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A Problem Shared Is A Problem Halved

Posted 9th November 2012 at 09:00 by cymruambyth26

I will use my second blog to focus on that very moment where you finally realise you have a problem and you then want to share it with your GP and attempt to do so.

However, before I discuss the subject of today's entry I have to say first of all guys I've been quite staggered that so many of you have taken the time to read my previous entry. I was really surprised by the numbers of you that read it I never expected that many to view it in the first place so I just have to say thank you all very much.

I've not seen any one post on a blog on SAUK that has over 500 views

To be in a position where you have recognised that you have issues or problems that you will need to face up to can be scary enough as it is.

Then just at that moment you realise that actually this is not a problem you can solve on your own....your going to have to share it with a professional.......your local GP......that can be terrifying especially if that problem is a mental health one.

We've all done it.....I was guilty of it too....putting it off saying 'I'll do it in a couple of days'......a couple days have gone 'I'll do it next week.' Before you know it a month maybe more has gone and the problem is still there but you haven't acted on sharing that problem.

It doesn't have to be like that though. The slight terror, the delays and hesitancy. At the end of the day you have 10 make or break minutes to finally share a pain and a hurt that you feel, which has lasted for much longer than the length of your consultation.

When I look to my experience what worked for me was that the whole process between admitting I had a problem and then leaving my doctor's surgery was very fast paced fast moving.

It was best for me to identify the problem and act on it quickly. No sooner had I admitted I had a problem then the following afternoon after a return journey from Uni I was straight down the doctors with very little time to get anxious or scared of seeing my GP.

Something i've been aware of that can definitely reduce your fears and your anxiety about sharing your problem is being able to maintain contact with the same doctor. Now to me that was vital because he could straight away engage with me and had already developed some knowledge and understanding of me from previous visits to see him about issues. He wasn't a stranger pretty much is what I'm saying. So everything for me was done to the nth degree with no half hearted attempts to dismiss how I was feeling and what I had endured.

So I would recommend to anyone who reads my blog and has yet to approach a GP. Identify one in your local surgery that you have seen before and would feel comfortable with. I know that often you will phone the doctors surgery and they will just give you an appointment with the first available doctor.

I would insist though with the doctors surgery on having to see a specific GP if that is a GP that you are most comfortable with. If they get funny with you then my advice would be to suggest that you say to them it is an emergency appointment. Don't be afraid to be assertive you have suffered long enough.

It's natural to be then fearful of entering a doctors surgery on your own especially when you have a mental health issue to disclose so alot of you will be aware of this already but really having someone to go with you can offer you that extra emotional support you need. They can really help you to get out that front door of your home when all you want to do is curl up in a ball in your room. Thankfully for myself I had my mum with me.

Then it's time to enter the room......your name is called and your heart starts to beat a little faster your hands shake/twitch and your face permanently fixed on the ground. Then as you sit down and proceedings begin. Your brain then does something funny.....in time it instructs you to start talking.....it may only be the odd word but with some coaxing before you know it not only is he/she making their notes they're already suggesting the next steps to take. You may very well talk more in that ten minute consultation about your problems/issues than you will have for years.

I would go on to say that almost accurately describes my consultation. It's amazing because even though your still fairly overwhelmed by the problem you have to face up to, you physically feel leaving the doctors that at least a weight has lifted off your shoulders (or at least I certainly did) and that now your problem has been shared you can be a bit more optimistic going forward.

At the end of it all though.....A problem shared has become a problem halved.

Thank you once again for reading.

I'd like to ask:
  • Have you yourself been to the doctors and in the process acted on a problem you've admitted?
  • Are you currently putting off a visit to the GP because of the fears and anxiety I have reffered to in my post?
  • If you have visited your GP has your experience been a good one or a bad one? (if your answer is bad then why was that?)
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  1. Old Comment
    MissE7000's Avatar
    I'm so glad you had a sympathetic doctor, and that you can tell your family your issues. Did you get referred to counselling that time?

    I went to the doctors for the first time a few months ago, after putting it off for years. The first thing I said was 'can you please prescribe me some anxiety medication?' because I was trembling and scared. It was obvious I was anxious. He kind of had this smirk on his face like I was funny.

    I need to go back to the doctors so I can get a repeat prescription but I am putting it off over and over, however, I am running out of tablets so soon I will just have to force myself. Although, I think I want to see a different doctor, but over the years I have taken an honest disliking to every one I have seen. Maybe it is the anxiety which makes me see things in them that isn't there, or maybe my reasons are valid. Who knows.

    When I had just left school I went to see one doctor and said I was feeling really down, not having a better word for it as I didn't know what depression was then. He did a blood test and told me there was nothing physically wrong. Which is great for my body, but not for my mind. He mostly seemed kind of bored with me. Anyway, 6 years later, I went to see someone else, and I just thought he didn't understand. I often wonder how much GP's are meant to know about mental health.

    Thanks for sharing all this.

    Em x
    Posted 16th November 2012 at 22:19 by MissE7000 MissE7000 is offline
  2. Old Comment
    hanj16's Avatar
    Thank you for sharing this Daniel.

    At present I'm in the predicament of needing to go to my doctor but I am overwhelmed with fear and anxiety at the thought of it. Ultimately I know that I need help because I can't continue to let myself feel like this. I worry every day that I am wasting my life away, all I want is to lead a full and happy life but sometimes its as though I sabotage my own chance of any happiness or success. I will make an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow and hopefully this will be the first positive step in moving forward for me.

    What was your doctors approach? Medication or therapy?

    Wishing you the best
    Hannah
    Posted 16th April 2013 at 23:54 by hanj16 hanj16 is offline
 

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