Doctor that gives waaaayyyy too much information!

[Chris 614]

Does anyone else have a doctor who will give you every possibility when he sees you? I went in today to get my salivary gland issue checked out. My pcp is a physicians assistant and schedules thirty minutes for an appointment...which is great if you have a lot to discuss. Personally, I want to go in, get looked at, be told I have something minor, then be on my way. My PA is thorough...which is fine...but will then start talking about any likely or unlikely possibility! So today he said that the swelling I had could be anything from a tumor to a blocked salivary gland! Then he examines me and says he doesn't feel anything tumor like. Well thank god for that! I told him it isn't a good idea to give me every possibility because I have already done that and it isn't a good place for me to go! He said it's likely an irritated salivary gland or salivary stone and to hydrate myself well and suck on lemon drops and if it acts up again he would want to get a scan. Ugh. Oh, and then he commented on my left tonsil being much bigger than my right. It's been that way for 46 years...I had the mumps when I was ten and it never got small again. Anyway, the tonsil comment got me nervous too!

So, what do you do when a doctor talks too much? Actually, I have seen another person at this office and he only takes ten or fifteen minutes per patient...he isn't overly chatty and explains just enough. I may try to see him from now on.

I don't like leaving a doctor's office feeling more uneasy than when I went in.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yep, to me this is a good doctor as he is not dismissing things or not appearing to assess them due to keeping quiet.

I guess it's his style and if he knows it affects you he will make adjustments. Have a chat about it. He may not realise the impact of his words on you because your thinking is skewed due to your Cognitive Distortions?

Some doctors believe honesty is best anyway. When my brother went in for a lump check in his throat the consultant said it could be anything from x to cancer BUT his opinion was X and they have to mention cancer because the patient should be kep informed yet he highly doubted it would be. Naturally that bothered my brother, as a non anxiety disorder sufferer, as it's only natural but he moved on as non sufferers do.

You are not alone, I've seen other threads raised for the same reasons. Anxiety will try to latch on whether it is your doctor or just a passing conversation with a friend, everyone on here will understand how that is triggering.

[Leah88]

I think sometimes they cover everything to cover their bums. My GP is really good.. he never mentions the rarer scarier options because he knows I have mental health problems so he just says " nope I don't think it's sinister" but dosnt elaborate on what sinister is

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think sometimes they cover everything to cover their bums. My GP is really good.. he never mentions the rarer scarier options because he knows I have mental health problems so he just says " nope I don't think it's sinister" but dosnt elaborate on what sinister is

Even then you get people on here who think "why would he say that? Why was he checking for something sinister?"

Sometimes balance seems difficult and it is very individual. Another case for having a good doctor and a good relationship with them.

[Chris 614]

Thanks everyone for responding. It's helpful to get thoughts from others. Yes, I should be grateful that he is thorough. I truly should. And yes, you are right that my anxious brain latches on to the negative, just as it might if I read something online or hear in a conversation. And most people don't do that. They go about their business and just take things as they come. I wish I could be that way. Some days I just want that old time doctor that will pat my hand and say everything is going to be okay.

Your responses made me think of something though. I used to have a nurse practitioner...a lovely woman who I saw for many years. She knew about my health anxiety and tendency to overreact and she always made me feel better when I went to see her. Sadly, she moved to another state a couple of years ago and that's when I switched over to my current pcp. Interestingly, I find that I go to the doctor much less now seeking reassurance. When I was seeing my NP I would go for things that I built up in my mind because I knew she would make me feel better. I'm sure it's better that I'm going less to the doctor...but like I said, some days that pat on the hand would be nice.

[swajj]

What is a physician's assistant?

I think you need a doctor who doesn't trigger your anxiety by giving you worst case scenarios.

[NoraB]

My pcp is a physicians assistant and schedules thirty minutes for an appointment...which is great if you have a lot to discuss.

We get 10 minutes with ours. :unsure:

[Rhiannon.]

I know how you feel! XD

With my regular doc (who knows my anxiety issues) I'll go in, say what's wrong, she'll look over me and then tell me that everything looks fine, but she'll arrange some tests for me (usually bloods) anyway. A couple of things have popped up over the years but she's always really calm about them and explains things to me whether I have questions or not (then asks if I have questions)

Now... last week she wasn't in and I wanted to see a doc about an annoying rattle/wheeze I sometimes got that was lingering after a very nasty winter bug (the rattle/wheeze has since cleared up on its own).

I saw the doc, and after describing, badly what was wrong, almost instantly focused on my heart. Was I getting chest pains? Racing heart? Breathlessness? No, no, no. I knew she was hinting at a heart attack.
She told me if the rattle ever happened again I was to come right back to the surgery and if it was worse to call an ambulance. Blood pressure was fine, as was blood oxygen, and my heart was a little fast.

As you can imagine I left the appointment very freaked!

[SLA]

Assuming he does the same to all of his patients, and they all don't leave in a frantic mess, doesn't that point to the problem being with the patient?

Too much information... not enough information. Basically, you won't ever be fully happy because, at the end of the day, you worry about your health.

[Chris 614]

A physicians assistant is a nationally certified and state-licensed medical professional. PAs practice medicine on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers. They practice and prescribe medication. They work under the supervision of a medical doctor. They have less education than an MD, usually a master's degree. According to Wikipedia, in the UK they have physicians associates? It's the same thing.

SLA, of course it's because of my health anxiety! Most people wouldn't pay much attention to the more serious possibilities...however, I would be much happier getting less information. I can go to Google and find out all of the worst case scenarios on my own, but prefer not to. But the word tumor came up before he even examined me! I don't think that's really necessary. You know?

Rhiannon, I know just how you feel! I think some doctor's are just different than others...but worst case scenarios are not something that we process very well!

Swajj, I agree. I don't need the unnecessary stress.

[pulisa]

I think with HA too much information and too much explanation is a bad recipe. I prefer the "I'm not worried about this. Full stop" approach. Too much waffle and medical jargon isn't necessary and just leads to more potential for questioning/rumination by the HA patient.

I'd see the other doctor next time you go?

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's very interesting, Chris, I had never heard of them.

According to what I have just read, we have Physician Assistants with started in 2003 bit are limited to hospitals across various disciplines and more recently we also have Physician Associates. I haven't read enough to understand the difference but they aren't a pathway to becoming a doctor.

They sound a good idea as they only require a Masters degree so 2 years of extra training. They are broadening out into mental health care which could be good news for us if they cut out the need for a psychiatrist since they take much much longer train as they are first a doctor, then become a specialist.

Thanks for that, it's something good for us.

[Chris 614]

Do you have nurse practitioners there?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, we do, Chris.

I'm not sure if they differ, they are advanced nurses as far as I know.