Midnight trip to ER - feeling ashamed....

[ShellyTai]

Nothing better than a midnight trip into the ER ..... so overwhelmed with the fact that I have cancer in my esophagus that I was begging the Dr to give me a scope there and then !!!! :shrug:
Praying that the sertraline starts to work soon .....

xxx

[BumbleGirl]

Hi Shelly.
Please don't feel ashamed. Many anxiety sufferers have done this or been very close to doing so.
What did the doctor say? I'm assuming they gave you the sertraline? xx

[Catherine S]

Hi
Its unusal to read somebody's post who actually has a real illness...most of us just have imaginary ones :blush: Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the anx it is bringing you. I have never taken the meds you talk about but I hope they soon start to help. I believe they take a bit of time before you feel the benefits of it. I hope you sleep ok.

Take care
ISB xx

[nomorepanic]

I don't think she was diagnosed with that - that is what she thought she had

[nomorepanic]

Shelly - you need to try not to use A&E as it is for emergencies and going there can feed your worries instead of helping them.

You could see the doctor on Monday and let them have a look.

[Catherine S]

Oh sorry, when she said she was overwhelmed I thought she'd had a diagnosis. Sorry if I made her anxiety worse with my reply :doh:

[nomorepanic]

I am sure you didn't make her worse ISB so don't worry about that

[Pigeon]

Hi Shellytai
I once did exactly the same and for the same belief - oesophageal cancer. I was so desperate for reassurance but was told in no uncertain terms they weren't there to diagnose cancer.

I do feel guilty for wasting their time, especially as it was a Saturday night and I hope I am never distressed enough to do the same again. I felt quite embarrassed afterwards

But.......like me you didn't do it on purpose and although it's not ideal, I'm sure they have to deal with much worse. The best thing you can do is to get some help with your HA. The medication is a start but have you tried CBT?

I tried it and it has helped to a certain degree. I think a combination of medication, CBT and coming on here and talking to other may be useful?

Take care

xx

[ShellyTai]

Hiya - no, don't worry at all ISB, no I haven't been diagnosed - it's just what I'm convinced I have - you didn't make me worse - nothing could have made me feel any worse...that I did last night. :weep:
Have been having problems over the past 2 weeks with persistant pain between shoulder blades & getting worse when eating / feeling like food was sticking etc.....of course my fear is Cancer of the Esophagus (have lost weight etc....), but have also just started up Sertraline (nearly 4 weeks in - 2 weeks on 50mgs & 12 days on 100mgs). side effects are horrendous, have no appetite lost 10lbs (not that it's a bad thing - I could do with losing it) .... just can't seem to get the sertraline to kick in at all. Dr is 99.9% sure that it's anxiety related and once the sertraline kicks in the pain will settle.
Last night while eating a banana - I swear it actually got lodged and I had major panic & choking....this just completely tipped me over the edge and sent me into the ER.....begging for them to scope me.
They're sure it's nothing sinister - but will refer me via my GP for a scope to do a double check.....
Hate this anxiety ..... really feeling like the sertraline will never work.....

Thanks everyone for all your replies - it's good to talk.
I'm definitely looking at therapy aswell......I need to do it - I need to try and get some life back. xxxx
xxxxx

[nataliewoods88]

can i just say, i don't believe anyone with mentall illness is wasting hospital time. We get ill, we just very very ill just like the ones with physical complaints, we are JUST AS important :)

[Tanner40]

Shelly, I think many of us have been where you were last night. Nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes the anxiety can just get the better of us, and our rational self goes out the window. Perhaps next time, go in the chat room and talk to someone. I find that practicing acceptance helps a great deal. I just have to calm my mind down long enough and accept the fact that this is all anxiety and it can't hurt me.

[Althea]

can i just say, i don't believe anyone with mentall illness is wasting hospital time. We get ill, we just very very ill just like the ones with physical complaints, we are JUST AS important :)

Of course it's important--but that doesn't mean it's right for the ER. The ER is for stuff that needs significant medical intervention in the next few minutes or hours. Diagnostics is not their thing, so it's not a place that's going to be able to do a workup on a patient whose symptoms don't require immediate action. It's not about HA--people with physical illnesses often hit the ER when it's not the right place too. But I think since so many people with HA are upset by unsatisfying interactions with doctors, it might be useful to understand that ER is unlikely ever to satisfy an HA patient because they're not equipped to diagnose our physical illnesses or to treat our HA. Walk-ins are slightly better, but best of all is our very own doctor.

That doesn't mean we're a problem in the ER or anything--people come in all the time with issues that get redirected to regular care. It's just not the place that can really help us.