Who else has extreme fear of going to doctor but also has HA?

[Solidsimpson]

Maybe most of you also have this problem?

I have always had health anxiety and hypocondria but have always been extremely scared of going to the doctor.

Anyone have advice on how to fix this? It's absolutely horrible.

[Sam Winter]

Hi there! x.
i get where you're coming from, its like i'm worried about a health problem but at the same time terrified of the doctor and what could happen, i recently plucked up the courage to go about my ankle and because it was a different doctor she wanted to order tests for another medical problem my doctor had laid to rest so now monday i have a blood test which i'm terrified of, but i guess you kinda get used to it, you'll never like going to the doctors i guess sometimes you just get used to having to go, if i have a health issue that's really concerning me i guess i choose to favor going and finding out over not x

[Solidsimpson]

Hi Sam!

I got rid of my fear last year actually and I was really happy. But I relapsed due to some actual medical problems and doing lots of tests. I need to go back though but I just can't bear it. Especially doing blood tests!

[Sam Winter]

Hi Sam!

I got rid of my fear last year actually and I was really happy. But I relapsed due to some actual medical problems and doing lots of tests. I need to go back though but I just can't bear it. Especially doing blood tests!
Yeah i understand and i'm glad it's not just me, everyone tells me i overreact about blood tests but there's something i just hate about them lol, sometimes it's helpful to realize that doctors only do what they do because they want to help you, it's still scary though x

[paranoid-viking]

It is weighing things up against each other. Chosing to not know is the worst thing in case there really is something. I remembered I had that feeling before going to the ultrasound; should I back off in case there is something so that I dont hear it? But thinking like that is bad and irrational; the sooner one finds out something if you really have something to worry about the better in terms of treatment. And what a relief to hear it is nothing serious.

[GlazedOwl]

I'm a sort of diagnosed hypocondriac, and when I think back, I think I have always been one (just nowhere near the level I am today) but my outlook towards doctors has changed.

I used to be EXTREMELY scared of doctors and any medical facilities. I think I could tolerate going in for something small, like a flu shot or a blood test. I didn't go to the docs often, but going in for the mandatory yearly school checkup was the WORST. I was scared of them finding something wrong with me and sending me to the hospital, where they'd probably tell me I have something that's hard to treat or is impossible to treat. My very first memory with anything medical is the worst, I don't know whether it was a dream or real - all I know is I was very little and needed to have my eyes tested while I was sleeping. They put these glasses on me and my parents were trying to put me to sleep on this clinic's bed next to all this machinery, and all of a sudden I start panicking and screaming - I had to be rushed out of course. Not fond of this memory I am!

Anyway, now things have changed a little bit. Since I started living alone and not having mandatory checkups every year, I could go to the doctor whenever I needed to. I still feel really, really uneasy in clinics, no matter how nice and homey they are made to look like. Don't get me started on hospitals, those are not nice to be in. But since my health (and mental state with it) deteriorated, I don't really have that fear of seeing a doctor - heck I look forward to those appointments. What I'm still scared of is the unknown, and me being pretty pessimistic, the likelihood of it being something really really horrible, I don't want to face a doctor telling me that! But I think the reason why I go to the docs now is that I am not as scared to hear something bad as I'm scared to hear that it's too late. Man just thinking about it makes me feel seriously ill!

I don't have a lot of advice to give, but what used to help me when I was a bit younger was taking someone to come with you. A friend or a family member can keep you distracted long enough before your appointment (because we know waiting is hard), and after the appointment you have someone to talk to :) I don't have that luxury anymore I'm afraid, but if you have someone close who can help out, it's worth a try! It's not a solution, but it does help.