"Grateful for the care and compassion they showed me"

I ended up with 2 appointments, 2 days in a row, at 2 different locations.  The imaging telephone staff tried their best to make them at the same place, but the appointments weren't available. It was just a coincidence as 2 GPs had ordered 2 different investigations. 

At Stobhill, I experienced an intense but short panic attack when I entered the imaging room. This is likely related to a difficult hospital stay a year ago, where I sadly lost my twins and required lots of scans in the run up to their births. I hadn't been for a scan since and it all came rushing back when I saw the scan equipment. 

The staff at Stobhill were very attentive and asked if they could do anything to help, I just wanted to do the scan and get it over with.  I felt very distressed at having to then go for another scan at another location the next day, but I knew it had to be done.

I was worried about having another panic attack at the New Victoria and not being able to talk to the staff from hyperventilating or not being able to go through with the scan.  So I wrote a note which explained that I had a panic attack in a scan appointment the day before, that I was struggling with scans due to pregnancy loss and that if the panic attack happens again, I will be ok with breathing but find it difficult to communicate.  I gave the note to the receptionist and went to sit down as I felt very faint and was aware of intense emotions welling up.

When the healthcare assistant took me into the scan room, I could see that the note was on the sideboard. I asked the technician/radiologist if she had read it, which she had and she was so very attentive and supportive, talked me through what she was doing, she asked me when I was crying if I wanted to stop or keep going, I kept going. I was crying but it was nowhere near the extreme reaction I had the day before.

I am grateful to this member of staff and her assistant for the care and compassion they showed me as I obviously deal with ongoing emotional distress from the pregnancy loss, which was triggered by being in a scan environment.