To have STORMED out of the Ante Natal Department!

[BigMommaOfAlmost4]

Feel pretty stupid now and can't believe I have been in tears over this!! My only excuse is that I am 30 weeks pregnant.

Yesterday I spent 3 hours in the ante natal department - 45 mins waiting for scan and almost 2 hours waiting to see consultant who saw me for about 5 mins and did not give me a chance to discuss my birth plan or anything really. She said I needed a Glucose Tolerance Test as baby seems to weigh 4lb already so they want to rule out Gestational Diabetes. This means no food or drink apart from plain water from 9pm the night before, a blood test then a sugary drink in the morning at the hospital, then having to stay at the hospital for 2 hours to see what effect the sugary drink has on your blood, then another blood test, and basically not being able to eat or drink anything else until all this has been done. Difficult for me as I am ravenous in this pregnancy, feel like I'm starving as soon as I wake up and get headaches if I don't eat.

It was arranged that I go back this morning for the test. I was given an appointment for 9.30am but was told that the blood tests are on a first come, first served basis so it would be done earlier if I got there earlier. I got there at 9am hoping to get it over and done with quickly so I could eat!

At 9.50am I lost it and stormed out because at least 5 other women who came in after me were seen while I was still sat there (I was also desperate for the loo but did not want to lose my place if I went out). I think what made me see red was that a mum from the DSs school was also waiting (she never speaks to me and is a typical Boden, look down your nose at less well clad people, person), I heard her complain loudly that she had been waiting since 9.15 (so after me) and she was immediately seen. This was after I had already asked how much longer I would have to wait and was told that there were 3 people in front of me. My already fragile inferiority complex went into overdrive at this!! I was also going mad that the longer I was waiting, the more starving I was getting and I would still have to wait at least 2 hours after the blood test to eat anything.

When I was told that the tests were being done by the appointment times not by who came in first, so completely the opposite of what I had been told the day before, I said loudly that it was 'bloody ridiculous and I was not waiting a second longer' and waddled stormed out.

Obviously, now I'm home and have stuffed my face I realise I have cut my nose off to spite my face (as my mum likes to say) and am pissed off I was so irrational. Will also have to call consultant and tell her that I did not do the test. Well WIBU!!

If, at 30 weeks pregnant, someone had made me starve myself all night, I would have been vomiting all over the waiting room, never mind storming out of it.

Maybe, reasonably you should have known that you wouldn't be seen on time, and prepared yourself mentally for a longer wait.

YANBU

BTW were you convinced of the need for the GTT?

When I was having DS I was waiting at the GP's for my appointment, I had already waited 45 mins past my appointment time when my name was called. Before I could get to the door another women got up and went in FOR MY APPOINTMENT! I said to the receptionist WTF! who said the women who just went in had the same first name so must have misheard! At this I saw totally red and said as it was actually my appointment they should get the women out and make her wait for hers. The receptionist said as she was already in there I might as well wait for her to finish!!

So, I burst into tears and left

Agree with sassybeast.Consider yourself lucky that you live in a country which provides free antenatal care.

I think you were wrong to storm out of the clinic after a wait of only 20 minutes.

But if you think you have a legitimate complaint about the way in which the appointment system is run, with appointment times ignored in favour of a first come first served system, which is also not adhered to, then I would contact the Patient Liaison Service at the hospital (PALS). They will take details of your complaint and try to sort any issues out for you.

BTW, I had to wait almost 2 hours at the hospital last week for my daughter to see the paediatrician at the outpatients clinic because the nurse had missed us off the list, even though I had checked in as requested at the reception and handed the nurse my blue ticket. So I do have some sympathies with your frustration. 20 minutes is not an indecent amount of time to wait though.

Had you already had the drink? I nearly fainted afterwards and only kept it down with extreme difficulty (was terrified if i didn't would have to have another). Turned out I was (very) hypoglaecemic, rather than diabetic. (Oh and I can't spell either!). I also had large babies. If you are either diabetic or hypowotsit then, okay you were a bit U but I have some sympathy, because, whether 'a jeune' (breakfastless) or having had sugary drink your blood sugar and mood would have been all over the place and quite frankly we are sometimes a bit U when that happens. But I think you should have the test. Call your midwife and explain and ask her to arrange in a less stressful environment.

Maybe you were a bit unreasonable. It seems to me that you have an appointment time for if they are busy but if you go earlier and they happen to not be busy then they will see you on a first come first served basis.

I know if I go for any appointment - hospital, doctors, bank, hair, beauty if I turn up early and there is no one else due in before me they will see me as soon as they can. If there are other people waiting who have an appointment before me then they will be seen first. Surely that's common sense?

When they told me there were 3 people in front of me I would have said is that cos their appointment times are before mine or cos they got here before me just to clarify.

Assuming I've got this right, and your appt was at 9.30 (so you stomed out 20 minutes after your alloted time) then YABU.

You have no idea what was going on behind the scenes, nor whether the women going in ahead of you had earlier appts or were more urgent cases. Or were in fact attending another clinic entirely.

I waited 50 mins not 20 and had 3 people still ahead of me so would have waited over an hour before being seen if I had hung around - just to clarify!

I was also wound up about people going in ahead of me when the waiting room was virtually empty when I arrived. Oh and we were ALL having the GTT tests so no 'urgent' cases as far as I know. We were all starving, irritable and probably desperate for a pee!!

