Finally want to talk to my doctor about my HA...any tips?

[artist12]

Hi guys,

Earlier this week I made an appointment with my primary doctor because I'm still having terrible neck and shoulder pains. I admit that at the time when I made the appointment, I just wanted reassurance about those pains that they weren't something more sinister.

But even though I wanted reassurance, going to the doctor is such a scary event for me (I'm sure many of you can relate). When I have gone lately, I've danced around the subject of my health anxiety, and I'll usually just say something along the lines of having a little involuntary doctor's office anxiety (I have to explain the elevated pulse somehow - understatement of the year!)

I've never admitted how consuming my health anxiety is to my doctor, or anyone, really. But, I've decided I really want to use the appointment I have already made to be blunt with him and tell him that it is consuming my life, instead of trying to get temporary reassurance about the particular symptoms that I've been harping on for the last six months.

I'm quite nervous - has anyone had a frank discussion with their doctor about HA? I do like him but am still relatively new to seeing him so I'm not sure which route he'll take - I wonder if he refer me to a psychiatrist (which I think I would actually like, but nervous about talking to someone), recommend medication (not sure how I feel about that, scared of the side effects) or what.

Have a nice day/evening!

[Fishmanpa]

Doctors are pretty observant. They're trained to pick up on verbal and non-verbal queues. In my experience, they've picked up on physical and verbal queues that help them determine a course of action. My feeling is your GP knows you have anxiety and is taking that into consideration.

I have the distinct feeling that if you brought up your HA feelings, your doctor wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Positive thoughts

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, he may already have an idea anyway. He probably just won't understand the impact it has on you.

It's a proactive thing to do. It's not about giving in to needing help, it's about accepting it and empowering yourself as opposed to potentially suffering when you may not need to.

Meds are firmly your choice when it comes down to accepting them. GP's are usually very patchy over here with mental health meds, it may be different over there. A psychiatrist will know much more. However, talk about treatment options including therapy, meds alone are a gamble and I think with an obsessive-compulsive element (which often seems the case in HA threads) you need to learn to beat it so you don't relapse later when withdrawing.

Be realistic with meds. Side effects are very common, and so is increased anxiety, so there is an element of courage to stick out the short 4-6 weeks at the start. Being realistic got me through the second time, I crumbled the first time because I wasn't made aware of what I was going to potentially experience.

Good luck, Angela!

[poppy77]

Hey! I've just done this and it felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. I was just honest with my Dr and said that I wanted a bit of help getting past my health anxieties. She was great. You'll do fine!

[artist12]

You guys are probably so right - I'm sure when I tell him he'll just give me a knowing smile. I'm a little less nervous about that now then I am for him to order some tests, like an MRI, when I complain about my neck pain.

Even though I'd love the relief of clean tests, that's my biggest fear about the doctor right now, having to face any of those tests...

I suppose I'll see what he says! He strikes me as the type NOT to order tests just to reassure myself (if he doesn't see any reason to order tests) but I can't decide if I should insist on any. If I do, I'll have to face the anxiety of the tests. If I don't, I'll go home scared that I didn't do enough to address my symptoms and that the doctor will have missed something.

OH, am I making any sense?

---------- Post added at 18:49 ---------- Previous post was at 18:48 ----------

Hey! I've just done this and it felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. I was just honest with my Dr and said that I wanted a bit of help getting past my health anxieties. She was great. You'll do fine!

I'm so glad you had a good experience! An understanding Doctor is the best. And I bet they hear this kind of thing more than we think.