To think people should be banned from taking someone with them to medical appointments unless they need assistance (and then just one person)

[CurdinHenry]

Sick of standing waiting for appointments while one girl sits on her arse with her five boon companions in the waiting room because people can't do anything by themselves.

Agreed. And companions should stand and let the actual patients sit.

I can understand 1, maybe 2 at a push (eg the person you really want can’t drive and a 2nd person is needed to drive but the driver doesn’t necessarily need to be in the appt with them). And obviously a parent may need to bring children if there is no childcare.) Loads is ridiculous. The accompanying person can feedback.

I work in healthcare and have also supported my late mother with cancer (together with my siblings). It can be a shock to hear a diagnosis and the accompanying person maybe needed to listen to instructions/information. I work specifically in mental health, if the patient is confused/acutely psychotic/ neurodivergent it can be useful to get a relatives or carers perspective as to the situation.

It's odd how having one companion is so strictly enforced for pregnancy scans and giving birth but not for anything else.

I disagree that you shouldn't be allowed to bring anyone with you, but it really should be just one extra in the waiting and consultation room.

Both parents should be welcome with children. When your child has medical issues, it's really important to both be there.

And just how would this happen , the A&E I was in would seet about 100 people, if the ops example is the norm that would mean increasing the seet to around 500 !

I can't see the issue with this. There's a lot of waiting with some appointments. Our hospital has two massive cafes.

I have noticed that people are really shocked that I go to the hospital alone. I went to see my oncologist a couple of months ago and she was apalled that I was alone. Same when I got a biopsy last week.

I cannot think of anything worse than having passengers while I'm trying to deal with cancer.

Hardly anyone would take multiples.

I think anyone taking 1 person with them is perfectly reasonable but i can't see many reasons someone would need half a dozen.

Speak up. Loudly say, “Excuse me, I’m a patient and unwell and need a seat. If you’re just here accompanying someone, can you stand up and give me a seat.”

I had to do that at every prenatal appointment because of all the men sitting down. They were allowed to be there with their pregnant partner of course, but I had no issue loudly speaking to the room to tell the men to stand up and give the seats to the pregnant women. I’d do it in any other medical waiting rooms as well.

And I think that’s unreasonable. You shouldn’t have to need assistance to be able to bring 1 person to an appointment.

Yes I understand a cast of dozens isn’t great, but a witness/ chaperone is a good idea given that dodgy doctors are highly unlikely to be struck off and medical records disappear.

But OP’s example is nothing close to the norm.

Boon companion is a perfectly valid although rather old fashioned saying for a best friend.

If you have serious or multiple complex health conditions it's often valuable to have someone with you to help absorb the information and remind you of questions. There's nothing worse than waiting months for an appointment then realising when you come out that you didn't understand something.
As @TerracottaWorrier says sometimes it's best to be alone, I never took company for hours of chemo but I did take DH to the important consultant where they map out a treatment plan.

No issue with people eating in cafes at hospitals.

It’s the needing to be accompanied by your mum, and extending the invite to her friend also, to a hospital appointment when you’re in your 30s that I have the issue with.

I don’t know why people want to go and sit around in hospitals unnecessarily.

5 is nuts but actually I think if people can have someone with them for any sort of an important appointment they should- they carried out a test and found people didn’t retain more than something nuts like 50 percent of what they heard in an appointment. Whenever I go with my mum we both discuss afterwards what they said and even then find grey areas!

I agree actually. I haven't experienced cancer, but I've had 4 surgeries in the last couple of years, DH drops me at the door and I call him when I'm ready to be collected the next day. I've no interest in having a visitor when I'm feeling rubbish.

My dad had his cancer diagnosis on his own too.

I cannot think of anything worse than having passengers while I’m trying to deal with cancer

No one is suggesting you be forced to take someone. Just that taking one person with you isn’t unreasonable if that is what you want.

I have a very clear vision of what I want for myself and I'm very assertive. Any companion I brought would be in danger of diluting/compromising that, rather than enhancing it.

And they might cry. I don't need that shit in my life.

You should see the waiting rooms in A&E 😮
15 patients bring about 3 friends/relatives each

Did I say I thought it was unreasonable? Nope.

I said that I'd noticed I was an outlier. It was only a few sentences so I'm surprised you got confused!

It does go to the other extreme in some places. When my 85 year old mum was having chemo, at one hospital the waiting area was so tiny and had so few seats it was meant to be patient only. But my mum wanted me to stay until she went in for her treatment, particularly as I needed to wheel her in the wheelchair. I stood and didn't take up a chair.

I was at A&E last week and was very glad DH was with me as I felt very unwell. You need someone to advocate for you in some circumstances. Yes, it doesn't take a cast of thousands but one person, sure.

You are being silly

If people have so little life, they go to appointments as an outing, then they have such a sad life they deserve to be in the waiting room.

More likely, they are there because they need to! None of your business what kind of support they are for the patient.

i had an appointment over the summer, family sat around me. Mum in her 50s and three adult children. Two of the children were resting their feet on the back of my seat and jiggling their legs. Was very annoying! Oh the daggers I got from mum when I asked them nicely to stop.

i think for most people is not needed to bring more than a chaperone or two (I’ll be stealing boon companion) but it takes a bit of courage to ask these hospital tourists to move etc.