AIBU to expect a gown and privacy during an early mammogram?

[Cranberry2020]

Today I attended for my first mammogram under the screening age due to family history.
i was called and the radiographer didn’t introduce herself. Inside the room she just asked me to undress to waist and started asking me questions. I wasn’t offered a gown etc and I got down to bra and felt cold. I requested a gown for dignity and she said they don’t have them here. That’s the machine is only over there. I felt uncomfortable and tried to ask again. She denied one. She then said she needed to get someone else in and went and got the receptionist who was an older lady. The radiographer then gaslit me by telling the receptionist how unreasonable I was asking for a gown etc. that the receptionist had to hear two sides but then didn’t let me speak. I was still in my bra and now the door to the corridor was open. The receptionist told me if I’d wanted a gown I should have mentioned it earlier. I left the wrong way and came back and heard they were still talking about me negatively. I then found a nurse and explained by now generally upset. The consultant appeared and said that it’s down to perceived communication which I couldn’t accept completely as I really asked nicely for a gown and explained why. She also said that if I left now I’d have to ‘wait a long time for another one’. I’ve been left reeling. I have other long term conditions and do have some medical PTSD. I’ve had lots of healthcare interactions including a recent internal gynae scan yet I felt fully cared for and treated with dignity and respect. AIBU? Thanks

@CaptainMyCaptain "Yes prudish" because @Cranberry2020 felt vulnerable and uncomfortable?

There is zero equivalence to the examples you gave.

This setting was medical not social.

I’ve been for a few.

NHS van - go to changing room, remove bra but keep on top. Wait in private waiting room. Privately escorted to mammogram room, door locked, remove top and put on hook opposite side of room to machine, but room is tiny so only 5-6 steps to machine, really no need for gown, crossed arms across my chest and technician made it obvious she was busy looking elsewhere. Once done put top back on, escorted privately to private changing room to put bra back on.

NHS clinic - Given a half length gown and basket. Top half clothes into basket and put on gown them wait in public waiting room. Walkthrough public area to mammogram room, then back to public waiting room, same for ultrasound, then for physical exam, then biopsy, in public areas with gown all while carrying shopping basket around.

Private clinic - Go into mammogram room. No changing cubicle. Remove top and bra, put on chair opposite side of room, again room is small so not big deal. Once done have to awkwardly (I fasten at front and spin bra around large boobs jiggling as I go so 😳) put bra and top back on in room with technician.

Its not the nicest of experiences, especially with G cup, saggy boobs, but I felt least exposed in nhs van.

What the nurse said to the chaperone is totally irrelevant to her ability as a chaperone .

I always just turn my back to them to get undressed then hold my boobs in my hands until I get over to the machine, would this be easier?

Yes-sometimes, women would start stripping off the moment they were in the room with me and I’d have to ask them to stop and keep their clothes on for a minute as I had to go through some questions first. It’s much easier to do a mammogram if the woman is relaxed and at ease so I can’t understand why it’s not a priority to treat patients with respect and kindness. I’ve had a few mammograms, you do feel vulnerable and exposed so the person doing it makes a difference. Now if only all the patients I had treated us with kindness and respect but that’s another topic!

I’m sorry this has been so crappy for you. I don’t know why you’d think they’re not a chaperone or weren’t trained. I’d assume any regular staff within the vicinity would be trained and receptionists absolutely would be. I understand she didn’t announce or introduce the receptionist as a chaperone but it’s almost certainly what happened because the situation was escalating, so that would be best practice, though I appreciate it’s not been handled terribly well. I’m not clear on whether you have had your mammogram or not but obviously it’s important that you do, so now you know the set up it won’t be unexpected and you’ll know the order of events etc.

@Cranberry2020 did you receive a leaflet explaining the process when you got your appointment. If not might be good to feedback that it would be useful to know that if you want a gown you need to ask at reception as not available in the room where you have the mammogram.

Getting you a gown once you were in the room might have been a waste of time as by the time someone had sorted it you would have answered all the questions and be ready for the scan when you can’t wear the gown

"This about saving your life, not your modesty."

It's not a life or death situation where modesty goes out of the window, is it? Generally the NHS does provide items for modesty e.g. at a smear test you usually have either paper or a sheet you can place around your abdomen so I don't think OP's question is unreasonable.

How difficult would it have been to have asked the questions whilst the op still had her top and bra on. A good oppprtunity to build rapport, albeit swiftly, too.

To have a mammogram your breasts cannot be covered up, it is essential to be naked from waist up, whereas for an internal exam or smear it is perfectly possible to do this while the patient is covered.

Personally I have always found the staff ensure that you are in this vulnerable state for as short a time as possible, so it does sound as if OP had a less sympathetic nurse than normal, but at the end of the day it's a pretty grim experience all round.

According to ChatGPT an NHS nurse will perform between 25 and 40 mammograms per day, they aren't hanging around while people fanny around with gowns.

The NHS video showing what to expect makes no mention of a gown. It says 'undress from the waist up' and shows a t-shirt being hung on a peg; then the patient has nothing on above the waist when you see her come to the machine.

www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/breast-screening-mammogram/what-happens-at-your-breast-screening-appointment/

And yet they manage to allow women to “fanny around with gowns” and introduce themselves in other state backed healthcare systems as multiple women have pointed out. I’ve also experienced this (abroad and in the private sector in the UK).

Its great if some women are happy to be topless whilst doors are opened, strangers enter the room and happy to be stared at whilst undressing. Most women do not feel like this and want basic privacy and dignity maintained as far as possible during a procedure which is actually optional.

