View Full Version : How do you learn to trust your doctor's diagnosis?
Hi guys, as you may have seen from my epic thread, I've had some recital bleeding recently. My HA is totally centred around cancer, particularly bowel cancer so you can imagine how stressful this has been. I went to see an emergency doctor who found an anal fissure and said this was the very likely cause of the bleed but he also sent me for blood tests. These tests came back fine apart from the fact that my iron is low.
I saw my own GP yesterday who says my low iron is due to the fact that I had a baby five months ago and my periods have been very heavy since then. She is 99.99999% sure I have nothing other than a fissure and won't be sending me for any other tests. My health anxiety is extremely severe (I'm on medication and may be going back for more CBT) and whilst in many ways I trust my GP, my HA makes it difficult to believe there's nothing else wrong with me. I really don't want to put myself through any more tests but I was wondering if anyone had any strategies for dealing with these situations?
Thanks x
Mr Brownstone
12-01-13, 13:41
Its not just your doctors diagnosis though is it? You've had blood tests as well. You're fine.
Well I do have low iron which I read can be a sign of colon cancer as tumours bleed...
Button: plz lets not add to her fear!!!!
I have had low iron on and off and i do not have colon cancer...well not that i know of anyway....
It is hard to believe your doctor because in our minds we always bel what we think is the issue, thats why we have HA....
Are you taking iron tablets now...everytime my iron has been low and ive been on them i have felt fab within a few days....
x
---------- Post added at 14:11 ---------- Previous post was at 14:11 ----------
*your fear i mean lol
I know and I'm genuinely trying to settle down and believe her, I was just wondering what everyone else tells themselves in these situations?
I do have a prescription for iron tablets so I'll pick those up today. I feel completely fine though.
i dont think we will ever deep down bel- the gp's...
Everytime i leave mine i think nothing was sorted there...im never satisfied that what he says is the right answer,....
ive been bad for weeks and came out the other day with a diagnosis of viral labrynthitis...im my head its a severe inner ear infection as well as my sinus issues prob a fungal brain problem....
its a nightmare xxx
I had rectal bleeding and still do quite often, my doctor said it was either piles or a fissure. After seeing another doctor who examined me and said it looks like piles I let it go for a bit but still wasn't happy so I demanded to see a specialist. They performed so test and indeed it was what the doctor said. If you are really really worried then demand to see a specialist it will put you at ease. But I am pretty sure like me your fine.
you may have low iron because you stopped eating for a little as you were afraid of bleeding when going. either way, it is soooo common for women to have low iron. i have on and off in the past.
Thanks guys. I know there are lots of logical explanations for my low iron- I was on a very heavy period when I had the blood test taken and hadnt been eating much if anything...it's just hard. I don't want to put myself through the stress of extra tests, I'm not sure I'd cope.
Hi Button
Accepting your doctors diagnoses is a massive part of overcoming your health anxiety.
I struggled for months to accept what several doctors had told me that my heart was fine when I was getting constant chest pains. With anxiety your negative thoughts from your sub conscious take over and we think the doctors just don't understand or have made a mistake. It finally took a full private medical for me to be convinced my heart is fine. I still get chest pains but nowhere near as frequent or as bad. My main issue now is indigestion which is causing me bad chest pains. I have an endoscopy in two weeks and this time I'm gong to trust exactly what the doctor tells me and not torture myself for months constantly seeking reassurance from other tests that would all say the same thing.
I know it's hard because you do feel you are putting your life in someone else's hands but they are the professionals and this is what they train 10 years for.
Take care.
That's exactly it- you ARE putting your life in someone else's hands...
Yes but I would rather rely upon a professional doctor rather than my own gut feeling when I am suffering anxiety and resorting to asking dr google.
I've been down this road and it isn't good.
Now, I make sure I write down every question I have for the doctor to make best use of our time together. It's way they address all of my concerns and I don't leave the surgery thinking I should have asked that or I didn't mention this so they may have misdiagnosed me. These just gives the seeds of doubt time to grow.
AuntieMoosie
12-01-13, 17:24
Hello Button :)
You have to reassure yourself that your doctor is a highly trained professional who has undertaken many years of study to be able to practice medicine :)
Thinking about it rationally, why in the world would a doctor mislead you in any way?? What would be the point in that?? :)
Your doctor has chosen their career as they want to help and cure people and keep them alive, so I just can't imagine why they would choose to mislead anyone :)
The problem with any sort of anxiety is that you have to try and not "feed" it. Your doctor could probably send you for endless tests but really all that would be doing is feeding your fear and it wouldn't really be helping in anyway at all :)
I really think that you can safely say that you do not have cancer, you are not displaying any of the symptoms of it otherwise your doctor would have picked up on it straight away :)
Arnie365 has got it bang on :) Never be tempted to go ask Dr Google, just take all your questions to a "real life" doctor :)
I know that any anxiety is not easy to deal with and it's something you're going to have to work really hard on, but you will get there in the end hun :) :hugs:
That's exactly it- you ARE putting your life in someone else's hands...
Something to remind yourself of is that the "hands" you are entrusting yourself to belong to highly trained, highly committed doctors who have all their patients' best interests at heart.
