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Nervous about doctor visit
My doctor's nurse told me about a month ago that he wanted to see me before he would redo my prescription. I take lisinopril for blood pressure and when needed, clorazepate for anxiety. My psychiatrist weened me off of cymbalta while getting me on nortriptyline. Today is my last day for the lisinopril and I have been so busy that I haven't had time to reschedule. Now that I am about to run out of that med I am going to have to schedule one. What will he do? I do not want blood work done. Other than my anxiety and depression, I am feeling ok. I do have a faster than normal people heart rate (80-100) but considering my situation with my huge job stress, taking care of elderly mother, and daughter had surgery recently, I do have a lot of anxiety. I just don't want to go to the doctor because I fear what he will want to do.
One step at a time, don't get too far ahead of yourself. You have enough trouble just getting to your regular doctor than to add a specialist to the mix (which would probably be necessary for a good cardiac work up).
While it wouldn't hurt to get assessed, it sounds pretty benign. I get "skipped beats" frequently and have always had a higher resting heart rate. Both are harmless. I DO have a MVP (mitral valve prolapse) but have not needed medication for symptoms since I was in high school.
Anyway, like I said, get yourself to your REGULAR doctor first, get that out of the way. When you're there, tell him about your symptoms and ask him if a referral to a cardioloigist may be necessary. Let HIM assess you and decide which tests, if any are necessary. You don't have to go in a recommend tests to him, that's his job!
Get yourself an appointment to your doctor.
While it wouldn't hurt to get assessed, it sounds pretty benign. I get "skipped beats" frequently and have always had a higher resting heart rate. Both are harmless. I DO have a MVP (mitral valve prolapse) but have not needed medication for symptoms since I was in high school.
Anyway, like I said, get yourself to your REGULAR doctor first, get that out of the way. When you're there, tell him about your symptoms and ask him if a referral to a cardioloigist may be necessary. Let HIM assess you and decide which tests, if any are necessary. You don't have to go in a recommend tests to him, that's his job!
Get yourself an appointment to your doctor.
Perhaps I could go and ask for a stress test or a 24 hour holt monitor. I got home and I ate. Normally at work my heart rate is between 85-100. After I eat supper, it can get up to 100-110. Rising heart rates after eating is normal. Now, today after I ate I exerted myself by putting in a window AC by myself, after removing the old one. I sat down tonight after I finished and my heart rate was 130-140 and skipping beats. Right now (2 hours later) it is down to about 115. It will be down to 90-100 in a couple of hours. My psychologist that I used to see suggested I ask my MD for a beta blocker.
Well, in one sense you are very lucky your doc filled your prescription, but that just bought you a little more time. You need to make an appointment and keep it. If youhave to, ask someone to go with you, and you can tale your anti-anxiety med before you go.
I understand it is hard, but there is just no avoiding it. If you want to continue to be treated, you have to go to the doctor.
I understand it is hard, but there is just no avoiding it. If you want to continue to be treated, you have to go to the doctor.
About an hour after I posted this I began having an attack. That's how bad I hate thinking about going to the doctor, even though I called a few minutes later and she said that they had already refilled my prescription. I am still fighting this thing. I had to take 7.5 mg of clorazepate.
It would be unlikely that he would order any labwork. Doctors can't just keep refilling prescriptions without seeing you in the office, at least occasionally (usually 1-2 times a year). They could lose their license if they didn't see you for an exam and just keep renewing your scripts.
All he'll probably do is talk to you for a minute and look at your vital signs. I"ll tell you, too, you have to be really careful about cancelling appointments, or not showing for appts, and then not rescheduling. Depending on the doctor, that could get you dropped, plus it puts you in a bad position by allowing yourself to run out of meds.
I know you have a lot of anxiety when it comes to going to the doctor, and procedures, and labs and such, but you really need to force yourself to go the couple of times a year that is necessary to keep your scripts active.
I know it's very hard to do that when dealing with anxiety, but like I said, you really are taking a chance. When I was in the height of my panic many years ago, I would cancel appts all the time. I actually lost my PCP (who I loved) AND my kids' pediatrician. They will only put up with so many cancellations and "no shows".
Call your doctor, get an appt, hopefully you can get one fairly soon. If they don't have any openings for a while, you might have to wait a while. Tell them you're out of your meds with no refills, and if you appt IS not for several weeks, tell them you would like to be put on their cancellation list. You have to be willing to accept an appt if it comes up though.
The appt itself will be nothing, probably pretty quick. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
All he'll probably do is talk to you for a minute and look at your vital signs. I"ll tell you, too, you have to be really careful about cancelling appointments, or not showing for appts, and then not rescheduling. Depending on the doctor, that could get you dropped, plus it puts you in a bad position by allowing yourself to run out of meds.
I know you have a lot of anxiety when it comes to going to the doctor, and procedures, and labs and such, but you really need to force yourself to go the couple of times a year that is necessary to keep your scripts active.
I know it's very hard to do that when dealing with anxiety, but like I said, you really are taking a chance. When I was in the height of my panic many years ago, I would cancel appts all the time. I actually lost my PCP (who I loved) AND my kids' pediatrician. They will only put up with so many cancellations and "no shows".
Call your doctor, get an appt, hopefully you can get one fairly soon. If they don't have any openings for a while, you might have to wait a while. Tell them you're out of your meds with no refills, and if you appt IS not for several weeks, tell them you would like to be put on their cancellation list. You have to be willing to accept an appt if it comes up though.
The appt itself will be nothing, probably pretty quick. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
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