"I had an extremely positive experience"

I attended an early morning radiology appointment, to have a bone densitometry scan. From the moment I entered the department, I was treated with absolute kindness and care. A staff member approached me in the corridor to ask whether I was alright and did I need any help. He walked a few steps with me towards the correct waiting area, asked again whether I needed any help, and made sure that I was okay, before leaving.

In a very timely manner, the bone densitometry technician came out and called me in. I'm unsure whether it's permissible to mention her name, so I won't, but she was everything that you would want a clinician to be;  very professional, yet friendly, approachable, attentive and caring.  She was so patient and kind, that my anxiety subsided as she explained to me about the dexa scan.

After being helped out of my coat and onto the table, I was guided into the right position to lay down.  Before the process began and throughout the duration, it was explained to me at every step of the way, what was about to happen, before it happened, so there were no surprises and no panic. 

I was made to feel like a person, not a long-term condition.

When the scan was over, I was told approximately how long it would take to receive the results, to whom they would be sent, and what would happen if I needed medication .

I was helped to sit up, get down from the table and to put my coat back on. The technician linked arms with me and carefully walked me back to where my sister was in the waiting area, for which I was extremely grateful, as I hadn't mentioned that I'd felt slightly dizzy a few seconds after I'd stood up.

As a person who really does not like hospital environments, I had spent the past three weeks dreading the arrival of this appointment, but it turns out that I needn't have.

I had an extremely positive experience in the radiology department, thanks to the wonderful staff who somehow managed to put me at ease, at a time when I was feeling particularly vulnerable.