Not over the top at all. Similar things were happening to me!

You really should have complained about the other lady being seen earlier!

It is not easy 30 weeks pregnant ......

I would be worried about not having done the test... make sure your health is not compromised.

I think on the whole YABU as you have achieved nothing.

You turned up early & yes I would have been annoyed about that but I wouldn´t have waited so long before finding out what was going on.

Also, if the consultant does have grounds for thinking of gestational diabetes, then isn´t it important to get this done?

I know they are a PITA as I have had them.
I usually took a book -and enjoyed the tea & toast that they brought after the 2hrs.

You have a legitimate complaint in that you were given incorrect advise about 'first come, first served'. I would phone and ask to speak to the manager of the clinic. Explain that you were given this information which proved to be incorrect (that will stop that happening to someone else). Aplogise for storming out but explain that you do not do well without food in the morning. Ask for a new appointment and ask for it to be as early as possible. Some clinics start at 08.30am - I don't know about your one.

i think yabu a bit, i had to wait longer than that for my gtt when i had it, nhs is just like that. if you go back for it bring a book or something. if you had older dcs with you for the wait i would understand it would become really annoying but just yourself couldnt you just wait? next time if you go just wait itll be better in the end to get it done rather than waste another morning. they might have called you in another 10 mins.

The only person who has suffered though your 'storming' actions is yourself, as now you have to go through it all again.

Sitting around waiting for appointments is a pain but it's part of life.

YABU.

Midwives don't make you wait for the hell of it. Maybe someone was admitted with reduced fetal movement and a heartbeat couldn't be found or maybe someone was bleeding.

Please consider what happens behind the scenes. Rarely are we sat with a brew.

It is a shame that there is the expectation that because it is the NHS you have to wait. There is something about inappropriate scheduling of appointments too. It is unreasonable for pregnant women who have to be fasted for an appointment to wait for long times. If more women complained, perhaps the hospital would schedule appointments more effectively. I am a midwife an understand the contraints that there are. I do think though that appointmants could be done more efficiently.

If I had not been told that it was 'first come, first served' I would NOT have minded waiting so much even seeing people get seen who came in later than me. I would not have arrived 30 minutes early either just to make the waiting time longer for myself!! That is my beef. Having to wait around for 3 hours yesterday was not conducive to my patience this morning.

Not interested in the argument that I should be grateful to have ante natal care at all and should be prepared to wait how ever long it takes.

Of course if I was not pregnant and full of hormones I probably would not have minded waiting at all. Well actually I would as I have never been able to understand how the NHS gets away with a system of giving appointments that they never keep to (and generally you do wait hours) but if YOU turn up late, they will not see you. For example, at my GPs, you would generally wait at LEAST 30 mins after your appointment time to be seen but they have big notices up stating that is you arrive more than 10 minutes after your appointment time, you will have to rebook. Bloody cheek IMO. I understand there are 'emergencies' but with all the extra funding pumped into the NHS, why are there not enough staff on duty to deal with them??

Yes, I am pissed off that I will have to do it all again and have achieved absolutely nothing today!!

It sounds like an average day on an antenatal clinic to me so I wouldn't worry. GTTs are guaranteed to make people see red and I've had plenty of women leave in a rage for one reason or another. Hospital antenatal clinics are an effing nightmare, they are too busy and they are shit for the women and shit for the midwives. Sorry you had such a rubbish time.

GeekOfTheWeek - the midwives do not do the blood tests. They are taken in a separate area not run by midwives .

I think Geek's comment is still valid, even is a support worker is taking the blood I am sure she/he is not peeing about on mumsnet instead of doing their job!

and as for your

'not interested in the argument that I should be grateful to have ante natal care at all and should be prepared to wait how ever long it takes'

NOW I think YABVU frankly - up until that point I was sympathetic to your wait, having had to have 3 GTT tests myself I know they're a pita HOWEVER I've also been an emergency case (twice, the last of which was only last week) and frankly had the people waiting for a routine test thrown a strop it would only have served to make me feel even worse about what was happening. The midwives and health care professionals work very hard and don't sit there taking bets on who they can get to loose their cool first

as I tell people where I work (also in the emergency services) appointments are made and will be adhered to where possible however there are sometimes circumstances that merit more attention than your own and in that case you will be expected to wait, preferably with some understanding and good grace

Hey Big Momma,

Try not to be stressed if you do have to go back in for the GTT.
I was very stressed when I had mine and had a slightly raised blood glucose result (at 36 weeks) and have been forced to self monitor since - my levels seems fine as long as I don't eat fruit in the morning (fine at other times of the day) and I am convinced there is a pattern of higher blood glucose readings when your stressed, so please be calm when you go back in.
I have been having a rotten time the last few weeks being told I have GD (convinced I don't) and the implications it has on your birth choices and the way you are treated. Wish I had been less stressed when I had my GTT (I had a similar experience waiting for a scan prior to the GTT and was starving!).

Stay calm!!!!!!!!!

BigMomma, I am a midwife and in my trust gtt is done in the antenatal day unit. Both midwives and hca's take the blood. Not sure why that is an issue anyway

I once waited for one hour past my appointment time and watched as 5 other women were seen before me who had come after, all because the receptionist had put my folder in the wrong place .