Frustrated from Doctor's Visit

[Judi918]

Hello, this is my first post here, but I contributed at anxiety zone before. Mainly I'm a lurker. But I guess I need to vent to others who understand. I went to my doctor's last Thursday for my twice a year check up. Feeling good, not really expecting anything earth shattering. You know, check blood pressure, look in ears, listen to heart, and cringe when stepping on scales. :ohmy:

My HA has been under control with no wayward thoughts about health issues. I did mention to the doctor that two weeks earlier I woke up in the morning with a pain in my neck/jaw region, like a blocked salivary gland. I'd had that before so no worries. Used lemon drops, hot compresses, and OTC pain meds. Problem solved.

She looked at my neck area and said, "It still looks swollen." :mad: "Let's do an ultrasound to make sure nothing is wrong." Imagine my surprise. I was feeling great.

Now my HA is spiraling out of control. I've examined my neck in a mirror more times than I can count. And I've poked and prodded until my neck and parotid gland is sore. I've looked up parotid cancer and everything else possible. I feel no lump, and see no swelling. I see chubby cheeks and jaw bones that stick out when I grit my teeth. I have TMJ, so gritting is a normal occurrence.

On Sunday, I had my sister look at my jaw. She said it looked normal to her. I told her about the ultrasound, and she said, "well, if you want to have the test for reassurance, but I wouldn't. Sounds like a waste of time when everything looks okay." (The thoughts of a non-HA person.)

Grrr. So upset my doctor sent me into this spiral. Don't give me something to worry about; I can find them on my own. So, next Thursday is the ultrasound. I'm doing it to prove the doctor wrong. And hoping I don't suddenly get the "what if..." disease.

Thanks for listening (reading). It made me feel better just to voice my opinion.

[Hollow]

Yeah sometimes these doctors can make things worst. I guess they don't realise that when you have health anxiety you are clinging on to their every word. They're just doing their job i suppose.

[snowghost57]

I like your reference to the "what if" disease, I suffer from that! Actually, the doctor is not trying to make things worse, they just CYA more these days. With everyone so willing to sue for anything, some doctors just want to make sure the don't miss anything and some doctors are just more thorough which is a good thing. Try not to stress over it. I worked for an HMO for years, and processed insurance claims, one thing it taught me is that routine check ups find things when they are small, (now don't start worrying) When and if there is something, when caught early can be treated. It's the ones that wait for years and do nothing that end up with more intensive treatments. I'm a firm believer in regular check ups so if anything is wrong it can be taken care of immediately.

The doctor didn't send you into a spiral, your thoughts did! Who knows? Maybe your TMJ is making your jaw swell? Get the test, everything will be fine!

[Judi918]

The doctor didn't send you into a spiral, your thoughts did!

That is so true about it really being my fault. It just wasn't something I had expected. My mind had been in a nice quiet place. I do have a parathyroid gland that needs removed, but I'd come to a peace with it, too. She also mentioned it could be a small stone that is stuck in the gland. But we always go where we shouldn't and think of the worst possible scenario.


Who knows? Maybe your TMJ is making your jaw swell? I thought of that, too. I've been a bit under stress because of my hubby's medical and mobility issues, so gritting has become a bad habit lately.


Get the test, everything will be fine! I'm praying it will be okay. I've got a life to live. :winks:

[Judi918]

I had my ultrasound today for the neck swelling my doctor believed she saw. I was just emailed my results through the My Chart feature from my hospital. I decided to go through with the ultrasound to prove the doctor wrong. Needless to say, I was correct. Just a chubby neck. The results read: "No suspicious neck masses. No fluid collections. No adenopathy. Incidental note is made of a 4.8 mm lymph node which is not enlarged."

So, another CYA from the doctor and two weeks of my life filled with anxious thoughts and unneeded poking and prodding wasted. I'm glad I'm okay but don't want to go through with this again.

[roseanxiety]

Glad it turned out okay! I know the waiting was horrible.


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[ankietyjoe]

I'm not sure how to respond to this post. How exactly would you have preferred your Doctor to respond other than checking something that was swollen?

The Doctor didn't mention cancer, you looked it up.

Glad things are ok, but as another poster mentioned it wasn't the Doctor that sent your thoughts spiralling.