Does anyone else turn into a wobbly Victorian when they need to see the doctor?

[TesstheTimid]

"Wobbly Victorian" was a phrase used by a Mumsnetter a while ago and I thought it an apt description!

Anyone else go a bit shaky at having to see their GP - or any other HCP for that matter? Or do you just breeze in to the surgery and not sit there looking at all the posters on the wall and getting all the symptoms they warn about

I cry. Every fucking time. It’s worse when he/she is being nice to me.

My friend told me their partner was embarrassed to go to the doctors. I was like and then remember joining here and reading a thread in the first month of joining where loads of people said the same thing. I am the complete opposite lol. I hardly get ill but if I have something that I’m worried about, then I’ll go. It’s only now though that I realise that not everyone goes to the doctors, and then strip off naked*

*obviously if the need arose, I wouldn’t go in with a sore throat and then start taking my clothes off!

I walk in, sure of everything, believing myself to be calm and my blood pressure jumps a mile.

I have to have it measured every time I go in and it's mortifying.

I have to arrive about a half an hour early and sit in the waiting area thinking calming thoughts and deep breathing. 😳

No ,doesnt bother me,,i once unrolled my member onto a female doctors desk so that she could examine it.

I’m fine with anything peripheral. Think head, limbs, bum. I go wobbly at the thought of anyone poking at my torso.
I’ve had pain in one breast for over a month and am trying to get an appointment to get it looked at. I’m not at all scared of anything being done to my arms, legs, teeth pulled etc - but I have had anxiety all day because part of my breast hurts and I’m terrified of someone poking at it and making it hurt worse. I’m so frightened of this that I’m considering taking DP with me, and this is not something I would do lightly (or ever before). Can I be counted as a partial wobbly Victorian patient-type please.

Unrolled...
Yeah, OK..
Nice evocative word you used there. I suppose it's more impressive than "tweezered'.

I genuinely did have a limb hanging off today (spontaneous partial dislocation of the shoulder due to hypermobility), every time they asked how I was doing in hospital I was all, 'Oh you know, I'm alright' pitiful laugh.
I didn't even ask for painkillers until the lovely Irish nurse told me not to apologise for crying, big grown men are normally screaming the place down with a shoulder out of joint and ask if you need them!
Tomorrow I have to go to the GP for my usual painkiller repeat prescription and new inhaler and I'll probably apologise to them to for taking up valuable time.
We British are totally useless!

I’ve genuinely always thought this was just me.
I’m confident and strong minded in RL but with a GP or Consultant I’m honestly pathetic!! Nodding yes, no, three bags full and I keep going ‘yes doctor’ ‘no doctor’ ‘thank you doctor’ and I used to automatically come out in a neck rash, which luckily has gone away over the years, then my voice usually cracks because I can’t shut up....glad I’m not alone

I waffle when I am nervous. My doctor's appointments resemble (but without the Scottish accent!)

Not normally, but had an appointment with Opthalmology Dept at my local hospital earlier after referral by opticians and I'm phobic about anything or anyone touching my eyes. I've managed to go 70+ years without using eye drops eg. I didn't sleep at all last night, then the day just went from bad to worse - after having about 5 lots of eye drops put in my eyes the last anaesthetised (sp) them and a lens was placed on my eyeball, how I didn't fall off the chair in a dead faint or crumple into a whimpering mass shocked me The good news was no sign of glaucoma but quite honestly I was past caring by then. Came home, poured a huge glass of whisky and swallowed it in one. Still trying to get over the horror of the day.

Honestly, what a pathetic wimp

If it makes you feel any better, I work with GPS all day long but still turn in to a bumbling idiot when I have to go to my GP as a patient!

Although I have white coat syndrome, my general demeanour with GP's is 'give me the drugs I need or I'm not leaving'. That usually does the trick.

Not really very Victorian tbh

Not a wimp at all, Silvery - I nearly keeled over just reading your post!

I'm fascinated by people who don't get stressed by a trip to the surgery!

