GP's just freaked me out...Advice please

[Cococj]

Good morning,

I've been seeing this particular GP for about a year far shorter than the time I've been suffering from HA, panic attacks etc, he's been successfully treating me for them and the last few months have been great, hurrah yeah?

So, this morning I go into see him about an unrelated matter, my medication and counselling is doing wonders so I'm happy there, but on Monday I went for a walk in the sun and my back muscles have been giving me serious problems since.

So in I goes to see him for the back muscles etc and he asks me to take my shirt off, presses and prods me, gets his stethoscope out and listens to my chest.

Anyway after examining me he declares that he's going to arrange a ECG, Echocardiogram and blood tests for salts etc... WHAT THE HELL?

I've been seeing this guy for a while, I've been in during my acute anxiety phases, panic attacks, mid panic attack on one occasion. This is the first time he's examined me, about an unrelated matter and NOW he wants to do these things?

DO you think he heard something during this physical exam he didn't like? I said to him I'd be in a panic about it, and he said "you will be anyway"... he's told me something about palpitations, not something I've particularly commented on when I've seen him... He's never actually given me any form of physical exam before either, yet did so for muscular problems and focussed on something else, he even said to me at the end when I asked him if these tests were related to that, that they weren't and my back will settle down in a few days.. I'm just CONFUSED :(

I'm just a bit worried now, of all the things my HA has focussed on my heart has never really been one of them, does anybody understand the logic, as I went in for a muscular problem with my back!

Please someone tell me have you had a similar experience?

Chris

[RosieXXX]

Hello cococj,

I can see how disconcerting this must be for you; I think anyone with or without health anxiety would be concerned. However, I know plenty of people who have palpitations, and they are NOT related to any health problem whatsoever. I imagine when your doctor listened to your chest, and detected some palpitations - which he has mentioned to you - he decided to carry out these routine procedures because he is a very thorough doctor and he wants to make sure the palpitations are totally unconnected to any other problem. I know it is difficult not to worry, but I am sure he is just dotting i's and crossing t's - which is a good thing. Wishing you all the best. xxx

[Cococj]

Hi RosieXXX,

Thanks for the reply, you're right I just needed to get this into perspective, it just threw me at first, I couldn't make any sense of it really.

I hadn't gone in there and mentioned palpitations and although I do get them occasionally they don't bother me so much at the moment. So when he mentioned all these heart tests I kind of got a bit worried.

I did take a look at precisely what blood tests he's doing though and he's doing kidney, thyroid and calcium, so it would seem to me given my muscle problems related to the heat earlier in the week and the palpitations he probably detected today he's just trying to rule out a thyroid problem, with the heart tests being just to cover himself, probably just didn't want to worry me.

Thanks for the reply though it did help and let me get it sorted in my mind.

Chris

[london]

doctors get paid to do all these test now do worry your be fine

[Jessica19]

I've had a Chest Scan, it's just to be sure really, i also was refereed for blood tests.

please don't worry to much
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Tink]

I was having palpitations and my doc listened to my chest with a stephoscope, he said he couldn't hear anything but sent me for an ecg anyway. It is just procedure to check everything and everything was ok. Try not to worry xxx