AIBU to be worried?

[mollypup]

I have been off work for the past few days primarily with a bad cough and cold but also sheer exhaustion. I have a telephone consultation with my doctor at 11:30am as I feel that I really need to speak to someone regarding my exhaustion and that I believe I may be suffering from anxiety.

Since the age of 14 I have suffered from bouts of depression, to the extent where at my worst time (14) I tried to take my own life. My old doctor was wonderful, I attended counselling and CBT and came out a much happier person 12 months later.

Roll on 6 years later, my partner and I made the heart-wrenching decision to have an abortion after accidentally falling pregnant. I fell into depression again whilst at Uni, had to defer my year and was prescribed anti-depressants by a different doctor (no real questions asked, more or less just a prescription given). A few months later I stopped taking them as I felt much better in myself and ready to return to work (decided not to go back to university).

For the past two years I have managed to work my way up to a relatively well paid position however I absolutely despise my working environment...office politics etc etc.

I have recently felt myself again falling into a dark place again however this time its as if I cannot switch off. I cannot plan anything in advance, I force myself to 'bail' as the social aspects of plans cause me to panic, become paranoid and I just want to curl up in bed and sleep. I spend a good couple of hours lay in bed at night but have to drag myself out of bed in a morning dreading the day ahead.

I'm irritable, I feel like I always have to control a situation otherwise it will go terribly wrong. I hate. the social conventions of work, idle chit chat...I just want to be locked away in my own room in peace!

So I somehow need to tell my doctor this over the telephone to then be referred for a 'proper' appointment. I am on day 4 of 5 of self certification at work and the thought of returning anytime in the next few days is worrying me.

I genuinely feel like I need some time to myself, to just do the things I used to enjoy whilst having the support and help from my doctor. I don't want the dark cloud of my workplace environment for a while whilst I get myself together.

Sorry that this is such a long post, I just needed to vent somewhere!

could you print off this post and read it out like a script or hand it to savethe gp if you can't say the words.

talk it through with your doctor. they should be able to support you.
don't worry about work for now. if you doctor doesn't suggest it, then as for some time off.

I would say a telephone appointment should be exactly the same as an appointment in person, but you don't see them.

hope it lifts soon,
k

it does sound as though your depression is back and anxiety too.

could you print off this post and read it out like a script or hand it to savethe gp if you can't say the words.

Sounds like you need to be signed off by the doctor. You sound like you have been through a lot, especially the abortion. Maybe your body is saying enough is enough. Maybe you need to go on anti depressants? I have suffered with depression off and on for 20 years, you have my sympathy. I hope you get some help from the doctors. Take care

A telephone appointment is totally different from an appointment in person. I only use them to triage patients and offer short term advice or to follow up some patients if I have been doing investigations. They are absolutely no substitute for a face to face consultation where you see the patient and can assess body language and the non verbal cues that patients give. Especially in a problem such as the OPs.

Could you give a brief outline as you have done in your post and then ask if they can see you to discuss further or could you book an appointment at the GPs to do this.

Hope you get something sorted out. (After my rant about the above-sorry)

I would hope that when you mention you are suffering from anxiety and have a history of depression your GP will ask if you are able to attend the surgery for a face to face appointment. Ask if they can give you a medical certificate to sign you off work for the next few weeks in the mean time and you may find that this helps with your anxiety levels.

So keep it brief on the phone 'I am suffering from anxiety and I'm scared I am becoming depressed, I have a history of this. I am unable to be in work as this is exasperating it and would like a further appointment to discuss treating my health problems, my employers will require a further med cert by..... '

Hope you are feeling better soon.

thanks for your advice, it's nice to know that people understand how i am feeling when it is sometimes so difficult to put it into words. Hopefully they will be able to fit me in today once I have spoken to my doctor. Thanks again.