I'm trying to think of a reason why I might be stressed in the first place. Can't think of many. Good job as I've seen god knows how many surgeons and pain specialists (spinal injury), neurologists (epilepsy), gynaecologists (infertility, miscarriage and gynae cancer investigations). The only times that were particularly stressful was all the scananxiety for my scans during my IVF cycles and pregnancy and miscarriage, because I was desperate for my ovaries / uterus to be responding / and for there to be a heartbeat. The cancer ones weren't that stressful because I knew we weren't going to get any answers until they'd run further tests

The only thing I do do is take a notebook in of the list of questions I want to cover so I don't forget anything, and so I can write down key points from the discussion

A trip to Opthalmology is enough to break most people,especially if it involves surgery

I have proper full on white coat syndrome and the GP ends up taking my BP three times to try to find one in the normal range. The last time she made me wear a BP monitor for 24 hours - it took forty eight readings and every one came back normal. It was a massive relief! Another time I went and the GP started Googling my symptoms - it was for a fungal nail infection. I do feel bad about going to the GP. I always think there are people much sicker and I shouldn’t really be there. For a lot of things I go to the pharmacist - half the time they can help directly, or if not they can tell you that you need to see the GP and I’m a bit more confident I’m not wasting their time then.

@assbergers I cry every bloody time too. Even when it’s just tonsillitis! I think it’s because someone is actually asking ‘how are YOU’ and in real life no one ever asks they assume!
I once got given last 2 years GP notes as had to take them immediately to the eye doc when I had an eye infection, I had a little read... 😱 “fruitbat was in distress” “Mrs fruitbat was very upset” “fruitbat showed signs of high stress and crying” “fruitbat was very emotional”
DH says it’s because I wait until I’m really sick before going! So by then it’s relief/ buildup/ fact I’m so bloody ill! I blame work...

No after working with many doctors and dating one who was a head case I don’t get all gushy with them. Google makes me think I have lots of symptoms however.

I don't swoon, have a fit of the vapours, require smelling salts or need my stays loosening. Is that what you mean?
I'm more of "here's a list of 10 things wrong with me, take your pick. I've already consulted Dr Google. Just give me a prescription and I'll be on my way " type of patient.

I don't swoon, have a fit of the vapours, require smelling salts or need my stays loosening. Is that what you mean?

That. Or Victorian kitchen maid/urchin. Clutching cloth cap, looking apologetic and acting humble ☺️

I also think everything ends in death

Same here! It doesn't occur to me that medicine and surgery have moved on since, well, Victorian times.

Oh god fruitbat I would hate to read my notes. I imagine they're all exactly like that. And yes, I also think it's the how are you thing. And the truth is I'm actually totally fine and a pretty happy person overall! I go in there thinking "I am NOT going to cry this time. I am totally fine, I am going to say xyz..." then I get in and I'm like mehhhhh I've got an ear infection 😭😭😭

I LOVE wobbly Victorian

I don’t do it but I’m another one with chronic nerve pain and I’m seeing all sorts of people and everyone wants to do something different but still horrible to me so I’m a bit meh, yeah whatever take your 8 vials of blood stick needles in my foot IDGAF.

I do always say “I’m fine thank you” when the doctor asks how are you, then I have to say “I’m fine thank you wellnonotreally or I wouldn’t be here hahahaha “

I am a weird mix. No problem at all showing a Bartholin''s abscess. Theoretically no problem with BP being taken. Except BP is always way higher at the doctor, so now it's becoming a problem, even though I had a 12hr thing strapped to my arm, which gave readings in the normal range.

Eyes are a different matter. I had my eyes lasered separately and the nurse had to hold my head still for the second one, as I was shaking, even though I knew it waswasn'the painful.As for the puffy air pressure test at the optician,that's ended up with a hospital referral as I get so shaky and tearful. Obviously if I could just do it, it would all be over far quicker...

I’m a nurse, so I tend to be distrusting and suspicious of other HCPs

And none of them are ever allowed up me fan.