View Full Version : Can't keep going to the Dr...
I will probably regret posting this as I don't want to repeat past experiences. But...
I have been going to the Dr quite a bit recently for different symptoms. I'm not imagining these symptoms and the Doc takes me seriously and always reassures me. And I really trust her. However I saw her 2 weeks ago for one thing. last week for another, and now I feel I need to go yet again.
I have a pain in my right ribs, have had it before a while back, and also had it quite bad once in my left ribs. My Dr told me about floating ribs and me being overweight does not help.
Anyways, I just searched on here to try to calm myself down and have seen from some threads that Gallstones cause right rib pain. So here I go again.
Have been feeling so bad with health anxiety for months and months and it's always something different. Now I feel I need to see Doctor yet again. I am so sick of my life right now. Despite all the CBT, therapy and Dr's support I have had I am still convinced that I will be dead within a few years.
Quite a few things can cause rib pain, actually. My mother had gallstones and eventually had her gallbladder taken out - it's very painful and you really, really know something's up.
Have you tried taking a pain pill or having a warm bath and just giving it a few days? It's possible you strained something.
Something you could try to set up with your doctor might be just monthly visits where you can ask questions about your health or anything that concerns you. It'll give you an anchor if you're afraid of something because you know you'll be seeing your doc again, but it will also keep you from going in every week and you may be surprised what symptoms just end up vanishing.
Gotagetthroughthis
02-10-16, 19:53
I know how you feel. You begin to feel embarrassed about repeatedly going to the doctors. I even remember the receptionists saying to me "so what is it this time then" when I rang up for an appointment back when I was at the doctors every week. But at the end of the day it is the doctors job to check you over be it for your physical symptoms or even to help with your health anxiety.
If you are really concerned it might be something serious then go but just bare in mind always looking for repeated reassurance doesn't help in the long run. In the end you just have to say ok I have a few symptoms but they are likely just a normal body function and they will pass and usually they do pass. If they persist or get a lot worse then you know to go to the doctor.
You will get better over time if you stop over analysing your symptoms. Ps i'm sure you won't be dead in a few years.
Good luck :)
Hi London, I just posted another thread about rib pain. I don't suppose you are taking fluoxetine are you? I've been having a lot of side-effects and wondered if the two are related.
Thanks so much for the quick replies guys and gals.
Poppy - thanks for the reassuring reply. I would only give the pain about a 3/10 so it's really not that bad I guess. Just my mind blowing it up. For some reason I never thought of taking a pill. Guess with all the noise in my brain the obvious things don't get thru. Will try that and maybe a bath too. I have a Dr appointment on the 19th so will try to hold on to that. Actually having a monthly anchor appointment is a great idea. I will discuss that with her. Thank you!
Gottagetthroughthis - You hit the nail on the head. I do get so embarrassed. The receptionists all know my name and I feel so self conscious . That's terrible that they said that to you though! I definitely need to break the habit of seeking repeated reassurance. It will end up with me needing to see her every other day. Thank you for your reply.
SmithsFan - I stopped taking fluoxetine earlier this year. I did have so many side-effects whilst on antidepressants though so do know how you feel. Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks again everyone :hugs:
My doctor is pretty patient with me, the whole office is but I am sure they think I am crazy .lol Been there 6 times in the last 6 months and I am dying of a new disease each time. But he is very reassuring and sweet.
Elizabeth Fry
03-10-16, 00:16
I go to the doctors a lot and I'm embarrassed but I made a deal with myself - no more Google go to see the doctor instead. I get very anxious about everything and have all sorts of symptoms but I keep going. I think it's better to be reassured by someone you trust than by Google. I let my guard down yesterday and went on Google guess what - it came back with a brain tumour!
I am sure a good GP would understand - well I hope she does with me!
You deserve to be looked after well
SmithsFan - I stopped taking fluoxetine earlier this year. I did have so many side-effects whilst on antidepressants though so do know how you feel. Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks. I also know what you mean about feeling embarrassed to keep going to the doctor. When I was in my late-teens my GP asked me if there was something else wrong with me because I'd been to see him 11 times in the past year. I didn't know about HA then so just clammed up and never went back for years.
I don't know what discussions you have had with your doctor about HA but my advice would be to be completely honest about your feelings and experiences.
Thanks again for the replies. I must add that I do have a great Dr and she is very understanding and always takes me seriously. However I know I'm heading down the slippery road of wanting her constant reassurance for every little thing. I need to learn to deal with my catastrophic thought process more effectively.
That being said, today is hard. Am seriously considering going to Dr's tomorrow. Not going to be too hard on myself though either way.
PS, just wanted to add that have been contemplating the thought recently that my Health Anxiety has actually become an OCD. May ask the Dr about that.
Good luck with everything
Thanks dale. Hope you are well.
Noticing that I am starting to feel incredibly irritable. Feel so much anger. I just can't believe how many years of my life I have wasted on HA. Yet despite that, all I can think is "I'm dying, I'm dying..."
I used to go to the doctors 4 times a week ive been like this ever since my dad died which has given me health anxiety if you feel reassured when you go then keep going it's better than googling x
Anxiety definitely causes irritability.
Have you been for a physical? I went in today and I feel so much better now. My doc knows I have anxiety and is AWESOME, so he went over all my labs and explained to me what everything meant and even checked out my hair since shedding has been a worry as of late. Everything is perfect, it's amazing how much they can tell from lab tests.
