Last week I decided I needed to see the GP; this week I am close to changing my mind.....

[KatyMac]

I started a thread about needing to see the GP last week, here

So, the appointment is tomorrow I am a little concerned. I'd really rather not go

Make Persuade me?

have you written your list?

Yep, hope it covers everything:
I have a certain amount of anxiety about talking about this:

Sore hands & feet generally more when I am sitting or resting but more recently it has been most of the time even when standing & walking
Pins & needles in my hands & feet again, as above
Cold hands & feet - usually when they are sore or ?pins & needle?-y but again this is becoming much more frequent

Pain in my large bones (used to be while resting but more recently it happens more & more during the day)
Low back pain ? occasional sciatica
[Sore swollen thumb joint] ? no longer present
Lots of joint pain - hips (left more than right), knees (used to be left more than right, but my right is getting worse), wrists when using my hands (holding books, opening tins, carrying shopping, using a screwdriver), ankles when walking especially on stairs or slopes

Blood sugar is very erratic - need to eat & drink very regularly; lots of weeing, very thirsty waking up at night to drink. I have had several tests for diabetes both urine & blood tests which have always been negative

Slow healing for cuts/bruises

Weight never changes whether I over or under eat - it has been static (within 3 or 4 lbs) for nearly 6 years?
I have a good diet ? 3 reasonable meals a day (a little low with raw Fruit & veg) plus I drink between 1 & 2 litres of fruit juice (sweetened) each day ? total calories between 2500/3500 per day

Possible food intolerance to almonds - this was tested by exclusion; I get sore lips & mouth ulcers

Good things;
IBS is much better probably due to controlling diet and reducing stress
CFS is generally OK for the same reasons
Periods generally normal and predictable

go , i know you are prob nervous and convincing yourself out of it, as it can be really overwhelming to present a stack of symptoms.

I would start with a rehearsed sentence outlining that you are concerned about your symptoms. That you are not sure you should even be coming to the doctor but you wish to be listened to.

write one down, and memorise, to get yourself in the zone.

list is good.

now go to the doc. hand over list and let hem do the suggesting.

and follow it up. one 5 minute appointment is not going to fix everything. make follow up appointment while you are at the surgery.

i hate it, going in about dd especially.

I've made a double appointment, I was refused a triple

I have been fobbed off with stress/depression/CFS & even well it only happens when you aren't doing anything & so have nothing else to think about

My brother has RA, my mum pernicious anaemia, & my nan late onset diabetes so I'm thinking 'autoimmune' of some vague form or another

put those bits on the bottom of the list too. when's the appointment?

Tomorrow morning at 9:30

Do you think they are relevant, I thought they were a bit 'hearsay'ish iyswim

it's relevant if you are worried about them.

It's complicated - the GP has concerns about my 'obsession' with my (or my families) health

This is about DD having all her problems last year (I don't know if you remember about her losing her sight)

But it has left me very insecure about bringing up health issues

KatyMac - it sounds like it could be an autoimmune thing, but remember some AI stuff is very mild and difficult to pin down, even though it can make life miserable. I was investigated for RA about 18 months ago, with a very similar symptom list to yours (plus I had ITP when I was a child so am already on the autoimmune spectrum) but thankfully I didn't have RA. What I was finally diagnosed with was an "undifferentiated connective tissue disorder" along the lines of lupus, but not full-blown lupus. Now, that sounds scary, but in reality it is not such a big deal. I have been taking a small dose of medication, my symptoms have gone and I am about to be weaned off it. My blood tests are way better too. The thing that tipped them off was the appearence of anti-nuclear antibodies in my blood results.

Do go to your doctor, explain about your family's autoimmune history and get them to do proper blood tests, not just iron/thyroid etc, which is the usual stuff they fob women off with.

Hope it goes ok.

yes of course, i remember now with dd.

are you seeing someone different?

i TOTALLY understand you when it comes to a doctor or doctors thinking you are a mad arse (thats my word for me btw not you!) when it comes to the health thing.

I'm seeing a counsellor about the whole DD thing because I felt very pressured/unbelieved/harassed by it all. She says I am no more stressed than most people and certainly not depressed (although last year I probably was)

But I do feel a wuss

who say this? your doc or your counsellor.

I assume you mean your counsellor. If thats the case then she means that anyone bit it you, me, or the most strong seeming holding it together person would have found that whole thing stressful.

I had similar self doubt, worry, not being heard by docs last yr with my dd too. The hip saga.

It has left me even more unsure of my own gut reaction than ever! I have come to see this as my view of myself, not one that others neccesarily share. It's borne from guilt with me, always feeling guilty for this that or the other. This stems from never being heard as a kid. So when people in authority question my questions i feel they am not valid. iywsim.

It doesn't help when you feel ill on top of it, and maybe, yes maybe the stress has affected you personally in a different way to those 'others'? Thats ok though, you are not them.

If there IS an underlying problem it IS up to you to look after yourself and go see the doc, and it is also their job to take you seriously.

So have a mantra, 'I am not a wuss i feel unwell, i need to get some help' ...

and keep your head up xx

'be it' not bit it!

The counsellor says it

The GP has previously put my symptoms down to stress/depression/CFS; most of them I have had for 3-5 years in varying degrees but they are really stopping me do things now, which is why I am bringing it up again but all together rather than the particular symptom which is most relevant at the time

it sounds positive that the ibs and other things have calmed down.
Perhaps the stress has manifested itself in another condition. Is there any chance you have arthritis?

sorry, i didn't read wilburs post

my best friend has RA.

I just feel so stressy about it all

Do you have to see the same GP? I would start fresh with another one TBH.

I'm putting off seeing the GP about something at the moment though and you've just given me the push I needed to make an appointment

It's the only local surgery - there are about 6 in the surgery, but none are much better than the other (sadly)

Re your food intake, you haven't mentioned any other liquid apart from fruit juice. Do you drink any water?

Slow wound healing can be indicative of poor mineral status, especially zinc, available in fruit, veg, nuts and seeds.

Good luck with your appointment, hope the doctor listens to you

Generally not, very sweet tea

Water tends to make me light-headed/pass out; a very enlightened GP in London (when we lived there) said it was something to do with sugars equalising over a membrane, but she left the practise before it could be explored further.

This was after she said I was talking nonsense & gave me half a pint of water to drink in the waiting room, when receptionist picked me up off the floor, the GP apologised

& I just had a real go at someone who so doesn't deserve it 'cos I am so worked up about it & now I'm weeping

I think you are under alot of stress Katymac, and having a big cry would be the best thing. If you have no faith in your gps, surely there is another surgery in another town or village you could start afresh at?

There is no point going to see these same people, it is your choice, and you should feel more at ease.