Emergancy ultrasound /ultrascan- advice would be appreciated .

Cat72

I have been having problems with my stomach for the past few weeks. My doctor has referred me for an emergency ultrascan/ ultrasound though I am definately not pregnanat. I asked how long this can take but he couldnt give me any way of an answer- all he would say is it wont be tomorrow- really helpful. Has anyone else had to get an ultrascan as an emergancy and how long has it taken. Although this is the first day I have felt better I am very concerned at the symaphtomns I have been having .I wasnt sure if it is possable to pay for this to get done privately .

mr_rush

what is an ultrascan?
do you mean ultrasound?
it is often difficult for the GP to give an accurate estimate of waiting time - it depends on the priority grading that the request is given + what the current queue is like.
You can get it done privately - why not contact a local BUPA hospital and find out the price - for this you will need to know exactly what you are having - ultrasound of abdomen.

Cat72

I have corrected my post the doctor called it an ultra scan but ultra sound is probably a more common word. Its not my abdomen its my ovaries/ womb that is to be scanned .I was just wondering if anyone else had this and what their experience of it was as its frightening not knowing anything.
Im sorry If I wasnt clear I have been feeling really really dizzy- kind of spaced out today !
I have been having problems in my stomach/ pelvis area and the pain has been constant for two weeks. At first I was diagonased as having a pelvic inflimation but this turned out to be wrong. Now the doctor doesnt know- i had to keep getting emergancy appointments and was seeing different doctors each time which didnt help.So he has sent me for the ultrasound but never explained anything about it.

Claudie

I have had several of these - I know we shouldn't give medical advice so I will try just to reassure you. The waiting is probably the scariest bit. I will pm you.

mr_rush

i'm guessing you have been experiencing pain in your lower abdomen and/or pelvis.

there are several things that the ultrasound of your pelvis may pick up. however, it may not be diagnostic so I would not attach all hope on it finding out the cause of the pain.

you should try and relax - much easier said than done i know but undue worrying is not going to do you any good

dotchas

Hi cat
Please try not to worry,did he say where he was referring you to?
It might be worth giving it a few days for them to get your referral and then giving the department a ring and checking they have your referral and ask how long the waiting time will be, then say very nicely that you would be willing to attend at short notice for a cancellation.
I can't be sure but I don't think the waiting list for ultrasound is too long.
So don't panic and pay for it yet!

take care!

Dumyat

ultrasound is used to help diagnose a lot of abdominal conditions now.
gall bladder problems, kidneys and as someone has mentioned gynae conditions. Its technically quite a quick examination so maybe lists wont be too long.
you could try phoning the local hospital radiology dept and just ask for a ball park figure of how long their waiting lists are before you decide to go private or not.

Cat72

Thanks for all your replys especailly Claudie. I never thought of phoning the local hospital so will probably do that in the nect day or so and try to get an idea. I cant really afford to pay- plus would have to travel much futher so would only be doing this if it was really neccessary. But its hard when the doctor said yes your an emergancy but you could be waiting a while.

Penny_Watcher

Just to let you know, ultrasound for the pelvic region can be done 'internally' with a wand probe rather than externally.

Bossyboots

Penny_Watcher wrote: »

Just to let you know, ultrasound for the pelvic region can be done 'internally' with a wand probe rather than externally.

That is not as scary as it seems. I have had about 20 of those in the last year although I was terrified at the thought originally.

My emergency appointment was 10 days after I saw my GP although I delivered the scan request by hand that day so it saved some time.

beechescomposter

Hi "Cat"
Have you had the scan?
Hospitals usually classify referrals as emergency or routine. Some hospitals just do the scans in the order that they receive the requests because if the waiting list is long the doctors request all scans as urgent so the x-ray department don't know which ones really are. Then they prioritise ones where the GP phones up and argues the case. It is unlikely that your scan would be considered an emergency, whatever your dr puts on the form. Emergency is for life-treatening conditions.
Routine waiting times vary greatly from a week or two to many months but your dr should have a rough idea or you can phone your local x-ray department and ask how long the waiting list is and maybe even where you are on it. It is a good idea to say you can attend at short notice and leave a mobile number. They might be able to give you a private appointment if you don't want to wait. If you are anywhere near Hereford you can get the scan done for £100 (https://www.uk-radiology.co.uk) which is the cheapest I have come across.
An internal scan is not usually done unless you are obese or you can't tolerate a full bladder
Good luck