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Original poster

grim 20-wk scan. i've been in 3 times and it's not over yet.

69 replies

bakedpotato · 14/09/2004 14:41

long, long, long -- i'm sorry.

i'm having a truly bad day. went in for my anomaly scan this morning. was told by one scanner midway through hb seen etc that my bladder wasn't full enough for a good visual. so tanked up and returned.

another scanner was now on you could tell she was in a stinking mood instantly. she hacked away at my bump, telling the baby to move over, for heaven's sake. i thought she was joking, but her face was cross. then she said there might be a problem with the kidneys, they looked dilated. left me alone in the room while she went to find someone else. returned and said that person wasn't around, i'd have to come back in a fortnight to check that out and also to see the heart she couldn't see the chambers clearly.

i said, i'm not waiting a fortnight, not knowing whether there's a serious problem or not. she said she couldn't fit me in to her schedule before then. her tone was brisk, bored, as if she was ticking me off for being fussy. i said, 'please don't talk to me as if you're a teacher and i'm a child.' i'm afraid voices were raised... on both sides.

she sent me out into waiting area -- i was in floods of tears (fury, mostly, that she was able to talk to me like this). i felt sorry for other pg ladies out there, god knows what they thought. i could hear her though the door,shouting, 'well, what could i do?' then a senior scanning tech came and got me and calmed me down and said she'd scan me this afternoon, i could come back again and again for as long as it took the baby to move, and of course i shouldn't be expected to wait a fortnight for clarification.

i've been in once more -- it's still on its side, they can't see whatever it is they need to. going back in an hour.

i'm not panicking yet, i'm sure it's a matter of getting the right angle, but i do HATE the fact that i'm only getting seen this afternoon because i kicked up a stink. women get the MOST crap deal from medics in pg. it makes me so angry. scanner 2 talked to me as if i were a dimwit. she implied i was unreasonable to refuse to wait for a fortnight. (of course, understaffing was mentioned. considering my situation -- well, really, my heart bleeds.)

wish me well. as well as being furious, i am a bit scared.

OP posts:
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Bellie · 14/09/2004 14:44

poor you bakedpotato - will be thinking of you and hope that they can see properly this time.

sweetheart · 14/09/2004 14:45

Stay strong and focused and don't take any crap from incompetant staff just because they've ahd a crap day - just remember this is inconvienient to you as well and after all THIS IS HEIR JOBS!!!!!

Bastards :-@

Pidge · 14/09/2004 14:45

You poor thing - what a terrible experience. I hope they can give you some reassurance really soon.

Welshmum · 14/09/2004 14:45

That's really horrible bakedpotato, really horrible. They have no idea of the sheer havoc they cause when they say stuff like this - especially when don't have the basic humanity to be kind and caring as they do it. I'm outraged on your behalf. I hope that that everything goes well for you later this afternoon.
Treat yourself to something after.
And then in a couple of days write a letter complaining - it's really not on.
All the very best.

jampot · 14/09/2004 14:46

good luck bakedpotato - hope this time they see everything and you don;'t have to see her/tehm again. I can feel a letter coming on....

misdee · 14/09/2004 14:47

i ope they get a good pic this time. have a walk about to try and get the baby active, and dont drink too much.

FWIW with dd2 she was very awkward to scan. they had to call me back after an hour as they also couldnt see the heart chambers as clearly as they liked. they did get the pic evenutually the same day tho.

It is unreasonable to expect you to wait 2 weeks to check everything, they should be able to fit you in later the same if they cant get the correct pics they need 1st time.

RexandBen · 14/09/2004 14:47

this is unbeleivable. You poor thing Good luck at the scan.

bundle · 14/09/2004 14:47

bakedpotato, i hear so many bad stories about sonographers, but i was very lucky and had an ok one the first time and then a really sweet one the second time. because i had amnios with both pregnancies my anomaly scans were actually booked in with my consultant so i was very very lucky. she booked me in because i couldn't get an appt until i was something like 22 weeks and she said that was unacceptable (this is the consultant all the midwives want when they are pg). i would write a letter of complaint because it seems to me that communication skills are pretty much near the bottom of the list in sonographer training and given the potential situations they could have to deal with, it should be near the top. fingers crossed for you, x

twogorgeousboys · 14/09/2004 14:47

bakedpotato, you poor thing - totally unacceptable behaviour from the staff. No way should you have been spoken to like that, a pregnant woman needing reassurance does not need that kind of cr*p.

Good luck for later this afternoon - let us know how it goes.

