Female cardiologist for ultrasound

[londinium]

I'm having a ultrasound tomorrow.  I hated the last one.  It was painful.  I was required to sit completely topless throughout the procedure.  The cardiologist was male.  His colleague, who observed throughout, was male.  It took a long time.  Not again.  So, I suppose I won't be allowed an ultrasound.  (This is the UK.  It's "free".  I'm sure I will be given the impression that I should be grateful.)

[londinium]

Hello Jerry.  

I notice that you do notice and can recall the gender of those touching you.

Maybe if you had a ECG or ultrasound on your gonads, (I recognize it's not quite the same), with them exposed to the room, you'd find the procedure more like a colonoscopy - more personal? That's the closest to how I can describe it.

[londinium]

Thanks Sassy.  Gosh, I sounded grumpy last night.  I got there and was told, with a big laugh, oh no, you're not having an ultrasound, you're just seeing the doctor for a check-up.  We just send out those letters to everybody to tell them they've got an appointment.  I stood there with my mouth open for a couple of seconds.  NHS, bless it.

[Jerry_NJ]

Well SL, don't worry, the USA is going the way of Europe with the roll out of Obama Care.  I lose my private insurance next year and will be on the "insurance exchange" for my secondary coverage.. I'm on medicare.  But, I expect the "new" USA healthcare system to continue to cut back on what it will support for us old folks so my costs will go up, and or my care will go down.  The good old USA system has had its throat cut.  

I'm a guy, so don't have any real connection to the complaint, but I suppose being undressed for long periods of time would make me self conscious regardless of the gender of the medical people involved.  All my doctors are male, but most of the nurses are female. when doing something like a colonoscopy I wear a gown which is easily opened all the way in back for obvious reasons.  The doctor male, but the assisting nurse is female, the though doesn't really enter my mind.

My wife changed Psychiatrists recently and now for the first time has a woman.  I strongly supported that change just because of gender, I think a woman my better understand my wife's emotional difficulties, being a women herself.

New Zealand, looks to be a beautiful country... landed there once on my way to Melbourne, a lovely city in another beautiful country.  Two places I'd pick if I had to leave the USA.  But, I don't like socialism and thus would have my problems with the form of government.  I love the "wild west" and "cowboy" ways of the USA, I like the out-of-doors and guns, both still mostly open to the public in the USA.  

[SassyLassie]

I do not blame you for not wanting one if the tech is a male, I sure wouldn't either. It would not matter if it was free or not, I would not feel comfortable. Would it be possible for you to ask for a woman tech, or at least to wear a gown? I had mine done in the states where I am from, and they have you wear a gown, they just go underneath it or lift it up, but it was done very discreetly.

I now live in New Zealand, I miss my American ways, I know what you mean by the treatment being free, so, we can't choose, LOL, I will put up a fight anyway.

Good luck to you.