repeat blood test tomorrow very scared

[smogie]

hi i had a really bad episode of ha just over a month ago after being diagnosed with anemia it totally freaked me out (see previous posts) was convinced i had cancer a thought which still loiters in the back of my mind i have been plodding along ok after some counseling and the effects of citalopram however i have to have my bloods rechecked tomorrow and all the old thoughts are flooding back in dont know how to cope with waiting for the results does anyone know if iron tablets guarantee that my hb will rise and if it hasnt or gone even lower what could this mean hate being like this

[Darwin73]

Hi smogie, I suffer from 2 types of anaemia so know how stressful getting the results of tests can be if you have HA. Infact, I have put off my last blood test for the last 10 weeks because I am scared of the result. However, I can almost guarantee that if you have been taking iron tablets as prescribed, your Hb will have gone up (you'll probably be surprised by how much). Iron deficiency anaemia is very common in women (I've had it for 15 years) and more often than not easily treatable.

[smogie]

thankyou have already delayed it two weeks but know i will feel so much better if i have it done and the results are okay its just how much i wind myself up in the meantime when the anxiety comes like this i cant function i hate it i am on the waiting list for some cbt but it cold be six months!

[Darwin73]

Yes, it's hard waiting for CBT (I think 6 months is pretty much the standard wait, unfortunately). There are several good books around on CBT - don't know whether you could give one of them a go while you're waiting?

[smogie]

yeah i have the overcoming health anxiety book and when im plodding on i find it helpful but when i have a blip i find it hard to put into practise its like the anxiety totally takes over

[smogie]

just to say all my bloods were fine which has made me fell very relieved but also very annoyed with myself for getting in such a state again roll on my cbt so i can move on x