Today was my abdominal abdomen appt at the hospital. I have had previous ultrasound scans, usually by a female. My letter said I would probably be given a gown. The dr was a relative of MB. His surname ended in...ski. The male nurse sttod at the foot of the bed. The dr asked me'what do you have under your t-shirt???????????????' Well, I knew he MEANT did I have a vest/other on, so I said' my bra'. I asked if I wasn't having a gown, and when he said it wasn;t necessary, I was miffed! All that damn jelly on my clothes! No, I didn't wear my Sunday best, thank you, but I still was narked about it. I can take a huge amout of pain/discomfort, but when the probe hit my right rib, I yelped, and he asked if I wanted him to stop. Well, no, that wouldnt't solve the problem. Let me set the scene. I am lying on this bed. My knickers are rolled down.. I rolled them. My top is almost covering my face. Trousers undone and half-way down. The male nurse, with his topknot hairdo, is standing at the foot of the bed, so he has a bird'seye view of a 71 year old lady with a flabby belly and half-naked. I don't know what his role was? Took about 10 minutes. Comrade...ski left the room, and then nurse stands and WATCHES me getting dressed! Really!! Told him patients should be told to wear their old clothes. ps the lights were off for the scan. Don;t remember that happening before? Not charmed at all. A prior warning that 2 men would be in attendance, would've been good. Receptionist was at lunch when I left. Maybe PALS.
PPS I don't know how to get onto the site without typing in pmr/gca.... every time. Laura, from HU, has tried to explain the bookmark, but I just don;t get it.
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karools16
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Sorry I did have a little snigger with just the way you explained it. I would have demanded a gown only on the pretence that you knew MB. . Hope you are OK know. Ps. Are you on the health unlocked.com site and registered for that. Then you can go and choose PMR as your option to be on that site. Give a try.x
Oh dear what a hideous experience. I have few I could relate on here that I am still not sure if they we’re downright abuse or just people being sloppy at work. Interestingly they happened more when I was young and lovely. Not so much now. It’s horrible to feel vulnerable and disrespected. Are you going to complain?
The bit that made me laugh was that Tedski may have had a role.
Now Mark, I have just found something so hilarious that my spirits are lifted. Your 'family' are popping up everywhere! In Gardener's World, there is a special on a plant called.....wait for it...Erigeron Karvinskianus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said!
OK. So, I admit to being the infamous but highly secretive Polyoligarch, 'Count Markovitch Anthonius Benjaminskianus' - with extravagant homes on the Brest-Litovsk Highway in Ukraine and Weston super Mare UK, apart from a few other secret places.
My obscenely opulent Lifestyle and immense wealth are in fact protected and supported by a network of 200 heavily-armed 'Tedski' lookalikes, and I usually travel to do my 'weakly' shop in ASDA in a motor cavalcade of 6 Armoured, stretched Mercedes Limos just in case I get my sausages nicked (I find the 3 Chilli ones are best).
As for my Radio 4 'Gardening Associates'? Too dangerous to say here in case Double Agent Aphidski gets to know about them......
Ohhh, Ukraine...! That takes me back to a period in my life from 2008 - 2013. A long and complicated romantic story / intrigue for another time - but with some great anecdotes to share
Yep, probably right. This particular hospital has every nationality you can think of, and never any probs, until this today. I haven't calmed down yet. Taking it out on defrosting the fridge.
Seriously that us bad practice. It's the thought of a looming nurse that freaks me as much as Dr! I had a similar kind of vulnerable inappropriate examination 30plus years ago and it still makes me shudder. If you don't put a complaint in at least ensure future appts are more appropriate. Unless you want to defrost freezer. 😉
That's still coming..the freezer. I will put in complaint. There could, at least, have been a screen to dress/undress. Also think a female nurse could accompany a male dr. In S.African state hospitals, a male dr always has a female nurse with the patient. This is in case the patient accuses the dr of inappropriate behaviour, but, mainly, because most drs have emigrated to England and Canada, and we have Nigerian, Somalian, etc, in their place, and the nurse, often has to tell the dr what the patient is saying! 1 of these days I will write about the state care in SA. Nobody would dare to complain about the NHS, without reason, after that.
My husband says that would have been the case in his department - but who knows what the situation is with the state the NHS is in now. If there wasn't a woman to do the u/s or a female nurse to chaperone, what do you do? Cancel the procedure?
