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GP appointment on Wednesday, dreading it, please make me feel better

Hope

 

Today I took the brave decision to book an appointment with my GP for this Wednesday afternoon. The reason for the appointment is that I suffer from occasional stabbing pains under my left ***, over my ribs in the side. I have had these occasional pains for a very long time - at least 6 years. They sometimes happen when I laugh, change position, or breath in deeply. They rarely happen when I exercise, and mainly occur at rest or during gentle movement.

Last year I went to the GP about aches in my sturnum, which I also sometimes get, and she reassurred me there was nothing wrong with my heart. My blood pressure was healthy, and while she noticed my heart was beating fast ( I get palpitations when anxious, which I did tell her), the beats were regular. I left feeling as though a great weight had been lifted because I was worrying that I was going to have a heart attack.

My anxiety is mainly health related, but I also get anxious about social situations, the general stresses of life, and a multitude of things going wrong. I often hyperventilate or breath too fast, and I aware that all my bodily tension can create aches and pains. But my anxious half worries that there could be something wrong with me, however unlikely.

I am hoping the GP visit will confirm that the occasional stabbing pain in a localised part of my rib cage is simply anxiety. It is not always there, comes and goes, but sometimes I go days or weeks with no such pain, and then I have a few days where it happens with some frequency. I do not have any other worrying symptoms other than a fast heart rate.

I have read about something called precordial catch syndrome, and reckon that this is what I might have. It is the most common cause of pain caused by anxiety, and occurs beneath the left ***.

I am going with my support worker. I have a fear of doctors. I think I will explain that I have Asperger's - I told the receptionist this - because information has to be very concrete and precise.

I welcome your words of reassurance. Please say something that calms my nerves Foot in Mouth

Parents

  • Thanks for the info IntenseWorld. I will mention it to the GP, and see what she says. The previous GP said 'it's just anxiety', which is not too helpful for the Asperger mind!. I need to  know why I get these pains, why the anxiety causes it, in order for my mind to be put at rest.

    I tend to catastrophise the pain, thinking that pain in the chest area must be serious,  because it is the main symptom of heart attacks. But I try and reassure myself by thinking that there are other benign  causes, I have no heart disease in my family, I am young, don't smoke, eat healthily, and by remembering what the last GP said.

    I hope that this GP will re-confirm what the previous GP said, but that she will give me more information as to precisely how anxiety can cause pain.

    When younger I used to think of it as like a stitch because it is similar, it just occurs a lot higher up. It is not even in the main chest area, and never radiates. Funnily enough, my rib area feels a little tender,so I wonder whether I could have pulled something.

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  • Thanks for the info IntenseWorld. I will mention it to the GP, and see what she says. The previous GP said 'it's just anxiety', which is not too helpful for the Asperger mind!. I need to  know why I get these pains, why the anxiety causes it, in order for my mind to be put at rest.

    I tend to catastrophise the pain, thinking that pain in the chest area must be serious,  because it is the main symptom of heart attacks. But I try and reassure myself by thinking that there are other benign  causes, I have no heart disease in my family, I am young, don't smoke, eat healthily, and by remembering what the last GP said.

    I hope that this GP will re-confirm what the previous GP said, but that she will give me more information as to precisely how anxiety can cause pain.

    When younger I used to think of it as like a stitch because it is similar, it just occurs a lot higher up. It is not even in the main chest area, and never radiates. Funnily enough, my rib area feels a little tender,so I wonder whether I could have pulled something.

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