Anxiety about upcoming Angiogram

Is this the only thing you have anxiety about? I understand how upcoming procedures can be so stressful. I see a therapist for my health anxiety. It really helps. I’ve learned some tools like tapping as well. Medication might be something you could ask your doctor about. I’ve even considered hypnosis with certain things. I hope you find something that helps.

Yes, it is the only thing causing anxiety at the moment. I did try hypnotherapy many years ago for my needle phobia, but I don't think it helped. Not too keen on medication, I don't like taking drugs and I haven't even discussed the current problem with my GP, the Cardiologist was very busy when he said I needed an Angiogram and while I told him of my fear, he didn't have time to discuss this and even if he did, what could he do about it?

@gregy You used the words "needle phobia". Whenever I hear "phobia" I think of anxiety that becomes so severe that a person wants to avoid whatever it is that makes them so very anxious. It affects the person's quality of life. I so wish that medical providers would understand that anxiety about a medical procedure is not something most of us can just grit our teeth and get through. Am I describing how you feel? I know what it's like to be so anxious about a medical procedure that I want to cancel it altogether.

I will share my thoughts about the physician who recommended the angiogram. It's simply not OK, in my opinion, to recommend and schedule a procedure without talking about it with the patient. You are worried about what the angiogram will uncover and so you are worried about a future that may or may not occur. It's not easy at all to just turn off that worry. I am claustrophobic and I've known this about myself for a long time. When an MRI was scheduled for me my nurse practitioner (NP) asked me if I'm claustrophobic. I said "yes" but I'd already had an MRI for something else in the past and knew I'd never go through with that procedure without medication. The MRI was scheduled because a recurrence of endometrial cancer had been found. So on top of the phobia I had about getting into the MRI I was afraid of what the MRI would show. My NP prescribed one dose of Ativan that was given to me about an hour before the procedure. That worked for me as I knew it would because I've taken Ativan before other medical procedures. I will tell you that I don't take benzodiazepines like Ativan on any regular basis and I manage anxiety that pops up in other circumstances through my coping skills like breathing and thought reframing.

This is me. I think it warrants a discussion with the cardiologist before the procedure to ask if they can prescribe a medication that will get you through the procedure. I'm not a medical professional however I've had many, many years of working through my own anxiety. Advocating for myself helps with anxiety and I hope it will do the same for you. You might also discuss this with your GP since you wrote that they don't know this about you either. In my experience opening up about anxiety instead of hiding it can be so very helpful.

When is the angiogram scheduled? Will you contact your GP to discuss your concerns about the angiogram?

Hello @gregy, I moved your discussion to the Heart & Blood Health support group so more members with angiogram experience could share their experiences with you.

This another general discussion on defeating anxiety of appointments and surgeries on Connect you may also find worth your time, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/.

I'd also like to invite @springtime1 and @ion who have talked about coronary angiogram's in the past on Mayo Clinic Connect.

The Angiogram hasn't been scheduled yet. My Cardiologist just said "I'll book you in for an Angiogram" like it was offering me a coffee, without any concerns about the shock of needing one and hoe I felt about this. I told him I will think about getting it doe. He is going to call me next Tuesday night to discuss and I guess I will agree to it - it is easy to run away from fear, but I think this one I have to face. I really sympathize with you with claustrophobia, I never realized I had this until on a holiday in Japan, I went on a cave tour near Mt Fuji, the entrance was like travelling down an icy waterslide, getting narrower and narrower (I was sliding while sitting, with the roof of the tunnel brushing on my head and side walls brushing my shoulders and it was quite dark and very cold. I actually thought I was going to get stuck and with lots of people behind me on an icy down hill slope, there was no way to go back. I had a really bad panic attack, heart racing, sweating and I thought I was going to die - fortunately it gradually got wider and I made it out. I will never forget that awful experience. I will try to make an appointment today with my GP (if he isn't booked out) and I will have a talk to him about this.

Thank you

@gregy Thanks for getting back to me and letting me know your plans. I thought perhaps you'd already been scheduled for the angiogram. When the cardiologist calls you can ask them too about how best to approach the angiogram given what you shared here. But I do think if it's possible to start with your GP that might be a good way to go too.

I'd like to share the words and phrases we tell ourselves affect how we feel. The goal isn't necessarily to make anxiety go away - thus the word "defeat" as if defeating an enemy. I'd like to suggest that we, and I include myself in this, learn what works best for us to manage our own anxiety. This means that the anxiety is still there and we can bring the anxious feelings down a notch or two by skills that we learn. Eventually, we can approach situations that bring us severe anxiety such as medical appointments and procedures by using the skills we've developed so we don't feel so strongly about avoidance or running in the opposite direction.

Thank You

@naturegirl5 @gregy There is hope. I like the word "deprogram". None of us are born with fear and anxiety. It is something we learn. I say that if I learned this response, then I can "unlearn" this response. That was the day I began to ask myself questions to figure it all out, and find coping strategies in the interim, and it worked. This totally changed my life. I went from having daily panic attacks about having spine surgery to being calm the day of the surgery and having the same calmness for every additional surgical event thereafter. I was interviewed about this in a video podcast and you can find that at the beginning of this discussion.

"How can I defeat my anxiety about medical tests and surgery?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/
I used to think I could not change my anxiety, but I did, and it doing that, I became so much stronger and confident. You can do this too.

Jennifer