Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments?

[will.izquierdo]

I get so nervous that I feel sick to my stomach and start to cry about everything days beforehand. I've seen so many unhelpful doctors over the years and have become so cynical about them, because I have a condition that's very rare and so for years and years and doctor after doctor I had really negative experiences and now it's just a gut reaction, even though the one I'm seeing has been the most helpful.

I'm practically convinced it will go badly, that he won't listen to me at all, that he'll make medication changes that are very uncomfortable and unhelpful and uncalled for as well, that I'll leave my appointment disappointed and upset for the hundredth time and that I'll finally see that this doctor is actually no better than the rest, that it only took me longer to find out. I don't even call them, when I have a legitimate concern, because I'm so convinced they will either blow me off or give me some completely useless and generic answer and it will make me even more upset and jaded.

I must not be alone in this. I can't imagine there are huge numbers of satisfied patients out there, considering how much lack of solid help I've seen. I'd also like to add that I didn't start off this cynical. I'm a very logical thinker in general and I'm reasonable in my expectations. With this though, my reason goes out the window now. It's all reactionary and my mind simply can't talk my body out of it's anxiety. Has this kind of thing happened to you? Have your experiences with doctors changed you? Are there things that have helped you feel more hopeful about healthcare in general?

I may not be able to respond right away, because I'm about to make a trip, to another state, to see my doctor. Irk!

 

[Barbie]

Plese note that this thread is moved to the Open to All Health Related Topics Board.

 

[bert2730emt]

In general, I avoid doctors. Mostly what ticks me off is the waiting. I probably make more than many of them but most offices presume that "doctor's" time is more valuable than mine. (And, to be fair, the waiting is even ruder for patients who are paid by the hour and lose $$ every time they leave the office.) Thank God, I'm healthy so I don't need them except for the occasional check-up. Even then, I do a lot of research and listen to my body. When I developed agonizing tendinitis out of the blue after starting statins, I threw the darn things out and told the doc later. Fortunately he agreed with me and said to watch my fat intake and take green tea tablets instead. If he'd told me to keep taking the statins I would have ditched him. I also called around till I found a doc who would do a colonoscopy without sedation because that's what I wanted. So, to some extent you can vote with your feet. Harder to do if you're in a small town with limited coverage or you require very specialized treatment.