I've had low iron too, all down to heavy or frequent periods. Iron tablets made me feel 100% better, really they did.
There's lots of positive information here from the others which I cant really add to other than to say try to keep your chin up, button, distract yourself with positive things which will help you focus away from your HA. Lastly, are you able to recall any techniques from your previous CBT that might help you do this?
I am really struggling to believe my GP too. I had chest, back and rib pains and was worried about lung cancer. My doctors notes have CANCER PHOBIA written across them, that's how bad my fear is. I had a clear xray and bloods but I am still not convinced that they haven't missed something. They think the pain is muscular. Unless I had the ultimate scan, CT in this case, to check for a tumour I would not be 100% convinced but that is the nature of my HA.
I commented on one of your previous threads that I had an anal fissure and, while it's hideously uncomfortable, it got sorted and was harmless.
It is, as other people have said, common for women to suffer from low iron, especially during or following a pregnancy.
I had worries about bowel cancer in 2011 as my grandmother died of it in the 70s, at a relatively young age, but despite me being convinced that's what was causing my symptoms, my doctor, and several other medical people I spoke to, were right, and it was nothing. I wish I could always just believe what they tell me. They are, as prevously mentioned, the professionals and it would be totally unethical for them to not be totally honest and give us the most accurate diagnosis they can and the tests or examinations they feel are relevant.
I hope the next few days see an improvement in things for you
Regards
Andrea x
This sounds nuts but I go on bowel cancer websites every day and they are full of misdiagnoses stories. I can admit that they're symptoms were more long standing and more extreme than mine but it still feeds that fear. I know I have to stop doing it...
I joined the Beating Bowel Cancer forum when I thought I had it and ended up with phone numbers of 3 people with cancer who I plagued with questions. Very embarrassing when I look back now. What a sad woman. They must've thought I was nuts. They may be right!
I just wish Id never developed HA. Its life limitting and destroys everything I care about.
X
I know all too well how u feel. I put my life (well,my womb) in the hands of a surgical doctor for a routine camera day surgery....and he cut my spleen without realising. When I woke up in agony,he said it was 'wind'. I ended up being blue lighted by ambulance to the main hospital,being told i might not survive the 2nd op,having a 4hr surgery,two blood transfusions&in ITU. I dont trust any drs apart from the surgeon that saved me. Its so hard. I make them print out results,reports -everything. Its exhausting,but Im living proof they can get it wrong.charlotte x
So in other words I can't just trust my doctor? Or shouldn't risk having tests?
Well if you don't learn to trust the doctors diagnoses and accept its 'just' anxiety then I'm afraid I don't think you will get better Button. I truly think acceptance is one of the main parts to recovery.
You could always ask for a second opinion. Yes of course accidents and mistakes happen and it's awful what happened to Hobbs, but thankfully instances like this aren't that common. Of course you always hear on the news about things going wrong but you don't hear about the thousands and thousands of successful procedures happening all the time. Asking for a second opinion gives you some reassurance as its unlikely two doctors in a row would get it wrong (even though its unlikely one would in the first place!)
Thanks Arnie. I think I've said much the same to other posters on here. Amazing how you can't see to take your own advice isn't it?
This really is the most awful disorder- yet another night awake, crying. I can literally feel my life just skipping away from me : (
Tell me about it. I've never known anything like anxiety and I know it's a cliche but I really wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
It just reminds us how amazing our brain is but during anxiety it's starts working against us and its so hard because you have grown up having no real reason to doubt your thoughts. With anxiety though this changes and it is scary trusting someone other than yourself. Bt when it comes to health you have to put faith in the doctors. It's what they are there for and what they do. All the best.
I defintely didnt mean dont have tests etc,just trying to say I understand,and that my HA and fears have come from something that did go very wrong and did happen :( Ive had tests etc since (non invasive ,I point blank refuse to have any more ops) and it only reassures me for a while before I move on to my next 'problem'. Its like Im stuck. Charlotte x
Thanks Charlotte, I meant to say that I'm sorry you went through that- my HA started up again when my son got ill and everyone said there was nothing wrong with him. I had googled and found that he could have quite a rare stomach disorder which everyone, even the doctors said was impossible. After we had been blue light ambulanced to great ormond street it was found that that was exactly what he had. So my worst fears had been dismissed and dismissed but then proved correct. I'm grateful that I knew what could be wrong but it has haunted me ever since...
almamatters
13-01-13, 13:27
Hi Button
I know how you feel, I have great difficulty believing my GPs diagnoses and constantly visit to seek reassurance. This does not do a lot of good as I feel calm while I am in the surgery but as soon as I return home the doubts start to creep in again.
Like previous posts have mentioned , doctors are trained professionals , they see hundreds of patients, they know the signs and symptoms of serious illness and will act quickly once they spot them. If the GP is unconcerned then we have to try and be reassured that we are fine. As you know when you suffer from HA this is extremely difficult.
I have spent money I cannot afford on private tests against my doctor's advice as I have been convinced I have had numerous terminal illnesses, my tests have always come back clear, just as my doctor had said they would. I look back with extreme embarrassment at my self diagnosing to the GP.
HA is a vicious circle they is difficult to break out of, but it can be done.
Hope you are feeling better soon.
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