Do many couples attend routine medical and dental appointments together?

[momtoboys]

I have two sets of friends, both in female same sex marriages (which may not have any bearing), that attend all medical and dental appointments together. Including one of the couples goes into the dental appointment and sits next to her wife while she is in the chair having her teeth cleaned. I truly am not judging, it just never occurred to me to do that with my DH.

Do many couples do this?

Thanks.

It's not if a partner has trouble understanding information given and what is being asked.
My DW has literacy issues (life long ) resulting in a serious issue with o/d of a medication that came to light during a GP call.

As usual there are the very strange people on the thread who say they are a “couple” and they like to spend time with each other, as if they have a far superior relationship to those of us who can manage a filling without Malcolm in his anorak getting in the way of the dentist’s drill.

All these instances of adult children attending the dentist with their parents just make me think of Ross Geller bouncing out of the pediatrician with a lollipop in his mouth.

There have been times in my life where I wouldn’t have been able to attend appointments if DH was not by my side.

Dh and I go to routine dental checks together as book hygienist and dentist as a double appt. He goes to one while I visit the other then we swap. We don’t go in together. Unless one person is very nervous then I don’t see why the other person would be with them in the room.
medical appts. - go alone. Would go together I imagine if very bad news was expected. Eg accompanied my dm for an appointment which was likely to confirm her cancer was terminal.

We did used to go to the dentist all together (with DD) but it was for time saving. Not in the room the same time though.
I once went into the docs appointment with DH but he was very unwell. Otherwise in 30 years, no.

We don’t go into each others appointments but where possible we try to schedule together just for the sake of less travel. Include DS too…our dentist offers family appointments so we can all be seen straight after one another.

The word “routine” is in the title.

It’s fine to have concurrent appointments if you’re both free. Going in with another adult for no better reason than you’re a couple is absolutely batshit.

I am well nervous about dentists (is there anyone who isn't to extent) and, frankly, an ugly crier.... I don't actually want DH with me there so he can see me lose half my brain and to some point adult dignity with blabbing and crying before they even get into my mouth when I know they have to do some work and not just check up....

It has never occurred to me to go to a medical appointment with anyone.

This is quite a fair comment and we are a family with adult dc still attending the dentist with us! Except we are still very lucky to still be NHS patients, some people we know who were members but went sporadically got booted from the NHS side to the private side and others just got booted out full stop. Not sure if it’s a problem all over the country but in this area there is a major dentist shortage so it just seems the most simple way to keep everyone patients at the dentist. And it’s only 2 dates a year to remember for the entire family. Dh or I issue the reminder to the whole family to ensure the time is saved!
Obviously we don’t go into each others appointments 😂 just drive there together.

I have been married for 36 years. We have never attended any medical appointments together - why would we? It's not only intrusive, it's also a colossal waste of one person's time.
Assuming no learning difficulties, the only circumstance in which I could imagine it being appropriate would be if the patient had dementia-type symptoms - then the partner may be needed to explain these to the doctor, and to understand the response.

OP never said it was her business. She's trying to understand different situations, nothing wrong with asking strangers if they do this.
"I'd rather ask questions and gain knowledge, than remain silent and ignorant"

I think it’s potentially controlling too. I get the dentist thing possibly if both need checkups at the same time and it involves travel, but I still wouldn’t actually go in to the surgery with my DH, I would wait outside and go in when he’d finished

I don’t know what you mean by this reply?

I know the word ‘routine’ is in the title. I responded to the OP about just that, routine appointments. It is true that there have been times in my life where I wouldn’t not have managed these without DH by my side. That's all I said.

What on earth are you on about ‘concurrent’ appointments? It’s completely irrelevant to what I said.

I went with DP recently to talk about his snoring and how badly it's affecting me. Only time I've been to the GP with him once in 20 years.

I don't think I've ever had anyone with me for a GP appointment. Wierd.

We go to the dentist’s on our own, but we usually go to hospital appointments together:

1. if the worst came to the worst, and we could not park in the hospital car park, at least the driver can drop the patient off at main entrance and then wait for a space in the car park, rather than miss the appointment
2. DH has ADHD. His memory is poor and I am better at remembering what was said.
3. every 3 months, I have painkilling injections that are so painful, sometimes I feel like throwing up afterwards. It’s better if he drives me home
4. I have to have kidney MRI scans every year - it involves a lot of breath holding and I find it very claustrophobic. It’s better if DH drives me home

As we are of state pension age, we both work part time. DH is self employed, and I work for him. Annual leave is not an issue!

I go with my DH because he's very anxious about the dentist and doesn't like going alone. I go to appointments alone.

My dh takes me everywhere but I don't drive, never have, never will.
He just waits in the car until I'm done but sometimes he will wait in the waiting room if we've also booked in the kids or just to get the baby out for a bit.
Nearest NHS dentist is a 30 minute drive away in the city, we live in a town.
Nearest gp is also a 15 minute drive away in the next town over..public transport isn't the best as we are rural so it would be hard to plan work around appointments, luckily dh is self employed so he can be on hand to give me a lift.
It may be hard for some people to comprehend but not everyone can drive. 😂

We do the dentist together as we all need to go at the same interval (no major work needed just check ups really) and it means we tag team DS so he gets seen then one of us sits with him in the waiting room while the other goes in, then switch.
Not medical appointments though, although DH came with me when I was blue lighted in with an undiagnosed heart condition while ds was at school , but I actually thought I was going to die

No, it’s hard enough to find a time in my own diary to go. I don’t relish the thought of having to find a matching time in his diary too.

That’s for routine e.g. dentist stuff. Obviously if one of us was unable to get there/back unaided, or it was something more serious, we’d support each other.

How far away is your doctor that it’s a full day out?! Why do you need to be taken there by your DH?

I like spending time with my DH too, but I’d tell him to wait at home for the boring/personal bit and meet me after. You c a go for a day out anytime so why treat the doctor or dentist as a trip out?!

the only exception would be if I was nervous about something ie important test results.

But guessing you sit in the waiting room and don’t sit at the side watching your partner get their teeth checked? SO WEIRD

I used to arrange for Dh and I have to our dental check-ups together, because I was his carer and it made more sense than two separate trips.