healthcare anxiety

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
healthcare anxiety
3
Sun, 03-25-2007 - 5:15pm

I have blood tests next week, all routine, and a checkup on 4/6. I am not overweight, am very physically fit (run 3miles every other day, work out, very health looking anyway). It takes ALOT to get me out of breath, I feel great nearly all the time, have anxiety issues and depression stuff, but mostly keep it under control with yoga, meditation and well (as you will soon see), venting on sites like this!! LOL!!

So, why do I fear like hell getting bloodwork done (the actual pricking bothers me not at all), hearing the results, going to Dr, and all that?? The blood tests measure junk like thyroid function, blood glucose, your potassium, liver and kidney function--nothing weird, but I am just agonizing over it. This is stupid, I know. I talk to a nurse friend of mine, who asked to look at my nails, then after examining them said, "Your nails do not look like you have liver or kidney or anemia problems, (she said you sometimes have changes in your nails if you have problems in those areas). She also tried to calm me down by saying that my high energy level was a good indicator of my health, and that I should just "expect" that the results would be normal. "Even people who do drugs, drink and smoke often have normal blood tests...just quit worrying and get it done!" I am also getting done much needed pelvic/pap smear after a 3 year wait, and she just sighed and said, "Well, that's not that long, takes awhile for cancer to develop anyway, just do it and in a month you will be at ease and all will be well." Nothing is guaranteed, I know and I see so many ads on this sight about illness, and it doesn't help they use 20 year old healthy looking models in the ads (not very realistic, IMHO). I am 50, btw.

But thought I'd post here---I just will bite the bullet and do it, but I am having anxiety about it (hopefully the anxiety won't MAKE me sick!)....peace,lyn

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Sun, 03-25-2007 - 7:10pm

Hi Lyn & welcome!

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sun, 03-25-2007 - 11:55pm

(((Lyn))) You made valid points on why you shouldn't be worried about your health. You are doing the best that you can. The problem with anxiety, is that we simply can't or won't accept it. That's when keeping busy helps the most. Finding ways to distract your mind & get the focus off what @ this point are not realistic health concerns.


I had alot of blood tests done a few weeks ago. I see the dr. this week for the results. As a nurse, I KNOW that if any values were *off* I would've been called immediately. But, the fear has been nipping @ my heels the last week or so & tonight I got so worried about something being wrong, that I almost had a panic attack. I managed to positive think & belly breathe my way through it. Now, I'm mad @ myself):


I'll keep you in my T's & send some positive vibes your way. I hope that everything is AOK, just as your nurse friend said. Keep in touch! GL! jan

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 03-26-2007 - 12:24am

thsnks for the replies. My dr's office gets the info to the patient very quickly, even normal results, so you do not know if it is bad or not bc they are just that efficient. The dr told me to just have the tests run two days before bc they would have them by my checkup, which seems to me very risky, but as I said they always seem to be rather fast about stuff.

I will not think about it anymore. As someone else said to me, "Even getting normal tests doesn't always mean anything, either." Quite true, it just means they did not find anything THIS time...

This anxiety bug bits bad, doesn't it? More likely I need to deal with my mental health more than anything else...thanks for your insights! peace,lyn