"Lagan Valley Hospital Sonographers"

Back in Jan 2025 I went for a 20 week anomaly scan in Lagan Valley Hospital. As baby was in an awkward position, I was asked to return the following week to get better pictures of his heart. At this appointment, 2 sonographers tried their hardest to get him to wriggle and get clear views of his heart but things were still slightly unclear. They debated before suggesting a referral to the Consultant to clarify if his heart was ok, purely to double check. 

Fast forward a few weeks and my little boy was diagnosed antenatally with a complete unbalanced AVSD! He was also born very prematurely at 28 weeks and we are just about to head for major open heart surgery this week. 

I regularly think back to that first scan and want to express my thanks to the sonographers (sorry I can’t recall names!). The lady who did the second scan even suggested the Consultant would go mad at her (in jest!) for doing the referral which would ‘probably be absolutely fine’. But that small niggle allowed us and his team to prepare for what he needed. 

In healthcare, staff are under so much pressure to do things quickly, but we may have had a very different outcome if the sonographer hadn’t taken so much extra time with my scans or acted on that small ‘niggle’ in the back of their mind. It’s also important for other patients to understand that appointments running late may be annoying, but that extra half hour you waited might just have changed a life. 

Please pass on my sincere thanks to the staff in the radiography team, their dedication and skill was evident.