Scary Doctors!

Scared of going to the doctor? You’re not alone.

 

I hear it almost every day from friends, family, and my patients! People are scared of what they’re going to be told. One fear is of the great unknown: you have cancer, you have early signs of a chronic disease, “it’s all down hill from here” type of talk–and I agree it’s scary.

 

The other fear is being told what deep down you probably already know–you need to lose 50 pounds because you’re a walking heart attack ready to happen, you need to get out of the sun because you’re covered in pre-malignant freckles, you need to stop smoking or else!

 

What I think it comes down to is control and our fear of losing it. Fact is we are giving up control when we go into that exam room. We cannot control what is going to happen and that’s terrifying for most of us! Any other control freaks out there? I’m an MD myself and it’s very hard for me to relinquish myself to other MD’s for my yearly checkups.

 

Yet the biggest mistake we can make (if we want to increase our odds of being around to try and control things for a long, long time) is missing out on all of those chances to prevent, detect early, and treat in time. SO many medical conditions now fall under either prevent, detect early, or treat!

 

Sometimes it takes a scary symptom to finally get someone to visit a doctor. As an ophthalmologist, I’ve had people come to me because they have blurry vision and they’re worried that they aren’t seeing well. Often they’ve never even been to another doctor in years and it’s clear they’re not thrilled to have to come in.

 

It’s not uncommon in these patients for me to detect changes classic for diabetes and have to discuss the diagnosis with them to their dismay. After all, they thought they were coming in because they suddenly needed glasses, and here I am stressing that they need to see an internist as well as start medication if they want to prevent from going blind. Discussing prevention at this point is late in the game, but it’s better than having ignored their symptoms of blurred vision any longer.

 

HEALTH is all about PREVENTION:

 

What are some other examples of potentially life saving screening exams?

 

Hate those needles? Most people do. It’s literally a moment of pain, followed by a bruise at the worst, but that blood just drawn could save your life. How? Consistently high sugars could mean diabetes – and if not treated in time you may end up on kidney dialysis, blind, or worse. Diabetes untreated = no joke. Diabetes caught early and controlled becomes a manageable part of life. Out of normal blood cell counts can signal a blood disorder or a tumor so far undiagnosed. For almost all malignancies, early detection and treatment can drastically improve the prognosis.

 

Most men hate that “turn your head and cough” part of their yearly exam. Both prostate and testicular cancer have high survival rates directly related to early detection.

 

Men: if you’re so worked up about that doctor placing a finger in you “where the sun don’t shine,” just consider that your doctor has to do it over and over all day to dozens of patients. Count yourself lucky.

 

My early days of residency were filled with performing rectal exams on many, many patients and I’m pretty sure my superiors were making me do it for the fun of it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

 

Women hate having a mammogram–your breasts coldly flattened to a pancake sound good to you? My first mammogram had me in tears to be honest. But my amazing Aunt Stella passed away way too soon from breast cancer, so I can take a few minutes of discomfort and even pain to prevent dying that young.

 

For those with extreme anxiety, many physicians will prescribe a Xanax before the exam. With dentists there’s nitrous oxide available. Those anti-anxiety methods are short-term, however. An increasing number of cities have professionals who use talk therapy, or exposure therapy for those who just can’t get themselves to physically enter a doctor’s office.

 

There are relaxation techniques that can help, too. I often remind my nervous patients to BREATHE! The biggest mistake they can make is holding their breath and pray it goes quickly. Deep breathing has a calming effect and prevents hyperventilation and passing out!

 

Another helpful tip is to ask your doctor what you need: do you need me to talk through each step in the exam before I do it so you know what is coming? Or do you want me to make small talk with you and get through the exam as quickly as possible so you are unaware of what’s going on? Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.

 

Another great idea is to bring a friend or family member with you. Besides offering moral support, they can be alert enough to ask questions that you may be too nervous to think of.

 

Listen, I’m well aware of the “White coat” syndrome and the “Old country” views on going to the doctor: “Go to the doctor and they find something wrong with you!” I’m the daughter of immigrants, a group that as a default is mistrusting of the general medical profession until you find a physician you love.

 

Are you willing to gamble on your health because of what you fear?