My mum always said laughter is the best tonic so here goes, a case of the boot being on the other foot! Scenario - First time hospital visit for any investigation. Subject - young whippersnapper aged 19. Status- Naive, innocent female.
Was asked to strip to knickers only and put on gown. Taken in to have barium meal and scans. Doc looked like Dr Who, eccentric 'professor' type curly hair, mismatched shirt, waistcoat, bow tie. Very professional, very efficient and very explicit instructions given - Drink the drink when I tell you. He went into his protective box and duly called out drink the drink. So I did, put down the plastic cup stood up and opened the gown giving him a full frontal!!!!!!! Talk about a change in demeanor!!!!! Flustered, red faced and obviously displeased, he came running out of his protective box screaming, 'what are you doing?????' Before I could answer he told me that I didn't need to open the gown, admonished me for putting it on back to front, then told me to try again leaving the gown in place. So......
Take two......
Drink the drink......Totally perplexed I stared at the glass? ' What drink?' I asked. ' The drink I gave you', he replied. 'But I drank it'. 'What do you mean you drank it?' 'You told me drink the drink so I drank it!' 'I didn't tell you to drink the whole lot! (You were supposed to sip it!') 'Well you may not have told me to drink it all exactly, but everyone I spoke to about a barium meal told me it tastes horrible so I knocked it back in case it was! Obviously I've blown it then!'. And with that I left, leaving him standing totally flabbergasted in the middle of the room. I couldn't hold back the laughter as I walked down the corridor. Oh to be young and blasé again.
That's hilarious!!!!!!!! Those blasted gowns! When I had my DEXA, recently, they gave 2 gowns. 1 to be worn open front, the other, over it, open back.Imagine the conversation with his colleagues?
For my DXA scans I've just shown up in clothes with no metal parts (no zipper, etc). Scan done fully clothed. But technician both times has been female anyway. One of my worst experiences was starting university when they had medical students do an examination of incoming students for student health records. I don't think they subject freshmen to that any more.
Reminds me of going down for breast cancer surgery, the male nurse on the ward INSISTED the gown be left open at the back!! Needless to say when we got to theatre the surgeon's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and asked in the mildest of manner why is she back to front! - I'd had pre-med so it took 3 of them to manouvre me into position etc etc.....
Pleased it made you smile. It is a very true account that still makes me chuckle just thinking about it. Two gowns?????....dread to think what I might have done with two back in the days.....HmmmmmX
This conversation reminds of when, about 15 years ago at a young age 45, I had an Angiogram to investigate the cause of and / or any damage to my heart after a nasty (and nearly fatal - seriously) episode of Viral Myocarditis (viral infection of / usually damaging to the heart muscles, valves etc) the mystery of which was only unravelled after 6 months of uncertainty and fear for my future health prospects. Yep, a very close call... and out-of-the-blue for a fit and active 'Action Man'.
As the medical team prepared me for the Angiogram - which involves the insertion of a miniature probe and camera into a main artery to look at the inside of the heart - I was stripped-down to, and shaved around the 'Vital' area (i.e. groin, private parts etc) and they said (q.): 'Mark, it's only a small Prick!'.
My response..? I'll leave you to guess..
Fortunately, the Angiogram found no heart damage or disease, for which I am thankful every day even now. I had a very lucky escape...
Mark. that remark reminds me of when I asked a nurse why they always say 'sharp scratch' before a blood test. She said they used to say'small prick', but not allowed any more!
I am totally appalled of your experience karools! Very unacceptable in my book! You should have asked to see the manager of the radiology department. There are certain protocols that need to be followed and he certainly didn’t follow them. On the other hand you held your cool 😎 through the ordeal and quite the story to write up! Grrrrr
I think if I had complained there and then, I might have said more than I should. My Mom used to say that I should have been born with red hair...to match my anger....
Agree with all said about lack of dignity for you. The only comment is that they put out the lights so that they can better see your scan on their screen/monitor. I had a cardio ultrasound and the technician put out the lights. She was a she and on her own! (I'm a she and I had a gown.)
Okay... it was not "funny," but I laughed as I read the account of the "Scan from Hell!" ...because, well come on, you made it sound, ridiculously FUNNY! Which at the time I'm sure it was not!
