Dreading the Dr.

[AshleyJordan]

Anyone else put off seeing the doctor until it's loooong overdue? I think I gotta see one soon (and with new coverage, would have a new Primary Care Physician,) but am dreading it very much!
Edit-- I also have great health and great coverage, so it's a kinda irrational fear

[Irish79]

This is just how I am! I have great health insurance too but have put off setting up a new primary care doctor. I just hate going even though I know I need to.

[Krishna]

I tend to put off the dentist more than the doctor. Though come to think of it, I should probably get in to see my doctor in the next 6 weeks or so...

[wordsmith]

Always. For many reasons...

1. habit - poor insurance growing up meant that if you were conscious and breathing and not spurting blood, puke, or shit, you probably weren't going to the doctor.

2. Shitty insurance as an adult.

3. General distaste for most bedside manners.

[beeblebrox]

I dread the doctor too and need to get a primary as well. I realized that as I now have my own insurance and responsibility I keep putting it off. When my parents called the shots, I made doctors appointments and such. It's also hard to find a new doctor in general. I met my dentist at knitting, but still haven't gone out of irrational fear as well.

[AshleyJordan]

I feel better having heard everyone's thoughts on this. . . and I'm afraid there may be a reason (I've been getting ocassional chest pains,) that I should see a primary care physician very soon :0 . But, I got a referral from the pres of my org, and so now, knowing her, she'll ask (without prying, of course,) if I scheduled an appointment and might "nudge" me to do so, so, yeah, I'm rambling. . .

[wordsmith]

I tend to be a big "head in the sand"-er, which means that I'll avoid going when I know I should, and then be stressing that I've waited too long, etc.

[AshleyJordan]

I tend to be a big "head in the sand"-er, which means that I'll avoid going when I know I should, and then be stressing that I've waited too long, etc.

I know, I know. Something tells me chest pains (combined with low blood sugar and what I know is a high stress lifestyle,) is exactly the sort of thing that I shouldn't stick my head in the sand about. In fact, the stress could make it worse.
Argh. Sorry. Rambling here! This stresses me out.

[wordsmith]

Definitely. The stress of not knowing can actually make you feel a lot sicker.

[Kitty]

I rarely get sick or have medical issues. I usually just go once a year for a yearly check-up.

[AshleyJordan]

Yeah, I think that's why. I never get sick either, and rarely have checkups. The only time I really went/go to the Dr. is for my pap smear, which my gyn said I only needed now every two years.

[PenforPrez]

2. Shitty insurance as an adult.

That's been my problem since I got out of college. I never go for that reason.

[Irish79]

The last time I went to a doctor was about three years ago - and that was when I had very shitty insurance. It took me a year to pay off the bills - a lot of my hesitance now comes from that experience I'm sure. Coincidentally, those previous doctors visits were for chest pains - it took about four doctors before I found someone who knew what it was. I'm kind of shocked at how little some doctors seem to know - and how much they charge for their lack of knowledge... okay, now I'm rambling too...:haha:

[PenforPrez]

Coincidentally, those previous doctors visits were for chest pains - it took about four doctors before I found someone who knew what it was. I'm kind of shocked at how little some doctors seem to know - and how much they charge for their lack of knowledge... okay, now I'm rambling too...:haha:

I've done a chest pain thread; five years I've had mine and nobody knows what my problem is either. After three batteries of tests. I'm convinced they don't want to find anything. :p

Paul

[wordsmith]

The last time I went to a doctor was about three years ago - and that was when I had very shitty insurance. It took me a year to pay off the bills - a lot of my hesitance now comes from that experience I'm sure. Coincidentally, those previous doctors visits were for chest pains - it took about four doctors before I found someone who knew what it was. I'm kind of shocked at how little some doctors seem to know - and how much they charge for their lack of knowledge... okay, now I'm rambling too...:haha:

I run into the issue, being in a rural area, of being stuck with what you've got. The selection of doctors at small rural hospitals isn't by definition terrible, but you have to recognize that it's not every doctor who will take a post at a small clinic out in the country, and it's definitely not always the greatest ones. This being the case, my brother and I refer to our best choice in the area as "Mr. I'm not actually a doctor,but I got called up onstage at comedy improv and told I had to approximate a doctor." Seriously. I don't like it when my doctor shrugs and is stumped by routine visits.

[AshleyJordan]

Just thinking about that is giving me chest pains!
Although I'm not a dr., I've got a hunch. . . .since I'm not overweight, work out regularly, quit smoking, have low cholesterol and don't eat meat, that rules out some of the most common causes. I do, however, have a very stressful job and a tendency to forget to eat, making my blood sugar drop and my heart race.

[cache]

I finally went through last years "paperwork," and found I received a new insurance card in August because my PCP stopped being an HMO, so they switched my PCP to the next geographically closest doc. Had no idea until last week...:rolleyes:

[wordsmith]

Just thinking about that is giving me chest pains!
Although I'm not a dr., I've got a hunch. . . .since I'm not overweight, work out regularly, quit smoking, have low cholesterol and don't eat meat, that rules out some of the most common causes. I do, however, have a very stressful job and a tendency to forget to eat, making my blood sugar drop and my heart race.

Anxiety attacks (i.e. stress in one of its more scary manifestations) can mimic a heart attack or angina, just so you know.

[PenforPrez]

Just thinking about that is giving me chest pains!
Although I'm not a dr., I've got a hunch. . . .since I'm not overweight, work out regularly, quit smoking, have low cholesterol and don't eat meat, that rules out some of the most common causes. I do, however, have a very stressful job and a tendency to forget to eat, making my blood sugar drop and my heart race.

I'm convinced mine is stress, but I've not been able to convince my doctor of that yet. If I could afford a second opinion, I'd get one.

[AshleyJordan]

Anxiety attacks (i.e. stress in one of its more scary manifestations) can mimic a heart attack or angina, just so you know.


Oh yes, I know, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's exactly what's going on, here.

[wordsmith]

Been there. Good times.

[dacrunkest]

I am terrible about this...not so much dreading, but my philosophy is that unless there is something wrong you, you're good to go. Flawed logic, I know.

Last time I went for a checkup was in 1998. I never get sick. Oh, I go to the eye doctor every year...but I don't think that counts.

[wordsmith]

I am terrible about this...not so much dreading, but my philosophy is that unless there is something wrong you, you're good to go. Flawed logic, I know.

This is me. It's not so much flawed logic as not having the luxury of affordable health care. I know that preventative care is very important. I also know that for me, along with many, it's unfortunately been shoved into the realm of the impossible, financially. So flaws in logic aren't really what's at the root.

[EmberMae]

I hate going to the doctor. It's expensive and mostly unhelpful. I usually only go when I need a prescription. I get more useful medical information from my own research. primary care physicians are the worst. Their knowledge base is so broad they don't know much about anything. The best thing they can do is give me a referral to a specialist. And then charge me $200.

[mishl982]

I only see a doctor when it's absolutely necessary, and I haven't been in for a physical in a few years. I'll see the doctor if it's something major (like bronchitis or when I had some weird allergic thing going on). Otherwise I'm not thrilled about sitting in a waiting room for half an hour just for them to see me for 5 minutes and tell me what I already know. And getting charged for it (I have good insurance too!).

The only dr's I see regularly are my gynocologist and optometrist.

[AshleyJordan]

I'm pretty sure I figured out why the chest pains are happening (low blood sugar). I made sure to have some OJ this morning and felt wonderful-- no racing heart, no chest pains, nothing. . . I'm gonna see how this works for a while, since my last physical a year ago came back great, and take it from there. Thanks for listening to me ramble, tho :)