sonagram

[djbn13]

When you have one done on your liver can the person doing the scan tell you the findings or do you have to wait for the doc to go over it  and call you in - which adds up to more waiting..waiting..waiting.

Tired of waiting
DJ

[pcds]

Which is better, ultrasound or MRI of liver?  I would think MRI which doesn't have the radiation of a CAT scan.  UItrasound has no radiation.

[Trinity4]

My bad, you were talking about doctors owning the ultasound machine, not a fibroscan.

Trinity

[pcds]

I agree with Diane, the tech should not tell you anything interpretative, it's against the rules.  I think it's perfectly fine to ask a tech how long they have been doing a procedure.  Experience counts for something, but not always.

[Trinity4]

HR has his own fibroscan machine in his practice California.

[Bali05]

the trick is to have a doctor that owns an ultra sound machine
and uses it in his practice.
have not seen that in the USA anywhere .So far it is always the tech doing the scan,
some radiologist doing the reading and than the doctor talking to you about
results.
I hate that system.
If I have abdominal pain I would like to point that out while I am being
scanned and I would want the person to take a closer look in that area.
It is what makes the machine so powerful "instant&repeatable" result.
That only happens if you have good comunication on the spot.
Don`t like the cookiecutter method.
Like jusjames said, I to was able to get exact liver size ect.. only
by talking to the operator and what better situation if the operator
is the doctor himself ?
Using an ultrasound ain`t that difficult.
I keep getting advertisements in my inbox about courses to learn how to
operate the ultrasound and to become a tech.
Was strongly considering it at some point. Even it is just a hobby.
Might as well learn the FibroScan and buy one right ?
Costs as much as a luxury car I believe around $80k.
Might be easier to just get my SVR instead....
Just rambling on , upped my Riba again ......

cheers
b

[Trinity4]

I recently had a nuclear stress test and an echocardiogram.  The techs administer these tests everyday.  A nuclear stress tests takes 4 hrs and the pictures are available immediately for the tech to view.  I never asked a single question nor was I interested in the techs demeanor, facial expression or basically anything she had to say except when she was instructing me to position myself one way or the other.  The cardiologist read the test and a couple days later they called me with the results which were normal.  I don't sweat that kind of stuff and I don't need to know immediately.  If something is wrong, they'll let you know fairly quickly and when I get results I want to make sure they come from the specialist after he thoroughly evaluated the test, not a nurse or technician who thinks they may see something suspicious.  Rest assured if there are concerns regarding the tests results,  I'll have questions and I want those questions answered accurately by a specialist.

[Diane12855]

If a tech is willing to tell you what they see, they aren't concerned about obeying the rules they were trained by, and I wouldn't trust them to know what they are talking about. A real professional wouldn't tell you what they thought they saw.

Diane

[djbn13]

I remember when i had the cat-scan 2 years the tech asked me to wait to make sure it turned out alright when she came out to the waiting room to say everything was okay she said, oh by the way good luck with this.
I thought it was an odd comment but blew it off.
Now I'm begining to think she knew more than the so called GI who saw nothing when there was something very wrong.
I guess we all put our health in the doc's hands.
At least now I know check. check, and double check everything.

[jusjames]

same experiance as bali, infact when i sawthe  nurse at my next appointment  she gave me the result and just said its ok , great !
if the doc/ tech doing it had not told me i would have no details, he told me the kidney size , the liver edges etc and details on spleen and gallbladder , i thought it was great

[Bali05]

i had my last ultrasound done in april in germany.
the doctor did the scan himself and spoke to me while doing it.
the whole thing took 15min and i had my result on the spot.

loved it !

[Cory255]

What you're gonna want, is the most experienced educated Doctors, Lab techs, and Nurses available.  That way you will have peace of mind and less chance of something going wrong.  

[Trinity4]

Goes to show how different we all are.  I've never had any desire to know what any of the techs thought who were performing my tests.  I don't ask any questions and wait for the results from the doctor or person designated to call with the results.

My job is to show up and get the test.  Their job is to do the test and give the results to the doctor. I don't care about a techs training or background, it provides no comfort to me.  However, I do care about the physician's ability to read the test and give me an accurate diagnosis.

Trinity

[Bill1954]

I sure see your argument Mike; no doubt. The gal that does my scans every six months is an older woman; she’s been at it 32 years now, and teaches sonography at the college. I have what’s called a horseshoe kidney; one side is remarkably larger than the other, and it wraps back around and touches and might connect. She gets all worked up when I come in, and has had me sign a release so she can use me (my guts) for a teaching instrument, apparently :o).

The tech seems wonderfully knowledgeable to me; but of course, it doesn’t take much to impress me regardless :o). I would think she’d be very conservative even if she *could* discuss results; that’s my take on her.

I do see your point though; I the long run, it’s much better to let the doctor do his thing, I suppose…

Thanks for your thoughts, Michael—

Bill

[Cory255]

I think you will immediately know from first impressions if someone knows what they are doing (experienced) or if they are a new tech or nurse.  At least I can.  

You can ask anybody, anything, at any time...If I was having any type of procudure done I would want to ask that person questions to get more information out of them, to see if they know what they are talking about, and to see what type of mood they are in.  That way you will know how to respond and will comforting to know that person is either well informed or not.  

Everyone's experiences differ in life, but I would think the better educated and experienced the lab tech or nurse is the more comforting it makes the situation.  Cory.  

[mikesimon]

"In most cases, the tech doing the scan is very much aware of what she sees, but unfortunately can’t discuss diagnostic details, only hypothetical situations."

We have very different ideas about this - "unfortunately" is not a word I would use to characterize the fact that techs are usually precluded from discussing the details - that doesn't always stop them, by the way. Either you had a lot better care than I have or a lot less experience because techs very often don't know what they don't know. I have experienced their incompetence on more than one occasion. Do you really want a tech giving their opinion of your sonogram? Not me!

Mike

[Bill1954]

Hi Dj—

In most cases, the tech doing the scan is very much aware of what she sees, but unfortunately can’t discuss diagnostic details, only hypothetical situations. From there, the data goes to a MD that will prepare the result, then it’s forwarded to your doctor. Around here, the report is usually next day available; I’d think your doctor would have a copy in two working days.

The HIPAA laws, while necessary can be very frustrating for a motivated patient, I know :o.

Good luck- when is yours scheduled?

Bill

[mikesimon]

If the person doing the scan was a nurse or a tech I would wait to speak with the doctor.
I make it a rule never to ask the tech anything and, in fact, I won't even look at them when they're doing the test for fear I will read something into their expression. I once asked a tech what she saw and she said my bile duct looked wrong. I agonized for a week until I saw my surgeon and asked him what the problem was with my bile duct. He said "there's nothing wrong with your bile duct - why do you ask?" I learned my lesson.
Number one - whatever the tech or nurse says you're still going to want to hear from your doctor so even if it's good news you won't completely trust it until your doctor confirms it.
And number two - if it's bad news you'll worry possibly needlessly until you talk with your doctor.

But in reality, a good tech or nurse can often tell a lot from doing the scan but how do you know whether they are good and know what they're talking about? You don't so don't ask.

Mike