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!

No shirt no shoes no service?

@worldshottestmom you make no sense.. clemency for op because of her health, while berating those who also have ill health for their responses? t i honestly think a lot of the PPs on here are the ones who should be apologising. Berating a woman undergoing chemo is just outright vile

This is gracious. Wish you all the best with your health struggles.

I think we were those sort of people at A&E last week, DH received an electric shock at work and advice from first aid there and 111 was to attend A&E for a checkover.

We were dressed (not in PJ's), but I did at one point pop out and get some nice bagels for dinner. DH was by this time feeling well enough and starving. Thankfully all was well after he was checked over, which I am very grateful for.

Believe me, we were not there for fun or enjoying an 'evening out' (as some people are phrasing in other posts), just because we had food at one point 😅

I guess what we can all learn from this thread is... we can never really enter other people's realities or know what is going on for them. What we see isn't necessarily the whole truth.

A&E is triaged based on need. If your unresponsive baby didn't go in before them then they didn't triage him correctly.

It can also be hard to tell with kids, mine in A&E was watching his Ipad, a bit quieter than usual but I wasn't super concerned, I just thought it was because he was dehydrated (which is why I was there). Turned out that he actually had cancer.

It was also about 2am so I put a coat over his pj's. Didn't see any need to get him dressed.

I didnt berate anyone for what they wore? The only comment I made was regarding a woman I seen in the GP today wearing legit see through trousers that meant me, my kids and everyone else there could see her whole arse. There's a time and place for that, GP is not it. My other point in original comment was stating that people could be wearing PJs in these places for any given reason, they might be well enough to get dressed, they might not, nobody is able to make that determination by looking at them really.

My later comment about the woman taking her kids for a day out to a&e wasnt regarding her clothing choices.

Other PPs should be apologising (not everyone) cos theyre taking the absolute piss out of her for having a different opinion to them. Carrying on like teenagers with their knee-slapping gags, its embarrassing.

What exactly is your point?

I was in A&E for about 12 hours last year. I spent most of that time in agony and vomiting bile in the waiting room while hooked up to a drip, in a foetal ball. I also had makeup on, because I’d put some on that morning when I went out, and then when I was taken ill and had to be taken to A&E urgently I didn’t really have the time or energy to double-cleanse.

I was wearing ancient jersey joggers with bleach stains on them, flip-flops and a disgusting old baggy t-shirt, because that afternoon I’d been doing a very grubby and dusty DIY job in the house.

I couldn’t tell you what anyone else was wearing because I was too fucking ill to care. I spent the next fortnight in hospital and I can’t say I paid the slightest attention to anyone else’s appearance for the whole two weeks, either.

If I’d been wearing my pyjamas I when I fell ill, I would absolutely have gone to A&E in them. I doubt I’d have even have registered what I was wearing; I was too ill and in too much pain to care and I was also breaking out in severe cold sweats. The clothes I was wearing in A&E were in such a state by the time I was admitted that a nurse just put them in the bin for me and gave me a gown until my partner was able to come back with clean pyjamas for me the next day.

Absolutely incredible to learn that when I was at my lowest ebb like that, there might have been some god-awful braindead twat judging me for my lack of sartorial effort.

I found her post insensitive and I find yours insensitive.
You have absolutely no idea why anyone else is in A&E and it’s frankly none of your business. The fact you think a family has gone in there ‘for a day out’ is laughable. That woman with her children could have been there with someone in any type of crisis (or been there for herself) and had no one to watch her kids. Worry about yourself and your own health.

Has it ever occured to some of you that you can have a cold AND have an accident or emergency?

The last time I went to a&e I was sneezing and had a runny nose that I blew a few times. That was NOT the emergency I was attending for - nor the reason I hadn't dressed.

NYD is prime time for winter coughs and colds - it doesn't mean that's what they were admitted for...

@worldshottestmom you put but i honestly think a lot of the PPs on here are the ones who should be apologising.
why should they apologise and what for?

We did get seen before them, cos they really didnt need to be there. My point was them being there meant someone else who really did need to be there had to wait longer, and its not ok.

Im deeply sorry about your son, and I hope hes okay now, truly. I never judged anyone for wearing PJs to a&e in any of my comments. I just genuinely believe this woman I was referring to did not need to take any of those kids to a&e, they weren't sneezing, coughing, limping, nothing. Running around screaming and laughing like we were at the soft play centre.

Had it occurred to you she put her make up on before she got unwell? So judgemental. As a health care professional I’ve seen patients come in with pjs on as their abdomen was so tender from appendicitis/ miscarriage/ endometriosis. Pjs on to fit over broken bones etc. I assume you don’t work in the NHS or a caring profession for that matter.

It really doesn't matter what you 'believe'. You have no idea what was really going on.

God it really is out of the question for so many people on here that people in this world really will waste everybody's time by going to a&e etc over nothing, or very little.

It happens all the time. Every single day. This is why the NHS strongly advises against going to a&e unless its urgent. Do you seriously believe that wait times would be quite so long if everybody that went to a&e were only the ones who genuinely needed to be there? I think not.

No I think if you’re ill enough to go to A&E you don’t always need to be dicking around getting dressed in order to receive emergency treatment.

Was at hospital Not long ago emergency on call doctor called to tell me go to A and E ASAP so had to get my dad to take me to hospital or they would send ambulance as u was told not to drive or get public transport or on my own?!. I pulled black tights on and soft comfy dress on as had to walk to car. Already had make up on from earlier on in the day. Depends on the time of day I suppose if night time i wouldnt expect people to dress in clothes. I didn't really pay much attention to what others were wearing tbh was too tired worried dizzy sob and in my own world to notice what outfits people were wearing.

Either do you. Do you know for a fact that she needed to be there?

Sounds like the same place, same day!

I’m sorry to read why you were there, I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been and hope his recovery was swift and full.

But how do you know they didn’t need to be there?
What if she was a single parent? Was she supposed to leave the healthy kids at home on their own and attend A&E with the ill child? Or stay at home with the healthy children and send the ill/injured one into A&E alone?

You don't know for sure though, especially as you were only there for 10 minutes.

My son was laughing at his Ipad. He still had cancer.

"Other PPs should be apologising (not everyone) cos theyre taking the absolute piss out of her for having a different opinion to them. Carrying on like teenagers with their knee-slapping gags, its embarrassing."

Copied from my original reply to you.

Yep, I wish I still had the luxury of such a cosseted, simplistic view of paeds health care
who needs a doctor when someone can tell me my toddlers kidneys aren’t in failure because he’s watching Bluey!

I went for a cortisone injection on my knee and wore what I usually do around the house - a kaftan. It was clean on that morning and I obviously needed to wear something that allowed easy access. I live in a diverse area where many women wear long loose gowns so I dont thing the GP was bothered.

She had 3 children with her all running around screaming, laughing, knocking into people. It was annoying. It really isnt out of the question that she was there when she didnt need to be. It happens every single day. People just ignore NHS advice not to overrun the a&e department because they think theyre entitled to be seen over anything.

If her kids were seriously ill, then yea she should of been there. I just really think that was not the case if shes requesting films and more concerned about her subway order than her apparently critically ill children that couldn't sit still.

Oh get a grip

Haven’t RTFT but as someone who has worked in A&E for 25+ years what you’re describing is totally normal.
And no, we don’t take much notice of what people are wearing although if you turn up in just your pants you will be asked to put a gown on (yes it does happen)

And don’t get me started on the people who take a 💩 on the waiting room floor.
Or drug deal
Or throw computers across the room

Yours sounds quite civilised tbh