Anxiety Disorder Or Physical Illness - How To Ask Physician?

[MT Johnny]

And how to really tell the difference?

I'm experiencing a group of symptoms which I've had for a several years (longer than my 'mental health crisis' fwiw) that could be explained by certain cardiac disorders OR by also possibly by anxiety ... Or maybe it's all in my mind. I can make the case for physical or anxiety ... And worry that I'm making it up in my mind.

I have an appt for an annual checkup with my cardiologist/vascular guy this week - but he was never treating me for a heart issue per se, but for vascular problems.

My symptoms are getting worse. 2 years ago I thought I had the shortness of breath and chest discomfort thing figured out - asthma - and the regimen the pulmonologist gave me worked pretty well at first to moderate that - never felt like 100% relief, more like 80% symptom relief - but even with a change in drugs to add another class of asthma drug back in early December, asthma treatment no longer gives me any significant relief from the symptoms.

I actually "know" what to say to the Dr - "these are my symptoms, please run the necessary diagnostics to diagnose or rule out"

I don't want to sound like a hypochondriac ... I don't think I am....

 

[Chava]

Super good to be honest about symptoms and let the doc check out and run the appropriate tests. I had a few EKGs because I did have an abnormal heart rhythm and a few times it was completely exhausting because my heart was beating so ineffectively. I went in, the doc ordered EKG and did some other tests, and never made me feel like a hypochondriac but validated that I did have an abnormal rhythm. BUT it was benign. I was not going to die. It was most likely anxiety related. Made perfect sense for me. I was encouraged to cut out stimulants, etc.

I'm not a hypochondriac (you aren't either), but I do get nervous about physical symptoms...they can add to panic because I've been cut off from my body so long. If anything is off or feels scary I can just go into meltdown because I don't understand what is happening and I feel a loss of control. Meeting with a doc for symptoms like this is important no matter what. But the tests themselves were very reassuring for me and I have since learned how to manage panic attacks...taking the fear of death out of them helped a lot for me!

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I dont see, other than shortness of breath & chest discomfort, where you put your symtoms but before i continue you should ALWAYS get a physical symptom(s) checked out by a Dr, tests, and ruled out before claiming as a mental symtom(s). I did this and only after all doctors and tests ruled out medical reasons before i claimed these physical symptoms of mental issues and likely will miss some.

I have A TON of physical symtoms of my mental state; not able to eat, nausia and/or throwing up, physical pain in various areas of my body but mostly in my chest and arms, shaking inside and out, shortness of breath or hyperventalating, confusion, mind racing a millon miles an hour (happens 24/7), numbness, severe exhaustion, dizziness, passing out, had what co-workers said was a seizure but i dont remember doing this...they said i got up from my desk and ran a few cubicles down screaming and fell flat on my face and woke up w/ someone sitting on my back and was terrified screaming "get off of me" trying to push them off of me (no medical cause found but for 3 days i couldnt write my own name, knowing the letters but couldnt write them and i couldnt tell the paramedics my birth day, where i lived etc), forgetting A TON of stuff, doing things but not remember doing them (extreme disassociation, rare but has happened). Im sure im forgetting some but those are a few i can think of.

 

[Friday]

I get my heart checked out periodically just for peace of mind. That way I know my symptoms are anxiety, and -no pun intended- no worries.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I completely miss read this title, im sorry. So you're asking how to ask a doctor if its anxiety or a physical issue?

If thats the question ive just describe my symtoms, even before i knew i had anxiety a neurologist told me. They had thought i had a mini-stroke because the entire left side of my face went numb and they did all the tests and told me it was anxiety.

Doctors are doctors, they get things.

 

[Ronin]

I don't want to sound like a hypochondriac

You're not, & the kind of anxiety people with 'hypochondria' experience over their health is having damned physical toll, so with that possible excuse of docs out of the window, please look for treatment.