Too much to take to the doctors?

[Anxiety Jim]

hi everyone,

I've got an appointment with my GP tomorrow morning and I've written a list of my symptoms I'm worried about to take with me, now I'm worried that the list I've written is so massive any serious symptoms will be overlooked because of how many I have.

So you can have a look here's the A4 sheet of paper I've written my symptoms on:

http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u456/JamesWMH/2adc86d1.jpg

Do you think I should try to make a shorter list? Will the doctor dismiss them because there are so many?

Thanks,

Jim

[kinnygirl1]

No I think you should take the list as it is. If you reduce it you will only worry about the things you took off it afterwards. Good luck. Try to listen to what the doctor says and take reassurance from it.

[cassie1975]

You need to take this list with you. Your Doctor will hopefully understand your concerns. Yes its a lot of symptoms, but this is what you are experiencing and they are very real symptoms. I took a list to my Doctor a few months ago. I also took my best friend so she relay some of the things the Doctor had said to me. My friend helped me to understand what the Doctor was saying, as a healthanxiety sufferer I tend to interpret things wrong !!! Please take your list otherwise you will come out of the Doctors and think "I never told them about this symptom " etc and you will start to worry again. :hugs:

[Zingything]

I agree, leave the list as it is and use the notepad to write down what the doctor says during the appointment, it may help reassure you by referring to it when you get home.

[Elle-Kay]

I also agree to leave the list as is, and with Zingy about taking notes to reassure yourself later when the thought gremlins creep back.

[Annie0904]

I don't think the list is too long and you should take it with you. It is a really good idea to write it down. I have gone to the doctors before and said "there are a few things I want to ask about" but I get part way through and forget so I think you are doing the right thing. I hope your appointment goes well and I will be thinking about you :hugs:

[Trish]

Yes take it. I always take a list with me.

When you look at your list 4 of the 7 are about your stools/motions so your GP will deal with them together. So in fact your list is not that long.

Good luck.

Trish x

[Anxiety Jim]

Thanks everyone for the advice, I think I will definitely take it. Too many times have I came out of the doctors and think I forgot to mention such and such a symptom, that must have been the serious one!

Yeah that's a good idea about taking notes! Thanks! I've added two more symptoms to the list that I forgot about, (which might mean they're not prominent but if I don't put them in they'll probably come to the front on my mind).

---------- Post added at 23:23 ---------- Previous post was at 21:40 ----------

My list has gone from 7 to 11 now :-S

And I've also written a list of what I'm worried of, it consists of 6 things, 4 of which are cancers, 1 is DVT and 1 is a genetic condition...

Looking at this huge list is helping 1 second, and then making things worse the next. I think there are so many unrelated symptoms they're probably nothing, but other times I think because there are so many symptoms I must have something.

[Anxiety Jim]

Hi everyone,

I've just got back from the doctors and he looked through my symptoms, and explained why most of them weren't a sign of a serious condition or disease. And he explained what most of them could be caused by, undigested food etc. He also said to come back in a couple of weeks so he can examine my back passage (for my flat stools).

I've also been put in for an ultrasound of my abdomen, but my doctor was very quick to say that he's only putting me in for it because I'm so worried about various things wrong there, and that when it comes back all clear it could put my mind at rest. And he also said he doesn't want me to worry about the scan (because it could be 4 weeks from now) because he doesn't see any real medical need for it, he's just doing it to prove to my there's nothing wrong.

He said the thing that stuck out the most was the number of symptoms, and that we need to sort my thinking out. He told my to start my Sertraline (which I've been putting off because of the amount of things I'm taking), and to read the book I got from the library called 'An Introduction to Coping with Health Anxiety'

[Annie0904]

I am pleased you took the list with you and hope that you are more relaxed now...trust your doctor! He has given you reassurance and it is really good of him to send you for a scan to reassure you even more :hugs:

[angrry]

Hi Jim...glad it went well....what did he say about the itching?...as you know I have similar symptoms to you. I finally got my ultrasound date too...Oct 24th.

[Anxiety Jim]

Hi Jim...glad it went well....what did he say about the itching?...as you know I have similar symptoms to you. I finally got my ultrasound date too...Oct 24th.

He didn't say anything about the itching or the burping a lot, I guess because they're not very worrying in that case. No idea when my ultrasound is, I guess I'll get a letter in the post. Is it an ultrasound you're having?

He did say my vitamin D was VERY low, and that could cause being tired all the time, and various aches and pains.

I was told my calcium was low and after 2 weeks on adcal it's back up to normal, not I just need to start vitamin d supplements, hopefully that will take some of my aches away. My shoulder/neck muscles have been very tired/achey recently, so that could be why.

[angrry]

yep...i'm going for an ultrasound...my doc wasn't worried about my itching either...it's really annoying tho

[cassie1975]

Hi Jim glad everything went well at the Doctors for you. I would take huge comfort from what your Doctor said. I know from personal experience how awful you feel when you come out of the doctors and think I shoul have told him that, what if i have missed something etc... I Hope you can settle down a little now :hugs: