Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Hey friends. Welcome back to Glow in the Chaos.
[00:00:05] If you've ever felt that tightness in your chest before a doctor's appointment, that mix of fear, frustration and dread, you are not alone. Today I want to talk about doctor appointment anxiety.
[00:00:20] Because for those of us living with chronic illness or ongoing health conditions, these appointments aren't just check ins. They can feel like emotional battlegrounds.
[00:00:30] You know that feeling when you're sitting in the waiting room and your heart is already racing before you even see the doctor?
[00:00:37] You've gone over what you're going to say in your head a hundred times. You've rehearsed how to explain your symptoms clearly, how to sound calm, not too emotional, but not too dramatic. Because you've been dismissed before and you've been told it's just stress or your labs look fine.
[00:00:54] And even though you know your body better than anyone, it can make you second guess yourself. And that is the exhausting part.
[00:01:04] Doctor appointment anxiety is real. Especially for those of us who have had to fight to be heard. It's not just nerves. It's the emotional memory of not being believed.
[00:01:16] Many of us walk into those offices already bracing ourselves for the worst. Not just bad news, but bad experiences.
[00:01:24] The fear of being dismissed again. The fear of wasting another copay. The fear that nothing will change.
[00:01:31] And it's okay to admit that because once we name it, we can start to work through it.
[00:01:37] Here are a few things that have helped me and maybe they'll help you too.
[00:01:43] Write down what you want to say before you go. Make a quick list of your symptoms, concerns or questions. That way you don't freeze or forget something when your nerves kick in.
[00:01:53] I have created a doctor's appointment checklist and form that you can fill out every question you have, all of the information you get from the doctor. I created that on Canva and I do have that for sale on my Beacons link. I will have that link available for you in the episode Notes.
[00:02:22] Feel free to download it if you like it. If not, you can make your own or just bring a journal.
[00:02:29] Bring support even if it's virtual, a friend on the speakerphone, or even someone who helps you remember what the doctors say. You do not have to do this alone.
[00:02:40] Not only is it good to have someone there that can help you remember what they say, it's also good to have someone there that knows you and is around you and has experienced what you go through or what you report going through when you are in a flare. So just in case you maybe downplay your pain or you downplay your symptoms. You can have somebody there that truly knows what you have been complaining about, what your symptoms have been like, so you can honestly and truly relay that information to the doctors.
[00:03:16] Ground yourself before and after.
[00:03:20] Before you go in, take a few deep breaths in the car, play your favorite worship or comfort song. And after the appointment, give yourself permission to rest emotionally and physically. You don't need to bounce back instantly. These appointments are draining for a reason.
[00:03:37] Not only do we get ourselves all worked up before we go, but it's like, then you've got to deal with the adrenaline dump after you go. I mean, we anticipate these appointments for months because usually they're with specialists and sometimes even years it takes to get in with these people.
[00:03:57] So just having all of that anxiety and emotion leading up to going into your appointment, and then whether you get good news or bad news or whether you feel dismissed or feel heard, it doesn't matter. Either way, coming down from that adrenaline dump is, like, guaranteed to flare symptoms. I feel like if no one's told you lately, I see you.
[00:04:27] You're not dramatic, you're not weak. You are someone who has to show up brave in a system that does not always understand what bravery looks like. You are doing your best with the tools you have, and that is enough.
[00:04:43] Even when your hands shake, sign in the clipboard, even when you cry in the car after, even when you have to explain the same symptoms for the 10th time you're doing it. You are showing up for yourself. You are advocating for yourself, and we have to do that. We can never let anybody or any fear or any anxiety of what we might hear from someone or what people might think of us. We can't let that deter us from taking care of ourselves and advocating for ourselves. You guys. Like, this is something that I'm so passionate about because I know what it feels like to wait months and months and months to see a specialist go in there and feel like someone's telling you that there's, everything's fine, you're fine. It's all in your head. There's nothing wrong. When you absolutely 100% know the pain that you feel, the exhaustion that you feel, the fevers that you get, all of those symptoms are not in your head. And, friend, please let me tell you that I know, I know you are not crazy.
[00:05:53] Don't let anybody tell you that.
[00:05:56] Please speak up for yourself. No matter what you are worried about, as far as what other people think, you have to take care of you.
[00:06:07] What I would love to hear in the comments. What are some of the things that make you nervous make you the most nervous about going into your doctor's appointments and let's talk about it. Let's talk about it in our next episode or one of our next episodes.
[00:06:23] We all need to work together to advocate for not only ourselves, but everybody else that suffers from chronic illness, everybody else that suffers from doctor's appointment anxiety because they've either been dismissed or made out to feel like they are just crazy.
[00:06:40] Let's do this. Let's make this community more understood.
[00:06:46] Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today on Glow in the Chaos. If this episode spoke to you, please share it with someone who gets it. That friend who's probably overthinking their next appointment too.
[00:06:58] They probably need to hear this as well. And remember, you are not alone in this. You are allowed to take up space, you're allowed to speak up, and you deserve to be cared for with compassion.
[00:07:09] Until next time, take a deep breath, give yourself grace, and keep glowing.
[00:07:16] Even in the waiting room.
[00:07:18] Thank you for hanging out with me today. Friends keep glowing in the chaos.