Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Anxious About Seeing a New Doctor

mae2014
mae2014
So I have a question that I'm nervous/embarrassed to even ask because I feel like it's kind of personal but I think I need some words of encouragement to help me relax. So I'm 21 and I have only ever seen my pediatrician. I will be seeing a gynecologist for my next physical. My appointment won't be for a while, but I am still very nervous. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I think it is contributing to my nervousness because I don't feel like this is just normal stress. I hate going to the doctor to begin with and I can feel myself getting anxious just thinking about seeing a gynecologist and knowing that a doctor I will have just met will be seeing and touching so much of my body. I understand why these appointments are important but even the thought of it is stressful to me. When I see the doctor, should I tell her that I have GAD and that I'm really nervous? Is it normal to be this nervous about seeing the gynecologist? Do you have any suggestions on how I can get myself to relax about this?

I feel like this is very personal, not sure if it really is or if that's just me really over thinking things, so it was hard to even get myself to write that but I think just sitting here thinking about it is making me too anxious and it might help to just hear some others' thoughts about the questions in my mind.
LuckyEmpath
LuckyEmpath
Seeing a GYN for the first time can be very unsettling because there are so many unknowns. Please remember that YOU are in charge of the appointment and not the Dr. If you are uncomfortable with anything you can say 'NO' and they should respect that and stop. You can also make the first appointment a time when you simply meet the Dr. and have no exam. Your body is yours and you have the power to stop anyone from touching it. Even a Dr.

Take care
hyperpgal
hyperpgal
I'd say to tell the dr right off--and let them know if there is anything that you are particularly afraid of. if they are a good dr. they will do what they can to minimize your distress. me personally, I need to know exactly what is going on--I need to know exactly what is going on if there is a problem. I just up and tell them that i have gad-that my bp will most likely be through the roof, and they need to be very specific with me--none of this, "here, take this and call me in a week"...i don't do well with that. lol...I don't go back to drs who don't get it....
gramybear
gramybear
I think I can help, at least I hope so. I remember the first time I saw a male Gyno because I was having so many female problems. To make it worse he was from Hawaii so you can only imagine that he was tall, dark, and very handsome. He knew I was very nervous and I told him I was. He said we could talk about anything I felt comfortable talking about and that may help take my mind off of what was going on. He would ease my mind by talking to me about things, etc.. I actually relaxed. I had to see him 7 different times because I had to have 7 different surgeries. After the second time I wasn't any longer nervous because I realized he does this on a daily basis, this is his job, and I don't think he is checking us out for any other reason than to find out what is wrong, or isn't wrong. He ended up having to give me a full hysterectomy after 7 surgeries that were unsuccessful. To this day, I still send him Christmas cards. He turned out to be one of the best doctors I ever had. However, if you are that uncomfortable with a male doc, you can always suggest a woman. Some women are more uncomfortable with a woman doc than a male. Let us know when you are going in ad keep posting so we can continue to support you. I know you are going to be okay. Oh, and let the doc know that you have anxiety. Hugs gB
mae2014
mae2014
Thank you all for your responses!

Lucky- Thank you, think about it in that way, that I am in control, calms my nerves a little bit. Also it might be a good idea for me to meet the doctor at an appointment ahead of time, that probably would help me.

hypergal- I think I too would want to know exactly what is going on. I like to have answers...nothing left a mystery.

grammybear- Talking about other things that you are comfortable with sounds like a good idea. I guess that would probably let your mind be more distracted and not focusing on what's making you uncomfortable. I definitely would not want to see a male gynecologist. I think I would be SO much more uncomfortable with a male. Personally, I find it easier to be open with female doctors so I would be WAY more likely to ask any questions I had or talk to that doctor about things with a female.

What I'm understanding overall is that I should just tell the doctor that I have GAD and that I'm very nervous. Even that makes me nervous because I don't really like talking about my anxiety, but I guess it is important to do so that the doctor can understand how I am feeling and help me relax the best she can. I know I'll be ok, it's just going to be an uncomfortable experience for me.