View Full Version : Why is it so hard to believe your doctor?
So I went back to my doctor on Friday because of the pain in my side, and also to try to find out the status of my colonoscopy and therapy referrals. Once again he listened to all my symptoms and concerns, then checked my abdomen. After that, I got the lecture... I knew it was coming eventually...it had to, this is the 5th time I've seen him for the pain. He reminded me that my stool tests were negative for blood, that I had a clear colonoscopy 6 years ago, my hemoglobin is in normal range, and the pain is not severe, nor does it disrupt my sleep. He focused on my iron level saying that in his opinion the fact it is low is a nutritional issue, not caused by loss of blood. He said again he does not believe I have cancer. He said again he does not think a CT is necessary, plus since I've had several in the past 15 years it would be exposing me to too much radiation. The referrals for the scope and therapy are still in the works. He also said that I have had lots of tests in the past few years, probably too many tests. He says I need to try to ignore the pain and distract myself. I left his office feeling pretty good. Pain was almost gone, had a great outlook and felt I was on my way to getting better.
24 hours later, the pain was back, the what ifs were back. If only he would rush the scope this would all be so much easier to get past. The doctor was very thorough with all his explanations, made me feel better but here I am 24 hours later back in the pit, saying, that's all well and good, but he hasn't done the definitive test to rule out colon cancer how can he be so sure, I know how I feel, he's just guessing. It's the same old story...I'm right, my doctor is just trying to get rid of me because I have health anxiety, he's missing something and by the time any testing is done It will be way too late. How do I stop this cycle and just believe what my doctor tells me? What causes this cycle to begin with? Why can't I, and other health anxiety sufferers believe their doctors??
to answer your question, I think a lot of people with these types of issues have problems accepting what their doctor says, either because deep down they know something's wrong and something's being missed, or they fear the worst- and when the doctor says.. well it's all clear, you just can't believe it- as you're thinking of the worst possible sinario.
what you have to also remember is, that that's only 1 doctor, and only 1 opinion. have you tried seeing another doctor about it?
miss diagnoses is a possibility, especially when you think about all the different doctors in the UK, all their different levels of experience, and the fact it has happened in the UK before.
things have been missed in patients because doctors failed to find something crutial that may explain the problem
it could be that the doctor you are seeing has not dealt with that particular issue before.
hope what ever it is you can get it sorted out
thx emily...the thing is my doc has always been there for me and diagnosed me properly...it's just the mind of someone with HA always thinks it knows more than a doctor..wish i knew why this was....all i know is i hope i get the referrals soon...very scared
I know exactly what you are saying. I go. I am tested. I am told I'm fine.............I go home happy for a few hours and then think, maybe they never checked properly.............then go back and same repeat procedure again.
My aunt had Leukemia, my friend has diabetes..................my dad went to the doc and was diagnosed with lung cancer...........Deep down I know that doctors diagnose things if there is actually something wrong. If you keep going and they say it's anxiety. Then it's anxiety. However, like you I don't believe them lol
If one had the answer to that, they would be in line for the Nobel Prize! ;) The constant need for reassurance and doubting of medical professionals and scientific tests is a hallmark trait of HA.
Then, you have those that have had a bad experience and/or the media reporting of missed diagnosis and the HA mind focuses and spirals but the reality is much different. Of the billions of people in the world and the millions of health professionals treating them, the instances of mis-diagnosis are incredibly small. Take that and the fact than many HA sufferers are so hyper-focused on their health that they would catch something if there really were an issue and the chances of a mis-diagnosis goes down even more.
Positive thoughts
I think there are a few points raised here.
Many of us do go to the doctor purely to be reassured for the umpteenth time, walk out of The practice feel much better and a few hours later the doubts reappear yet again.
Then you have people like myself that over analyse what the doctor said.Did he mean this or did he mean that or what did he really mean. We drive ourselves nuts:)
Then try this one. If one vsits The Practice regularly and perhaps have to see a different doctor than the one you normally sees , nearly every time if you ask a specific question you will get two completely different answers.
Finally, look away now if you have HA.
I went to my doctor in January who is the senior partner and told her I had reflux and a pain in my wrists.She told me to take some Gaviscon and joked which flavour did I prefer but said come back at 2p.m. tomorrow and we will do an ECG.
I know many of you know this, but I went back the next day,had the ECG, a heart attack was confirmed that I later found out had started the day before and I was taken from The Practice by ambulance to hospital.
I could have died during the period between these two visits and it's because so many of us who suffer severe anxiety are not taken seriously by some GP'S.Every single person I have spoken to in the profession has said an ECG should have been done on my initial visit.
thx for your replies....Ricardo I'm glad you were ok, that is one of the things that keeps my anxiety up...the chance that something could be missed or labelled as "just" anxiety. I fear right sided colon cancer...from all my previous google searches over time (i learned to stop googling a couple of years ago) it showed that cancer in that part of the colon has subtle symptoms and doesn't really make itself known until it has reached the stage its large enough to cause pain...I know there is a ton of misinformation on google..but unfortunately you can't unread things..so that pops into my head all the time..logic would tell me that if it was that far advanced there would be a lot more signs...sadly the mind of someone with health anxiety isn't a logical one
angrry do you trust your doctor? is this the only health anxiety you have had that you have seen your doc about?
