are really sick at home, I would allow them to maybe have just a basic foundation, eyeliner and lippy, I just don’t understand how one can let one’s standards slip with in public. The state of this country when people seem to think they can arrive at a General Hospital in causal wear is beyond me. Bring back the birch I say.

But you're not going to be sitting in the waiting room, like the people OP is talking about.

It might not be a heart attack or a stroke but if you are in A&E, you can still be incredibly poorly. With long ambulance waits, people can be asked if they can make their own way there too.

When I called 111 and they said that my son needed an ambulance except it was a 6 hour wait so I had to take him myself and no, I didn't get him dressed first.

OP - dont be too hard on yourself. The problem with Mumsnet posts is that its a single perspective at a point in time and people forget that. Often this gets latched onto and the pack mentality sets in.

Two or three or four things can be true at the same time but people tend to forget that when they respond.

You can't have been that unwell if you were alert enough to notice and judge what everyone else was wearing 🙄

My dh was in a&e recently with a severe bowel infection and was made to wait in a waiting room in agony. He was admitted to a hospital ward on an antibiotic drip and given morphine eventually. They do make very poorly people wait.

Definitely. Poor lady if she had to take a sick bucket with her. I definitely don't expect to see people dressed in street clothes if they're that ill. It's expected to see people in their PJ's at A & E. I think OP is being unreasonable.

Dunno, when i collapsed twice in 10 minutes last year, with heart problems,i was already dressed to be fair, so didnt count,however i doubt i was up to thinking of clothes if i had not been dressed already! I was then bluelighted to A& E by ambulance but was still dumped on a trolley in resus for hours so didnt care what i was wearing at the time.I would imagine those people you are criticizing felt the same! And the lady in drs!