I have been 4 times this year. And that's probably more then the other 32 years of my life combined. And every time I get told I'm fine. Which is what I want to hear but it puts you back to square one. Which is maybe it is all in my head with this anxiety.
michelle_m
07-10-16, 19:06
I have been struggling with HA for a long time. It comes and goes. I can have months with no worry. I have been through many doctors and my current doctor is amazing. He has told me to stop googling and that he knows my history and health so if I have a concern that to come in and see him. It is so important to find a doctor that understands you and is patient.
Thanks for the recent replies! I appreciate it. I haven't been for a physical, I may schedule one soon.
It seems that there are some people who think if I feel I need to go to the Dr at any time to just go. My Dr always tells me she is there for me and to go when I need to. And others who think it's good to challenge yourself NOT to seek continual reassurance (I would love to get to this stage.)
I am somewhere in between. I have been to the Dr every week for the last 3 weeks. I really don't want to go down the path of seeking reassurance for every HA panic that I have, but it takes so much strength. I am sitting here today totally absorbed by HA but am just accepting it right now. I am seeing my Dr again in about 10 days so am going to try to deal with it until then.
I just want a little peace and a break from the constant spiral of thoughts.
Best wishes to everyone.
ServerError
09-10-16, 16:00
My personal point of view is this: talking in terms of challenges and battles can serve to make anxiety worse as it just adds a new layer of stress, and it also turns our emotions and feelings into something to see as somehow wrong or unacceptable.
In terms of visiting the doctor, it's like this for me: if you genuinely see or feel something that rings alarm bells, get it checked out. However, do not keep going to the doctor for constant reassurance. If you go to the doctor without knowing specifically what is making you want to go there, talk to the doctor about anxiety, because that is the issue that needs tackling.
You're right, I definitely agree that when the HA is causing me so much stress it's not a good idea to stress myself unnecessarily with talk of challenges and battles etc.
The problem is that for me even the smallest symptoms ring alarm bells and start the HA panic. Over the last year or so there is no gap in between panics/symptoms. The symptoms are real, I'm not imaging them. But most "normal" (sorry to use that word) people would not go to the Dr in a blind panic because of them. The HA thought process has almost become my go to thought pattern now (catastrophic thinking) and I need to try to change that. I have put my name down for some more therapy so hopefully that may help.
unsure_about_this
09-10-16, 18:59
I only been twice this year, one because I had to be refer to a specialist becaue the gp thought he felt a lump in my man bits and one for my anxiety. A few years ago I was down at the GP sometimes twice per week.
If I could I would live there, I worry about every mark, lump etc I get that it is cancer or something else which is deadly
---------- Post added at 18:59 ---------- Previous post was at 17:49 ----------
Saying that I wish I could go to the dentist every day, because I worried about I think I got oral cancer/mouth cancer
Thanks dale. Hope you are well.
Noticing that I am starting to feel incredibly irritable. Feel so much anger. I just can't believe how many years of my life I have wasted on HA. Yet despite that, all I can think is "I'm dying, I'm dying..."
This is what really strikes me about the HA sufferers here: why catastrophize it? Why go right to “I’m dying?” There are millions of benign conditions that one can get that won’t kill you. And IF you get a serious illness, that doesn’t mean you’ll be at death’s door in an hour.
I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Twice. That was 27 years ago, and I’m soon to be 60 years old. And, as you can see, I’m not dead yet. :)
You will be able to better manage your anxiety if you can first accept the fact that even IF you get a serious illness, that doesn’t mean you will die from it. Take it from me, fishmanpa, and others on this board who’ve had serious illnesses.
Hey Beachlady. Thanks for your reply.
The answer is that I don't know why people with HA catastrophize symptoms. I do it. I consider myself an intelligent person but I am at the mercy of HA.
Right now I am drowning in anxiety. I have a very minor symptom which I am convinced is the beginning of the end. And it sucks. I totally understand that Anxiety is the issue, but it doesn't change anything. I have been dealing with these thoughts for years now and am not getting any better at coping. I've had (and am planning more) Therapy, CBT, medication but here I am. Maybe it's just all a symptom of my depression.
---------- Post added at 20:45 ---------- Previous post was at 20:42 ----------
I only been twice this year, one because I had to be refer to a specialist becaue the gp thought he felt a lump in my man bits and one for my anxiety. A few years ago I was down at the GP sometimes twice per week.
If I could I would live there, I worry about every mark, lump etc I get that it is cancer or something else which is deadly
---------- Post added at 18:59 ---------- Previous post was at 17:49 ----------
Saying that I wish I could go to the dentist every day, because I worried about I think I got oral cancer/mouth cancer
I totally empathise with you. Sometimes all I can focus on is talking to my Dr. Hope you're doing OK.
The answer is that I don't know why people with HA catastrophize symptoms. I do it. I consider myself an intelligent person but I am at the mercy of HA.
Right now I am drowning in anxiety. I have a very minor symptom which I am convinced is the beginning of the end. And it sucks. I totally understand that Anxiety is the issue, but it doesn't change anything. I have been dealing with these thoughts for years now and am not getting any better at coping. I've had (and am planning more) Therapy, CBT, medication but here I am. Maybe it's just all a symptom of my depression.[COLOR="blue"]
wow you have summed up exactly how i feel, its horrible and im desperate to find something to help. im doing cbt but so far its not helping, fingers crossed it will.
hope you find something that will help you soon
Hi Kellie.
So sorry to hear that you are going through what I'm going through. It really is awful
CBT sort of worked for me a bit maybe..? I've had it 3 times now. Keep it going and maybe you will find it helpful. But like you, I am desperate for something to ease my anxiety/HA. I am trying so hard but feel so lost tonight. Sending you so much love and best wishes.
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