In effect what you are saying is that this little bit of women’s dignity and privacy and the courtesy of an introduction is a luxury extra rather than a core part of care - that women are not worth that effort.

The biggest challenge in the UK is getting women to come forward for mammograms. Many turn up once and never return. This thread goes a long way to explaining why this happens.

If my only experience was my first NHS mammogram I’d never have returned either. As it was the next time I was due I was in a different healthcare system which took women’s healthcare more seriously.

"To have a mammogram your breasts cannot be covered up"

No need to treat my like an idiot. OP knows she can't be covered up while the mammogram is taking place. It was while waiting/walking that she wanted to cover up. It may not make sense if the room she's in is small - that was the case for my mammogram - but my point is that she's not unreasonable to ask about it.

"they aren't hanging around while people fanny around with gowns."

You can make that argument for any procedure really. The NHS is usually supposed to maintain patients' dignity where possible.

One aspect of the chaperone role is to be an objective observer and thus also an advocate, usually for the patient, but sometimes for staff.
If the radiographer was priming the receptionist with her version of events, the very important objective advocacy aspect of the chaperone role is lost.

In the time OP was faffing about and demanding a gown, two women would have received their mammograms.

Women are waiting over 14 days or in some areas several weeks for urgent, red-flag referrals. NHS breast screening aims to invite women aged 50–70 every three years, but backlogs have resulted in some women waiting far longer.

I think the OP should consider paying for private mammograms in future.

I had a private mammogram each year and it is carried out in exactly the same way as my NHS mammograms have been in the past. I go into the room, confirm my details whilst Im undressing, and then walk six feet to the machine. Ive never been offered a gown, the radiographer has never introduced herself and has never stared at me getting undressed.

Mine was the same ,but it never occurred to me to ask for a gown
One would of made the whole procedure so much more bearable though
I was just so glad to see it was all women doing the procedure,as I'd been worried about it being a man

I wasn’t pfaffing and demanding I asked quickly and politely. It was her refusal and escalation that took so long. And after I left and I walked the wrong way, on my return, they were still there talking about me/it and not taking another woman in. There were no women waiting…

There are clinics who offer a more premium and personalised mammogram experience.

However, this is reflected in the price.

I strongly refute this and I work in the NHS.

@Cranberry2020 has every right to have asked for a garment that is provided in many places if this would have made her feel more comfortable.

It wasn’t available - which is fine - the next reasonable thing would have been for the radiographer to have apologised and found out how to come to a solution - simple conflict resolution. Solutions could have been: the radiographer asking the questions with the OP clothed, allowing the OP to wear their bra whilst walking to the machine, radiographer turning around whilst OP gets dressed. Or just saying sorry we can’t do it with a gown - you can rebook an appointment and bring your own gown if you can’t do the procedure without. Not sure why the nurse / consultant even needed to be involved

Asking for a non clinical member of staff (who where I work would not be allowed to be a chaperone) to come into the room and argue with the OP whilst the OP is in their bra and the door is open isn’t the best way to resolve the situation.

Can we not blame individuals for the long waiting lists in the NHS which by and large are due to systemic issues including- chronic underfunding / wastage and poor future planning.

Actually this reminded me of my last smear test
There was no curtains round the bed for me to get changed behind,and no cover to place over me when on the bed ,and no pillow for under my head just to be a bit more comfortable.the person doing it , didn't even leave the room while I removed my clothes...but I don't know maybe this is normal and I expect to much ..I didn't say anything though,as like I said up thread I was just glad it wasn't a man doing it
It was a hideous experience though,and a curtain ,a cover and a pillow would of made a huge difference..I've actually not been back for another since ..I do need to

OP, I really sympathize with what you have described and I don't think you are being unreasonable. However, I'm American and my experience has been very different from yours. I've had mammograms for more than thirty years, and without exception, the technician has introduced herself and I have been given private space to remove my top and put on a gown before going into the mammogram room. The gown easily slides down on each side as needed.

I realize that our system is different from the NHS and often comes in for a lot of criticism, some well-founded and some not. But I do think that the least health care providers should do concerning the most prevalent type of cancer that affects women (excluding certain common skin cancers) is to make the process as woman-focused as possible.

To me the most shocking thing that posters have described is that the technicians don't introduce themselves. That only takes seconds.

Obviously I don't know the set up in that room but in my experience the chair where you leave your clothes is only a few strides from the machine so a gown is really not necessary.

What I do find unacceptable though is bringing a bloody receptionist in? I would be very unhappy with anyone other than clinical staff being in the room. I work in a similar role and tbh I would not want to be part of a patients consultation/treatment. I am not clinical I am admin staff, I wouldn't expect a patient to be comfortable with me in the room.

Word of advice when you do go back, make sure you don't wear deodorant, I forgot last time and she directed me to the sink where I had to wash my armpits. Not the most dignified thing I have ever had to do in front of a stranger

@Cranberry2020 years ago they used to provide gowns. Next it was take off bra in changing cubicle and put top back on to go into the room. Now it's straight into the room, take off top clothes then leave by a different door. And yes, have seen the radiographers become increasingly less patient.
I guess it's all cost saving at the end of the day. We are fortunate in the UK that we get screening for free, but you could always pay privately if you want more dignity?

I agree with your assessment of the current situation. However, I paid for a private mammogram and it was no different to the NHS screen id had previously in terms of the process on the day.