countrygirl
30-04-09, 15:42
See previous post - my Drs surgery does not have appts just open surgery times which is great in one way but you are very conscious of a waiting room full of people and feel rushed so I rang and asked if i could see Dr out of surgery hours which was fine so had my open appt today. wished I had done this years ago!
We had a long discussion on my health anxiety and trying to manage it better and also my current terror of having sinus cancer because of intense feelings of pressure behind my nose and in face in pulses all day long together with the hissing pulse in ear. I explained that the ENT appt had put me into tailspin of panic because he had not been interested in my pressure in face and had kept leaving room and didn'ts peak very good english and was only getting a artery ultrasosund scan of neck.
She said she would have expected him to arrange a mri of head with detail on ears and sinuses, not because she thinks I have sinus cancer but just to rule out anything at all nasty. She said he was right to get the ultrasound done. SO - she said she could arrange a mri on NHS but it would take about 6 weeks which would mean it would not be in time for next ENT appt so she has made me an appt privately in 10 days and only costing £250.
One interesting question she had re health anxiety was do my symptoms go away after I have a test to rule out anything nasty and my answer was no the only change is I don't panic but it has no effect on my symptoms so she said that was immensely helpful as she knows the origin of my symptoms is not purely anxiety - she was emphatic that this did not mean that people whose symptoms clear up after a test are imagining the symptoms, just that the origin is not organic but mental whereas in my case and probably most of us here we have symptoms arising from an organic cause but we then panic and it makes things worse.
She said i was welcome to make appts outside surgery hours if I wanted time to discuss things more- only :blush: bit was she said not to worry about visiting so often or making these longer appts as the reception staff ( who living in a small village I know very well) are both aware of my anxiety problem. I knew they must but still felt awfully embarrased.
We had a long discussion on my health anxiety and trying to manage it better and also my current terror of having sinus cancer because of intense feelings of pressure behind my nose and in face in pulses all day long together with the hissing pulse in ear. I explained that the ENT appt had put me into tailspin of panic because he had not been interested in my pressure in face and had kept leaving room and didn'ts peak very good english and was only getting a artery ultrasosund scan of neck.
She said she would have expected him to arrange a mri of head with detail on ears and sinuses, not because she thinks I have sinus cancer but just to rule out anything at all nasty. She said he was right to get the ultrasound done. SO - she said she could arrange a mri on NHS but it would take about 6 weeks which would mean it would not be in time for next ENT appt so she has made me an appt privately in 10 days and only costing £250.
One interesting question she had re health anxiety was do my symptoms go away after I have a test to rule out anything nasty and my answer was no the only change is I don't panic but it has no effect on my symptoms so she said that was immensely helpful as she knows the origin of my symptoms is not purely anxiety - she was emphatic that this did not mean that people whose symptoms clear up after a test are imagining the symptoms, just that the origin is not organic but mental whereas in my case and probably most of us here we have symptoms arising from an organic cause but we then panic and it makes things worse.
She said i was welcome to make appts outside surgery hours if I wanted time to discuss things more- only :blush: bit was she said not to worry about visiting so often or making these longer appts as the reception staff ( who living in a small village I know very well) are both aware of my anxiety problem. I knew they must but still felt awfully embarrased.