Angeliz · 14/09/2004 14:49

Oh bakedpotato how awful

I will keep my fingers crossed for this afternoon for you and wish some bad vibes on the moody cow![cross]

Good for you for refusing to be fobbed off, (much less important but they did that at my blood results a few weeks ago- said i'd have to wait ANOTHER 6 weeks for results and i did the same as you and they rang the lab!!!)

I hope i can read lots of good news soon++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

yoyo · 14/09/2004 14:51

Good luck with this. With my last baby he too was lying on his side and I was sent away to see if he would move. After a couple of hours he had and they were able to do the scan. All was fine.

With dd2 they couldn't see her kidneys properly and I had to have another scan an hour later so that they could check they were functioning properly.

I seem to have had loads of scans for various reasons and like you not all experiences were good. Try to remain positive. You were right to stand your ground.

NomDePlume · 14/09/2004 14:58

Oh BP, sounds like a bloody awful way to spend a morning. Poor you . If I were you, I'd be writing a letter to my local NHS Trust complaining about the attitude and way you were treated by the sonographer, inexcuseable.

motherinferior · 14/09/2004 14:59

Oh, how horrible. Thinking of you.

NomDePlume · 14/09/2004 15:01

Also I remember being told that it wasn't important for me to have a full bladder at my 20 week scan as the baby & womb are big enough to see without the bladder confusing things. It was only at my 5wk (early due to prev preg complications) and 12wk scans that I had to be full to bursting.

Kayleigh · 14/09/2004 15:02

keeping everything crossed for you bakedpotato.
how dare she treat you like that

clairabelle · 14/09/2004 15:03

You don't have to have a full bladder at 20 weeks in fact they ask you not to. Poor you, I would complain if I were you, it's not acceptable. Good luck for later.

Gingerbear · 14/09/2004 15:04

Good for you for standing up for yourself and making a fuss!!

Blu · 14/09/2004 15:06

BP - that's horrible, horrible behaviour from her. Unprofessional and unkind. It sounds as if the senior person was taking her to task behind the door, and a good thing too.
Good luck - and as you say, i'm sure it's a matter of position.

What part of the country are you in BP?

Original poster
bakedpotato · 14/09/2004 15:25

thanks for all of this. weird how it helps. this bladder question -- i wonder if it was a delaying tactic, in the hope the baby would move without anyone having to worry me.

i'm in north london, blu -- the whittington is the hosp in question.

right: round 4. hope to have news soon.

OP posts:
Marina · 14/09/2004 15:31

This sounds completely unacceptable, bakedpotato, and very upsetting for you. Agree that being told to fill your bladder for a 20 week scan is daft.
Dd was "hard to scan" also, I know how frustrating it can all be. Really wishing you luck at 4pm.

Blu · 14/09/2004 15:33

If you don't get any luck - or feel unhappy with continuing with the scanning unit there, is there anywhere else you could go? I know in S London anyone can go to The Harris Birthright unit, but not sure how widely alternatives are available.

I, too, remeber being told that a full bladder was not necessary at 20 wks.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 14/09/2004 16:40

not over yet. blimey, the misery of lying on that bed, staring at the ceiling tiles, trying not to cry.

from scan 4, the (nice actually, great) senior sonographer said that there seems to be some sign of renal dilation. in any other hosp, this measurement between 5 and 6, dunno what of -- wouldn't cause interest, since 10 is the benchmark, but (just my luck) because the hosp is doing related research, any measurement over 5 is flagged up and the baby will be monitored throughout pg and after it's born.

it CAN be linked to UTIs, she said it's not uncommon, her son had similar measurements and he's fine. she explained it pretty well and was reassuring and so i'm not TOO concerned, but it's one of those cases when you think, hang on, medical research is all very well, happy to help and all that, but is all this anxiety really in our best interest?

they still can't see one bit of the heart because the baby is still lying on its stomach. they swore it's purely because of positioning, it's not that they've seen something scary. i'm going back at 5, just as well i live 4 mins away. and this time DH will be there (he skipped off after scan one this morning, when it all seemed to be fairly routine)

while waiting just now, i saw the witch who made me cry. she looked as if some bad karma has hit her today. so thankyou for those vibes

just wish i could shift the mini-me. i'm going to lie back on the floor, lift up bum and joggle my hips about. she said that might help.

OP posts:
motherinferior · 14/09/2004 16:42

Oh darling, I'm so sorry. Vivid memories of trying to get my little b*gger into position for a scan too! Hugs.

Blu · 14/09/2004 17:07

Fingers crossed for you - and two fingers for the first sonographer!

Angeliz · 14/09/2004 17:12

I know what you mean about unneccessary anxiety!!!

Stil keeping fingers crossed for you+

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