Help Please

[pinkholby]

Hi,

I was supposed to have a doctors appt today to have a blood test to check everything is ok with my thyroid but I couldn't get out of the house on account of the massive panic attack I had (probably my worst to date) I'm normally terrified of needles anyway but with the anxiety I just couldn't handle it. Does anyone have any tips to help me get to the doctors (I have rebooked for Friday).

Thanks,

Hollie

[Charmbracelet81]

The worst part is the anticipation of what's to come, then once you are there is turns out not to be so bad.
I had to go to the dentist a few weeks ago and panicked on the way there, after my procedure and all my irrational thoughts went away, I was fine and confident that I did it!
Try a relaxation technique before you go. Maybe listen to an iPod on the way over there.
Trust me, anticipation is the worst part, and it like to hold us back from things we gotta do!
I know you can do it! ;)

[Rob1978]

Hello.
I went through a similar situation just recently. I suffer from derealization, which induces near constant panic and has lead me to a shut-in agoraphobic lifestyle. I also had to cancel my doctors appointment because of my condition. I managed to get some klonopin (strong anti-anxiety med) from a family friend, and set up another appointment, with my sister driving me. As soon as Ieft my house for the appointment, I knew it was going to be a rough trip. Eventually I moved to the back seat, where the anxiety was slightly less intense, but still had to have her engage the child safety locks to make sure I didn't jump out of the car. The red lights were the worst, but once we started moving again it was a great feeling of relief. We arrived 30 minutes early, so I had to walk laps around and around the building until they could see me.
As soon as I got into the office though, the uphill battle was over. The feeling of panic subsided greatly ,and was able to ride home in the front seat. So I would say, look at getting to the office as the goal, and once you make it there the hard part is over. At least that's my experience, though I recognize your condition is probably vastly different than mine. I guess a more general bit of advice would be to bring support, like a friend or family member.
Good luck.

[pinkholby]

Thanks for the support guys hopefully things will go better on Friday have booked the first appointment so won't have to worry about it all morning.

[ThePhoenix]

Charm is right, its just the anticipation!

Its hard but if you can get yourself there and get it over with the anxiety attached will reduce! The waiting is a killer! I have the exact same thing if I have to go as well!

[maryrose999]

I totally understand. I had a similar experience today. I was supposed to go to the gyno, my first time :/, but I couldn't even make myself leave the house. I got so nervous I actually threw up. Had to reschedule my appointment. I am always really nervous for doctors appointments. Every time I go to one I panic when they check my heart beat and blood pressure, which is why they always say that I have high blood pressure. Even when they've do an EKG it comes back abnormal, but I've have a monitor put on and had a ultrasound done of my heart, all of which came back very normal. Anxiety can do some crazy things to more simple tests like EKG, I think those come back abnormal a lot when it's actually nothing.

I had my thyroid levels checked as well about a year and a half ago, they were all normal. The test really isn't that bad, getting blood drawn makes me panic too. It helps if you lay down and close your eyes when they do it. Hope everything goes well for you :)

[forwells]

Howdy

This you can call anticipation but thats not the problem at all .


Lets look at it because its a good example .


I will take me as a example .

I am a antique dealer and sometime there might be a good auction coming up . Someone that may have been a real hoarder and it looks like it could be one of those auction that only happen once a year . I start to look forward to it , i start to feel anticipation on what could be there , on what great finds i might uncover , on what money i could make off of things . The night before i cant sleep . etc etc .


Now we take you

You have a doctors appointment .

You start from the moment that you ring the doctor . Why do i have to go ? I don't want a needle . I cant handle a needle . What if he finds something etc etc . And now there is what if i cant go .

So you know the difference here .

Its the stuff we tell ourselves and nothing more . All the things you are telling yourself . What do you think that your brain is seeing ??

Its seeing warning danger . Dont go there , protect my shell from this thing . Your brain works by doing what it is told . IT only sees in black and white . IF you tell it that it is scared it will react with fear .

So what do you do ??


Well you do it . You heard the saying about if you fall off the horse your get back up and get back on it again . Yes your ass might be sore but you get back on that horse and ride it to prove to yourself that you can do it .

You need to brake it down . Brake down all the rubbish that you are filling your head with and find the facts behind it .

Lets take the normally terrified of needles Why ??? I bet you cant give me one good reason why you are scared of needles . But i bet i can tell you that it is your thinking and your reaction to it that is causing that fear . It is this statement by itself aswell as ones like I don't like needles . im scared of needles , needles hurt . etc etc . See what is it that your brain is meant to see .

This is were the saying comes from that your thinking is what makes you feel .

You need to brake it down and you do this across the whole of anxiety .

I don't like needles ? well thats ok most people don't . But i scared of them . Now im just being silly . its only a little prick and it hurt very little , millions of people have a needle everyday and nothing happens to them so why should it to me . So we see that you don't like needles but we also see that its only a needle and it will not hurt us and that even if we don't like it , it is something we need to do so that we can feel peace with the out come of those tests .

You see that just by changing your thinking towards a situation will change your reaction to it .

Now i will be honest . When you go to the doctors you are going to hurt . Why because you have set it up with fear now . I bet you are asking yourself now What happens if i cant make it . what happens if i get stuck in the house again . Well STOP IT right now . You just need to go and do it . Yes you will be on high alert but you can do it and you must do it . Anxiety may make you feel bad but it will not hurt you . It is there to protect you and is just over reading the things you are telling it . So change what you are telling it and it will react the way it should . Watch what you are telling it at all times .

But do not let it bluff you . You can do it and you will do it . You will do it Friday or you will do it in a few months . But trust me when i say its best to get back on that horse with a sore butt now that to wait for that burse to make it worst in times to come .

Needles suck . Even i dont like them .

cheers kev
:D

[pinkholby]

Just want to say thanks to everyone for their replies, I did have the test done this morning, had a huge anxiety attack before I went to the doctors and also a minor one whilst on the bed having the test done but I made it and the worst bit was definitely the waiting (I waited in the car while my partner waited in the reception) Thanks :D

[Zuena]

Hi there,

Have you ever tried breaking up trips in stages? Even writing it down.

1. Leaving the house and walking to the car.
2. Climb in the car.
3. Leave the driveway.

And so forth. This way you know you have say 7 "stages" to deal with and you can tick them off as you go along. It takes your mind off the big picture and you feel so proud of getting through each stage without breaking down or panicking.

Just a suggestion.

Z

[forwells]

Howdy

What Zuena said is 100% correct and what every one with anxiety must learn .

I would have this problem with anxiety and fear from driving . Often the fear behind these things is not what we see but is from fear of what will happen .

I would stress about long drives say 150 klms and i learned to brake it down and instead of worrying about being 150 klms from home i would say Ok on this trip i would only be 15 minutes at the max from help and most times i would have my phone on me so help would always be there .

Using this i have gone from someone that could not leave the house , that would freak at the site of my ute to someone that this morning is going to drive 550 klms today .

It can be done you just have to talk yourself into it and not out of it .

Cheers kev :D

[Oh not again]

Tell yourself it's okay to have anxiety about the dr visit and that you've survived this kind of anxiety before, so you will survive this time too.