I had a cardio stress test once (in Florida) and the (what appeared to be 15 year old) technician put me on the treadmill, hooked me up and popped in a DVD for me to watch.
It was a movie called "American Pie," and started at the scene where a young boy, was doing UNSPEAKABLE things with/to/in a pie his Mom had made!!!!!! : o
The technician (who was supposed to be watching me, my heart rate and the monitor, was engrossed in this horrible "never ending" scene and hysterically laughing... I, was stuck on the treadmill, with the TV screen on the wall, 4 feet from my face, trying NOT to watch and trying to ignore Skippy the Technician, whilst not having a heart attack! Most embarrassing moment!
Not funny at all . What about your dignity and feelings ?
I’ve had 2 unpleasant experiences with male doctors , so am wary for obvious reasons.
The first time was when I was in my early 30’s , the second time was only last year .
We always cope by believing we are seen as just a body , and they see so many, but this isn’t always the case unfortunately
. I have turned up for US scans and requested a female sonographer and been told I have had to wait, but I’ve waited . Admittedly they’ve included a vaginal probe , but I couldn’t possibly feel comfortable with one man , let alone 2 , being in attendance, the other sounds like a nurse/chaperone . You should have been given a gown too.
I do hope you’re feeling a little better after this dreadful ordeal and I would definitely either write to the X Ray department, or visit PALS inside the hospital, and put in a complaint. Not only for you but to help other poor souls who are treated so abysmally. Big hugs xx
While living in Spain 10 yrs ago I went to a private hospital for a mammogram. The young dishy MALE nurse doing the procedure gave me a shawl to cover my top with and was very careful when placing my boobs in the machine! The results were available immediately upstairs in the Drs office, where he did an ultra-sound as well, and gave me a CD to keep with the scan on.
Yes - my last mammogram here was done by a male radiographer. There is a major shortage of women in the field so you get who you get. We talked about it for a while - he was surprised that is almost always women in the UK.
I've just been in hospital for a fusion of the big toe joint. I had to stay overnight plus an extra night because of my living alone, my Parkinson's, possibly the pred. I came off finally last November and I suppose my age 78. Separate room with ensuite - so far very good. However my dedicated ( not quite sure what title was) was a young uncommunicative Asian guy. 'During night a female had brought what from my prone position (she would not let me sit up) seemed to be an insubstantial cardboard "bedpan" which collapsed slowly and resulted in urine all over the bed. My next need was for the other function. I had said that I did not want a male to come but the nurse looked very uncomfortable so I didn't persist- So aided by this inhibiting prospect I held on for several hours. The light in the windowless ensuite did not work so I had to perform the by now urgent necessary function with a strange young (to me at least) man at the partially open door just next to the open door of the room and the corridor. I needed some supervision because I had not even been able to stay upright and walk with a walker the previous night. To summarise I got a single sex room (they swop female/male cards according to who occupies that bay/ room) but - and its a big but - I get to **!!** within earshot of a more or less silent young man . Difficult for the female staff who could end up doing some else's job if they complied with request for a female member of staff . Apart from that I could not fault (don't know where the italics have come from) the treatment I got which with Parkie meds can be a nightmare so I did not complain but now that I am back home to my version of normality and have put the situation into words I might do it as a feedback.
says: "Disposable bed pans need to be used with a special bed pan support holder." and when you look at the sales page the grey cardboard pans are described as "liners"
So while you are putting in feedback - I'd mention that because it sounds as if whoever brought it may have been blissfully unaware, i.e. inadequately trained.
Thankyou all for the very amusing posts,l hav e also had some embarrassing moments,an ecg topless with no gown and a foreign male nurse.and a previous ecg when l put the gown on with the back open,which was stupid on my part because it needed to be open at the front.
Same happened to me. Only I was lucky it was on my shoulder. Male nurse and male technician. Both from far away lands who could speak very little English. Sometimes it p...............me off. 👿
I don't care where they are from - BUT they need to be able to speak English well enough to communicate with a native English speaker. I have noticed that 2 non-native English speakers will chat away and apparently understand each other. But believe me - a LOT gets lost in translation! I like to think anyone dealing with my healthcare needs does understand thir colleagues...
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Surely not the right protocol and you should have been offered a chaperone..? 
