Do You Dress Up For The Doctor?

[missy]

To add a bit of levity in this thread....
A woman received a morning call telling her that her gynecologist appointment had been rescheduled for early that morning at 9:30 a.m. It was 8:45 already and she had no time to spare but wanted to take a little extra effort over hygiene as most women do when seeing the doctor. She rushed upstairs, wet a washcloth and gave herself a quick wash in the appropriate area. She threw the cloth in the dirty clothes basket, donned some clothes and raced to her appointment. She was called in after a short time and hopped up on the table. She was a little surprised when the doctor said "My... we have taken a little extra effort this morning, haven't we?" but she didn't respond. When the appointment was over, she gave a sigh of relief and went home. That evening, her daughter was dressing to go out when she called down from the bathroom "Mom - where's my washcloth?" The woman told her to get another from the cabinet but the daughter called back
"NO! I NEED THE ONE THAT WAS HERE BY THE SINK. IT HAD ALL MY GLITTER AND SPARKLES IN IT!"

Vajazzel!



I must say, that I do make sure everything is groomed, but I wear my normal clothes. Diamonds? Every day baby!

I'm reminded by these threads how very glad I am to have socialised medicine.

Hmmm...I don't know...I've lived in both systems now, and I'm still very unsure which I think is best. (Lived in the UK =32 years, USA = 6 years.) It's true that the payment and admin issues with the US system are incredibly awful, and extremely stressful. We are easily able to pay for good healthcare, and we're a stone's throw from some of the world's best hospitals, but what about all the people in America who can't pay and who don't live somewhere with fancy hospitals? That's the question.

On the plus side, once the premiums are paid and the mountain of paperwork has been ploughed through, the errors fixed and the myriad of phone calls made, the actual healthcare is, I believe, excellent. In hospital here they took my temperature by waving a wand over my hair, and put a little round plaster on my neck which for three days emitted anti-nausea meds into me - it was amazing. And for that surgery - which wasn't major - my work healthcare paid for one of Boston's top doctors, the same guy who operates on the Red Sox. And I never saw a bill.

Also, when you have a GP appointment over here, they spend ages with you. As long as you need. When I first came here I rang up wondering if I needed to book a double appointment for more than one issue and they laughed. You just get all the time you need, whereas I believe the NHS target for each GP appointment is 10 minutes, or something?

The things that go on in hospitals here are quite amazing. Face transplants, triple transplants, the works. The boundaries of medicine are pushed over here, generally, not in the UK. But people I know in the UK have had excellent care, too. However, there is a postcode lottery for cancer drugs, which doesn't happen here. You got the insurance, you get the drugs. You can languish on a waiting list for a long time in the UK, which doesn't happen here - provided you've got the healthcare insurance and are feisty enough to stamp on all your insurers' mistakes.

Thanks for pointing out that it is not a black and white answer as to which is the better healthcare system Smith. This has come up a few times on PS in my memory and it always seems such a polarizing topic. I have friends who live in countries with socialized medicine and it is not a perfect system at all. And the people who have more money in these countries also can get privatized (better in some cases? and definitely faster to get an appointment in most cases) care. Anyway, there is no perfect healthcare system that I am aware of and everyone deserves decent healthcare as it is a right and not a privilege IMO but there are major drawbacks to socialized medicine just as there are to the USA's healthcare. They are just different negative aspects but negative all the same.

 

[Smith1942]

Rosetta, do you work at the Marsden?

 

[Smith1942]

Rosetta, do you work at the Marsden?

 

[Laila619]

Not really, no. I try to look presentable, but I don't dress up.

 

[movie zombie]

ah, but given the thread just above this one [at the moment!] the real question is do you Intimate Groom for the doctor?!

sorry, couldn't resist.........

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I shower usually before I go to the dr., but I go because don't feel well and as long as my clothes are clean I really don't care.

Howver, I am bi-polar and see a psychiatrist regularly. I make an effort then--having been thru several severe depressions which required lengthy hospitalizations I don't want to look like I'm regressing.

 

[AprilBaby]

No one dresses up for the dentist and we don't really care. Unless you are dirty we really don't notice what you are wearing. And we pay no attention to your jewelry, it could all be fake. I have no idea what insurance you have ( that is the truth) and you all get treated equally. If I'm sick I'm not going to worry about what I wear to the Dr. On a well visit I wear jeans and a clean shirt. My Drs office would probably not care about my jewelry either and I wouldn't get treated any different than the poor slob next to me. My Dr doesn't have any idea what insurance I have either. Usually only the billing staff knows. And what insurance company you have means nothing. You could have BC/BS with great coverage or BC/BS with little coverage, your employer decides the coverage not the ins company.

 

[natascha]

I usually don't dress up for the doctors, except for certain occasions. So for normal GP or neurologists I dress normally. However when I saw a specialist wanting something that they usually wouldn't give me due to increased stroke risk I ensured that I dressed professionally and conservatively. Im 25 and look young and find that how I dress does affect how seriously I am taken. Of course it is mainly down to how a speak and what I say.

 

[kenny]

And we pay no attention to your jewelry, it could all be fake.

