Well I had my x-ray this morning. The hospital is one of those old Victorian cottage hospitals that have now been turned into drop-in centres for tests, scans and x-rays. I was the only person there when I first arrived and so thought it wouldn't take too long. There seemed to be some strange rule though that meant that no one could be seen unless there were at least 5 people waiting! So I waited until 4 other people turned up and then the radiographer also turned up! Actually I think the receptionist just wasn't telling her that there was anyone waiting; the radiographer thought that there was only one person waiting who happened to have got there after me because our notes weren't being passed on.
Being a non emergency x-ray place the majority of people waiting with me were over 60. We all had great trouble putting on the gowns that we were given. I had trouble because the gowns had to be fastened at the back as many large print notices told me. Considering that my shoulder won't comfortably allow me to move my arm behind me, it was pretty painful tying my gown behind my neck! One poor guy was already using a walking stick to get around and obviously found it difficult to put his gown on only to find that his didn't have any tags to tie at the back! So as he put it, he had a choice to put it on backwards and have his bare arse on view to everyone or wrap it wound him like a bath robe come toga and just hope it didn't slip. His wife who clearly felt that she was "long suffering" kept telling him to sit down and stop complaining.
I noticed that the radiographer who also held herself to be "long suffering" used that tone of voice that medical professionals adopt for difficult young children and old people when she spoke to this particular man. When I am "old" I hope I will not be treated like that. The guy was only about 10 years older than my Dad I guess - and as far as I am concerned only my Mum and I can ever speak to my Dad in an impatient way!
Anyway my advice is this if you are going to have an x-ray because a part of your body is causing you limited mobility then take someone with you to help you put on your gown, and if you are over 60 don't stand being spoken to like a child: either complain or what I think I'll do if I ever get spoken to that way is say "Well if you want to speak to me as if I am a child then I'll behave like one!" and throw the biggest tantrum ever! I bet that would be quite cathartic - like the Little Miss Jocelin character who behaves like a 2 year old when she doesn't get her way. Brilliant!
So in summary I am very pleased that I got referred for an x-ray so quickly and will be able to see my GP next week and hopefully sort this out however, the whole experience was spoilt by disorganised administration, poorly thought out systems and equipment (in this case gowns that don't tie and are impossible to tie if you are having a mobility or dexterity difficulty of any kind) and staff who have an attitude towards old people. (The radiographer was lovely to me but I'm not old.) Oh and although the place wasn't dirty exactly it didn't feel clean either partly because of the age of everything I am guessing.
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