Other people's noise

I can't see busy hospitals having the time or space to have a quiet space and people would abuse that like they used to on quiet carriages on trains where mobile phones were forbidden, they'd come in and take thier calls as it was quieter.

I would probably either end up in a confrontation or leaving without treatment, I'd be less likely to have a meltdown with a confrontation, or it would be a different sort of meltdown. Or I'd end up doing both, as happened when I was at the dentists a couple of years ago, really frightened and on high alert and this bloke started having a go at me for being visably scared as he didn't want his son to be scared of dentists. I never went back to that practice and if the bloke had come after me I probably would of hit him, it would of been an automatic PTSD related response to being under threat.

It means what help or support you require to be able to access a service. Of course this is unique to each of us. Quiet space at the GP, blue badge for parking, sound proofed bedroom at home are some examples of adjustments I have asked for.  

Thank you everyone.

My day went from bad to worse so the awful woman ended up a minor incident.

Anyway, I will reply when my spoons are replenished.

I can't use ear buds or head phones because of PTSD, I've also heard that noise cancelling head phones don't block the human voice as much as they do background noise, I think that would be the worst of all worlds.

I take my ear plugs everywhere, for situations just like yours. You could ask to maybe lower it a bit, but you need to prepared it the response is not a positive one. 

I'd probably seethe quietly then say something either to the woman herself or to staff, I might even feel I had to leave. I think it's really rude to inflict your noise on others, it's not like headphones or ear buds are novelty items, don't phones come with them? For me this sort of inconsiderate behaviour is why I'm far far less likely to go anywhere.

I think it should be automatic that drivers dont' get charged when people are so focussed on thier phones that they don't looke where they're going and walk out into the road. It's Darwinism in action.

If I didn't have earplugs or headphones, I would probably do what you are doing and suffer in silence, while seething over how inconsiderate some people are.

I had a similar experience to you in the hospital Emergency Department recently. A man several seats up from me was watching and listening to a video on his phone and it really affected me so I put my ear plugs in. The TV was also on so it was very unpleasant. I ended up standing in the corridor to get away from him. 

I don’t know what to do in these circumstances.  Hospitals should have signs telling people not to have audio playing or to use earphones. Years ago people would ask someone playing a video or music to turn it off or wear earphones. Nowadays that might cause a fight. 

LucyLandRover said:

ask for reasonable adjustments such as a quiet waiting room

I didn't know you could do this, you hear a lot about 'reasonable adjustments', but it's hard to know what that means.

You can always ask for reasonable adjustments such as a quiet waiting room. I have this in my local GP's. You do not have to suffer. Failing that, how about headphones to cut down the noise?  

I hate this, phones are personal so they should stay that way. In public spaces the options should be mute or headphones. 

I would dearly love them to turn it down/off, but would probably just suffer in the non-silence. 

If I was with my children and it bothered them, I would be more inclined to ask. I can say things for others I can't ask for myself.

More proactively, I would ask if the surgery could put a sign up requesting all phones on silent. At least it might help for next time. I keep earplugs on my keys now too.