My dentist and the assistants go gaga for my diamond.
They hold it up in that dental light and call each other over to go gaga too.

 

[kenny]

And we pay no attention to your jewelry, it could all be fake.

My dentist and the assistants go gaga for my diamond.
I've been going there over 30 years and we are all good friends by now.

They grab my hand, hold it up in that dental light and call each other over to go gaga too.
They all have commented that their diamonds do sparkle like mine, and I respond that I just keep it clean and leave it at that.

 

[missy]

No one dresses up for the dentist and we don't really care. Unless you are dirty we really don't notice what you are wearing. And we pay no attention to your jewelry, it could all be fake. I have no idea what insurance you have ( that is the truth) and you all get treated equally. If I'm sick I'm not going to worry about what I wear to the Dr. On a well visit I wear jeans and a clean shirt. My Drs office would probably not care about my jewelry either and I wouldn't get treated any different than the poor slob next to me. My Dr doesn't have any idea what insurance I have either. Usually only the billing staff knows. And what insurance company you have means nothing. You could have BC/BS with great coverage or BC/BS with little coverage, your employer decides the coverage not the ins company.

LOL AprilBaby. For the dentist I try to wear something that doesn't show blood too easily haha and then I cross my fingers I won't need much work done. I think going to the dentist is the most stressful doctor visit of all because I don't have the best teeth unfortunately.
I miss having my dad as my dentist but he insisted on retiring. So selfish.

 

[ksinger]

I dress up for my patients! It's only professional. I don't judge patients by their dress. I have zero tolerance for disrespectful/self-important behaviour from a patient though, and wouldn't hesitate to tell them to find another doctor. I work in one of the leading hospitals in the world in my field, so we are never, ever short of patients. Quite the opposite in fact.
You are more likely to be taken seriously by your behaviour rather than your dress IMHO but if you feel more confident when you are well presented, then by all means go right ahead

Whoops, hope that wasn't inspired by my comment! I only meant that I use that as a mental script to keep me from getting talked over by doctors, not to act imperious or like I know better. I know my *body* better than they do, but that's about it.

I should hope not. You wouldn't be helping yourself at all. A mutually respectful doctor patient relationship is essential to good care. I don't think you would be disrespectful princess, but if you feel you have to get defensive to stop your doctor from talking over you, then there's a break down in the relationship. You shouldn't have to feel like your doctor isn't listening to you.

On the defensive. Oh yes. I finally dumped my gyno because of this. Over a period of several years, he wanted to remove some parts, I kept pushing back and assuring him that MY take on my quality of life was that I wanted to keep said parts. Nothing life-threatening mind you, just a real lack of imagination on his part, and an unwillingness to hear what I was saying. Then he off-handedly said while writing on my chart, "Well, you ARE a bit compulsive." I could see his nurse, who was watching my face, start shrinking against the wall.
(Understand that we were only 3 weeks away from my mother's demise from ALS - so no stress there right?) And I proceeded to tell him that I didn't have time for this, that I had other things going on in my life, etc. He seemed rather taken aback that I didn't appreciate his comment. My husband, after the tale, was surprised I didn't kick him in the nuts, honestly. Really, where DO some people get off thinking they can make comments about your mental state? What I wanted to say was, "Bub, you get to comment on that down there, you do NOT - when you see me 15 minutes per YEAR, get to make any comments about my mental state! You want to do that, then go into psychiatry, otherwise, STFU!" I did not, of course, but I sure wanted to. The final straw was my final visit when he and his staff left me freezing to death in the exam room wearing nothing but 2 hankies and forced to listen to what to this day remains the worst MUZAK tracks I've ever been subjected to, for 45 freaking minutes. His staff, who had been chatting outside the door for like EVER, seemed taken aback that I would come out fully dressed and in a high dudgeon. I understand that stuff happens - I guess he had a g-spot enhancement surgery go pear-shaped or something - but to let the patient languish for near an hour in the exam room without even a word through the door, rather than the nice waiting room, was the final straw.

I have since found a doctor I like very much. A woman. Who came highly recommended. And who listened. Amazing.

 

[isaku5]

If it's a first visit to a specialist, I dress well - but go easy on the jewellery - wedding rings and ear studs. It's pretty much that standard for any doctor, I guess. I'm really not there to impress anybody, but I want to get my point across too.

The only physician I don't bother for is my ancient kitty's vet. We know each other well by now and said kitty goes ballistic in there so by the time kitty and I leave I'm wearing a fur coat too

 

[CaprineSun]

Depending on the hospital, I've seen patients from all walks of life. I usually don't notice if someone is dressed up. I never notice because my focus is not on that. I've had patients apologize for their dress or toe nails not being painted, and I'm like, that is no where on my mind right now. The thing I notice most is personality, being friendly, unpretentious, and not judging me on the way I look ( I get it often), and letting me do my job.

When I visit the doctor, I'm usually coming from work, so I guess I am business casual. Don't really put much thought into it ( I don't generally leave the house 'sloppy' anyway) unless I;m going to the OB/GYN. Then, I make sure it is an earlier appt so that I am fresh out the shower. lol I know they don't care, but I have better piece of mind. lol