Doc Appointment Tuesday ...anxiety already starting

[bklynbee]

Hi everyone...on Tuesday I have an appointment with my cardiologist and I can already feel that nervous energy starting. I have all kinds of what if thoughts starting already such as what if something is really wrong. My appointment is in the hospital clinic so im also thinking what if the doc finds something wrong and has to admit me into the hospital. I wish I could just go and not make a big deal out of it. I try so hard not to let it get to me but its so hard for me to control when anything medical is involved. Anyone have any advice on how I keep my anxiety to a minimum? I have a bad habit of letting the anxiety get to me and then just not going to the doc at all. I waited over a month for this appointment so I really cant afford to miss it. Thanks.

[sleepyby8]

I also suffer from anticipatory anxiety...sometimes thinking of things that are days or even weeks away! We have been to numerous appts lately with my daughter who has been ill and I have found that the appointments are never as bad as what I had "what if'ed" them to be. I try to stay in the moment as much as I can and you will find when you are in for your appointment you will be caught up with what the dr. is saying and concentrating on what is going on...so you won't be anxious! You can also tell your dr. you have been struggling with anxiety and just doing that will probably lead you to not have an anxious moment as the "secret" is out. Also, set aside a worry time for thinking about your appointment...like on Monday night at 9 pm. Whenever you start thinking about the appt. tell yourself you will worry about it on Monday at 9 pm. Good luck to you!

[bklynbee]

Thank you for the advice. I am going to try that worrying about it at a certain time, and I will definitely be telling the doc about my anxiety. Usually when I go in the office my heart races and my legs start shaking and I get sick to my stomach. Im really hoping that I keep some of these symptoms under control. I will let you know how it goes.

[Rachael9700]

How was your appointment?
Rachael

[bklynbee]

I made it to the doctor! I was nervous as all heck but i went through with it. When they did the ekg I was shaking and really scared, so when I spoke to the doctor she asked why I was so nervous. I explained to her that the first time i saw my regular gp when he did my ekg he thought i was having a heart attack and sent me to the emergency room. She explained to me that the ekg's are only a baseline for your heart. She said the reason it looked like that is because according to the machine my heart is enlarged. They did an echocardiogram back in oct and she said those results came back fine so there is nothing to worry about. She believes a lot of my symptoms are coming from my stomach acid reflux and anxiety. She is going to do the 24 hour halter monitor test and another echo to put my mind at ease. Then we will talk about some meds for acid reflux and anxiety if all those tests come back normal. I have been going out almost every day lately which i am very proud of myself for. I am grateful for every day that i wake up and feel good. I will keep you updated how the tests go. How have you been Rachael? I hope you are doing well. This weekend will be another test...we made plans to go to jersey again. Im hoping for the best.

[Rachael9700]

Hi Bklynbee,
Wow, I'm glad you went. Someone said, it's like being on a rollercoaster. I was doing wonderful for awhile, then I caught a really bad cold, I'm on antibiotics. It put me in the house for 4 days, now it's a little like starting over again. So, I'm frustrated, but I'm not going to stop going out. I'm going to nearby stores today, I'll tell you how it went. I'm glad your not giving up either.
Rachael