How can I defeat my anxiety about medical tests and surgery?

@merpreb I like that you can reserve and schedule your fears for other times. Gosh, why waste that on something that doesn't need it so much? I never thought of that. Although there were some dental procedures when I was kid that medication was used to calm me down. My first experience getting a cavity filled was a bad one when I was 6 years old and I always had that fear inside of me.

We all fear the unknown, so learning as much as you can helps remove that obstacle. For years, my fear was in control driving the bus that I was getting on. Now I'm driving, and I left that fear at the curb and drove away. I guess in a situation that I get through and complete like the surgery that fixed my broken ankle, I consider it to be over and done. In the future I could develop arthritis, but I'm not going to believe that IS going to happen. Instead, I move a bit more carefully and avoid pounding my joint so I can at least think I am preventing wear and tear. With MRIs, I've always been intrigued about feeling the sensation of it passing through me in the different planes. They say that you can't feel this, but I have and asked the technician afterward about the order the machine moved and I was right.

Brave? I agree. There is so much emphasis on being brave, and "biting the bullet." Sometimes, all that does is give you broken teeth and some wet pants....!!!-LOL

@pianopain12 I thought of you and your leprechauns when I was having an MRI a few days ago as I was listening to all the clanging and thumping that was going on around me. I also got through my surgery just fine. I hope you are finding what you need in medical care.

Hey, J, hope that you are recovering well. (And hope that some funny, friendly leprechauns kept you company....) I've been pretty down recently. I've been bed-bound for 3 months! I'm losing my mind. I only leave my house to go to doctor appointments. So depressing. I was working 12 and 14 hour days in May. How can it be that I became disabled on June 20th?! I did have something good happen, though. I had called a Neuro/Spine doc at Wake Forest Baptist hospital 2 months ago. Of course, they had no appointments for the foreseeable future. I did tell the lady who answered the phone "to please help me if she could, and that I was in pretty bad shape." I got an email yesterday that I have an appointment on October 5th! A miracle. The kindness of a stranger, the mercy of God? I will take both with gratitude. I told one of my artist-friends about your website and your art. She was very impressed and interested. Her name is Karen Reynolds and she is also a nurse. A really cool person. Her daughter, April, just had cervical spinal surgery. She had all of the symptoms that you had! Numbness in arms, fingers, weird cramping in her neck, and dizziness. April is healing nicely. I told my friend, Karen, to read your story. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I've decided to have surgery. Nothing will fix a ruptured annular ring, or put the gel back into place between crooked vertebrae. Take care!

@pianopain12 I wanted to check in with you. I am now 3 weeks past my ankle surgery and feeling pretty good. I was brave looking around the operating room and chatting with the anesthesia nurse. While my gurney was being pushed to the operating room, I could see my surgeon chatting with other doctors in scrubs and lab coats who were probably the orthopedic residents there to watch my surgery which was to remove the plates and screws from my ankle. I have felt a lot better since that was removed, and rehab this time around is so much easier than last year after the ankle fracture because I don't have any weight bearing restrictions. My ankle complains a bit, but that's OK.

J, I'm so glad that you're feeling better, now that the plates and screws have been removed. What a relief to have this behind you! I have an appointment this afternoon with Baptist Ortho/Spine. My biggest fear is that they will have me go home, do more physical therapy, have more TFESI injections and wait another 5 months. I can't keep sitting here. I'm getting worse; not better at all. I am bringing your list of questions to ask a surgeon, just in case the subject of surgery comes up. I'll have your list and I'll be ready. I'm so grateful that you thought of these questions and made them available to everyone. This list is invaluable and covers all of the bases. I'll keep you posted on my progress (hope that it really will be progess...) Karen

Hi Karen. Good to hear from you. You can bring up the subject of surgery by asking if it would help you. Remember, you do not have to consent to doing injections, and discuss how much your physical therapy has helped or not. Failed results from physical therapy are considered in moving toward surgery and may be a requirement for the insurance company to cover the costs of surgery. If the physical therapy was working, you would be able to avoid surgery... right? Sometimes surgeons play the waiting game hoping you will go elsewhere. Think of yourself as hiring a surgeon for a job. It is your decision who you choose, and if this candidate is not giving you what you need, and not explaining and justifying their position, you can shop around for a new surgeon. I got refused so many times, I always had a plan B and had picked out another doctor if things didn't work out. You have to advocate for yourself. I agree. waiting is just wasting time, and because it takes time to get an appointment when you are starting over again with a new doctor, waiting doesn't make sense if you know you need help. Ask enough questions to figure out if this doctor is interested. If not, move on. You can always discuss here with me. Good luck today. Don't be fearful of being sent home. You are in charge and can always get another opinion. You just have to find the right doctor who is interested in helping you. I was passed over 5 times, but I found a much better surgeon, so it was the best outcome. I just wished I hadn't been so patient jumping through hoops and wish I had come to Mayo sooner and not wasted time with doctors who didn't want me for a patient.

Jennifer you are so right. I would still be sick with MAC if I worried about the pulmonologist's ego.I made the decision that it was time to move forward and when he didn't agree he fired me! Now I have a great team, pulmo, infectious disease and primary who work together to keep me healthy.
At the end of the day, @pianopain12 , it is your body and your quality of life, so you need to be in control.

Thanks, Sue, for pointing out that patients need to have more control. We are the ones paying the bills and paying for the services of the surgeon, the consultant, etc. It is high time that patients stick up for themselves. As we give audience and respect to out providers, so should we receive the same courtesies.

@pianopain12 Hi Karen. It's been awhile since your last posts and I wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing? Do you have a good surgeon in your camp? Do you have a plan of care?