its so hard to be logical when the anxiety grips isnt it
Hi kellie...when my HA isn't in charge of my life I trust my doctor. I have been with him for over 20 years..I have had HA on and off for approx. 27 years. My HA episodes have almost always been cancer related. A couple of times I was worried about my heart. Now that I am in my 50's I think the fear is worse because my age is in the range when these scary illnesses are more common...
i know how you feel my fear is the "C" word and it scares the hell out of me.
ive been with my doc for over 20 years aswell and she is fab, ive never suffered like this before and if i do have a wobble i go and see her and im then ok but this time i have got myself in such a state i just cant seem calm down and listen to the fact that she isnt concerned that anything is wrong.
so you get niggles and twinges? i get them all over (not all the time) but only seem to take any notice of the ones in the area that im worried about .
ive suffered from depression before but this anxiety is really horrible
hope you are feeling better today
thx kellie...not feeling any better today...side is sore...still no word from my doctor...feeling scared and abandoned
hope you dont mind me asking but how does your anxiety make you feel?
ive never had this before and finding it really hard to deal with.
i feel shaky, sick, weak, on edge, hot and sweaty is this all normal?
you said you have had this anxiety for a long time does it get better? do you have times when you are calm and not worrying?
i really hope you feel better soon and dont mind me asking questions
xx
I don't mind kellie...I get very edgy, sweaty, at times it gets very bad and i'm nauseous. all those things you feel are normal for anxiety.
I am so convinced of whats wrong i am now also very depressed and find it hard to not be emotional, i find I break down quite often now. In addition to the pain, I have now not had a BM since Wednesday, makes me think I am now constipated another symptom of colon cancer. I am currently taking 2 iron pills a week, I don't know if that is enough to cause constipation. As I said, very scared.
you sound so distressed, sending you a big hug.
its the shaky, weak ect feeling s that i cant seem to get to go, my head is calmer but my body is still in the anxiety feelings. fingers crossed it goes soon as i really dont want to go back tot he docs again but im finding it hard to function day to day, i dont want to do anything because it makes you feel unwell and i just want to be back to normal.
i know iron tablets do make you constipated im sure its just that and hopefully go soon.
i know its really hard but try to take some comfort in the fact that your doctor isnt concerned about anything oh god i know that it is very hard to do as the mind is very powerful thing
---------- Post added at 13:48 ---------- Previous post was at 13:35 ----------
do you have times when you are calm and not so on edge?
how long has this been going on for you?
thx kellie...i hope you feel better soon...i really need this to all go away :(
this bout has been going on for a few months now..the pain started in July...my anxiety abut itramped up i August and it's been getting worse
is this your first bout of health anxiety or have you had it before?
ive had a little bit before but nothing like this , its bloody horrible.
no I have had HA for many years...it comes and goes...this time I think is the worst its been...ad of course I don't think its just anxiety...I believe something is seriously wrong
hope you dont mind me asking but what other health worries have you had?
was your anxiety the same with those or not as bad?
how did the anxiety go away when you have had it before?
my health have almost always been about cancer...a couple of times I had heart worries...the anxiety has gone away before when I have had good test results...I have been in therapy before and it helped...I am currently waiting for a referral to therapy, however it may take a while and I might have to go private..If I have to do that I need to figure out how to pay for it
my doc has recommended CBT which im waiting for a phone call about but im also looking at hypnosis right now i would try anything !!
have you always had pain and symptoms before? have you always had tests or do they sometimes just go away on their own?
ive been told that being anxious make us more aware or any tiny little feeling in our body do you agree with that? im sure ive noticed more niggles and twinges that i ever have before, are you like me and only seem to notice the ones that are in the area that you are worried about?
i'll get a pain and if it doesnt go away after a day or two i start worrying about it...it sems my brain is wired to think cancer...i always get pain and symptoms first then the worrying starts...and yes i do think being anxious makes us more aware
do you always have tests for your symptoms or have they gone away on their own? have you had times when you have been to your doc and he has reassured you everything is ok and then the symptoms seem to g away after that? i know i have been a couple of times a few years ago and this happened.
this is the first time i have ever got into such a state over it.
there have only been a couple of times i didnt get tested and was able to get reassurance from my doctor...
can i ask what they were for?
what the tests were for or the reassurance?
what you was worried about and your symptoms at the time that the doc reassured you it was ok
the last one was pancreatic cancer...I dont recall the time before that..it was quite a while ago
and your doc reassured you that it was all ok without having to have tests?
sounds like you do have some gaps inbetween the worry which is good as this is so draining.
is there any reason why your not reassured by the doc this time? is they something different ? how bad is your pain? are you managing to get some relief from the pain at all
the pain only goes way for a short time...it is not terrible pain...probably a 5 or 6 out of 10 when its at its worst..it seems when do go to the bathroom it isnt as much as i normally go...that makes me think only a certain amount is getting through at a time and that there is a lot still backed up...
the doctor was able to reassure me last time because he was able to remind me of recent tests such as an ultrasound....this time it doesnt work because although he reminds me of my colonoscopy testing the last one was over 6 years ago
it sounds like your having a tough time at the minute and i really hope that you can get some relief soon from your pain and anxiety soon.
here is you ever need to talk
xx
thx kellie..i hope you feel better too...i'm here for you too
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