I have a HUGE fear of the doctor. I always have. I seriously either cry or have a panic attack every time I go. I was supposed to have my yearly physical in Sept but I put it off so I could lose some more weight to show my dr that I didn't need to see a dietitian or something. So, I did that, and I should be feeling more confident, but I'm not.

I am really scared. I have anxiety disorder which is usually not a problem but when I go to the dr I always have an anxiety attack. It sucks! I always have a fear that they are going to find something wrong with me that is incurable. And of course, the fear that most women have, that I won't be able to have children. She told me last year that my pelvis is so narrow that I won't be able to have natural births...I almost passed out & I cried for 2 days.

Anyway, I just needed to get that out there. My friends think I'm crazy & maybe I am, but I can't help what I feel.

Thanks for listening, dear ones!

you will be fine! and not being able to have natural birth b/c your pelvis is too narrow? don't get worked up about that at this point (or last year, too late, i know). she doesn't know what your body is going to do when it is time for you to have a baby. don't be forced into a c-section b/c your doctor doesn't think you will be able to have a baby on your own. i let my doctor force me into a c-section. i believed what he said w/out doing my own research. after delivery when i was feeling like a failure i did the research and realized that my doctor might have been right, maybe i couldn't have had her on my own, but i should have let my body decide that, not my doctor. sorry, two and a half years later it is still a sore spot. i am hoping that w/ my next baby (whenever i am blessed to have another) that i will be able to deliver him or her on my own. i have found an amazing doctor who supports women who want to have a natural delivery after c-section and he has faith in my body. anyhow, like i said, sorry, it is still a bit of a sore spot!

Geeze, you'd hate my job then...I'm a medical assistant! I understand your anxiety though, lots of people are terrified of us, and not because we are bad people...ahem, they just don't want to hear bad news.

Do a google search for relaxation excercises like visualizations or a mantra you can chant in your head to calm you. Then use your newfound relaxation skill in the waiting room, and in the exam room while you are waiting for the Doc to join you. Also, be up front with your doc about you anxiety issues surrounding the appointments. Also, if you are seeing a general practiontioner try finding one who is an Osteopath, they tend to take a more natural approach to their work and rely on alternatives to drugs before sending someone to the pharmacy.

Good luck, I know you will get a smile out of your doctor for your weight loss because believe it or not, it is a rare thing for someone overweight to lose 10% of their weight the healthy way.

You're going, and that's all that matters!

My paranoia is dentists. same problem, i get panic attacks, cry, and avoid appointments. but ya gotta go! and that's all there is to it. Because to not go could lead to far worse things.

(i just warn the dental hygenists and dentists that i will have a panic attack, i will cry, but i will do my absolute best to get over it) and then i cry.

You're a strong woman and you can overcome anything. You've already done a lot by losing the last 20 lbs.

I also suffer from white-coat syndrome! And I work in the medical field! How 'bout them apples!.
The thing that scares me most is hearing bad news. That's the whole reason I'm terrified of doctors. Doctors can't even get my accurate blood pressure, because as soon as I step into his office my BP shoots as high as the roof. So my doctor actually purchased a BP machine, that he can leave the room and the machine does it all by its self. it takes like 4 readings over 10 minutes. It's awesome.
And don't sweat the baby/pelvis thing... doctors are too quick to give women childbirth advice... I'd get a second or third opinion.
Your doctor is going to be so happy you lost 20 lbs!

P.S. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

the last thing I wanted was a c-section with my son. I didn't even want an epidural. I wanted my labour to be interfered with as little as possible. I don't think an epidural can be harmful to the baby, if it was, doctors wouldn't do it. I just wanted to see if I could handle it. Silly, I know. My doctor decided to induce my labour because my baby was already pretty big and my pelvis is a tad narrow so seeing as how I didn't want a c-section we agreed that this would be for the best. I was over 40 weeks when I was induced and had already started dilating but we didn't want to end up waiting two more weeks. I was in labour for 14 hours, pushing for 90 minutes before his heartrate started to fall and I needed to be rushed into the OR.

He'd gotten stuck in my pelvis!!

The good news is, he was out within minutes of me getting into the OR and scored 9/10 on his apgar. The doctor peered into my cavernous uterus and noticed that I have fibroid tumours already at the tender age of 23. The only real cure for that is to have a total hysterectomy. Great. So. I might get to have one more baby, I might not.

I digress. My point is, for a few weeks after I felt like a miserable failure because I couldn't complete the natural childbirth but it wasn't my fault! Just like if you are not able to complete natural childbirth it does not make YOU a miserable failure! She'll be happy to see you've lost weight! Good luck!

I would tell you that you can always try to go through with natural labour anyway, but having to recover from both the labouring process AND a c-section...it's rough.

wow these stories are pretty incredible. Please let us know how everything goes. I am a dentist (I am now in residency to specialize in orthodontics) and I can't tell you how many people hate going to the dentist. I hate it still! haha! And when I get my blood drawn, forget it! I am a huge wuss! Once you go you will feel so much better.

Oh wow, I'm so feeling for you . It must be awful to be so scared and anxious every time you go to see a doctor. My former boyfriend suffered from panic attacks and different phobias (for example, he didn't dare to get his head under the water, and he also got a panic attack when I had to vomit... he never vomited himself). I have experienced a few of those things with him so I think I have got a general idea of how deep such things can go. I really wish you didn't have this problem . You can't help what you feel indeed! I think preppingbride's suggestion of telling them what your problem with doctors is is a very good one. When they don't know it they can't act on it either.

On top of it, I'm studying to be a doctor myself. I'm now in the phase of my education where I have to do internships and talk to patients myself. If one of my patients would come to me and show me they had lost so much weight I would be incredibly proud of them. If I had to make a guess at how many people actually do something with lifestyle advice I'd say 1 to 5 %. I'm quite sure it will be a very pleasant surprise for them. A present, so to say.

And, even though I will work in the medical field myself someday I hate going to a doctor. My home doctor I can handle. I know how things work around there and it is OK with me, even the time she had to remove a wart and laughed at me for cursing because the anaesthetic injection hurt so bad (I almost jumped off the treatment table because of the pain). But when I had to be hospitalized two years ago because of dehydration I cried all day. I felt like a big big baby but I just couldn't help it. I really didn't want to go but I had to. And when the discharge took longer than expected I cried for a long time too. I don't know what it is about hospitals that makes me feel bad, but it definitely is there. I even feel it when I just have an internship, and always try to realize that it is probably much worse for the patients coming to me. OK, another (probably TMI so you can also stop reading now) example and then this already way too long post will be finished . This summer I hooked up with kind of a bad guy. We slept together a few times, and then I found out he had a girlfriend so it was over for me. We also had this little accident with a torn condom, which wasn't really a problem at the time because I have an IUD. And now I have heard that he does drugs from time to time. I am very very scared that I have a STD. I have known this for 2 months but still haven't seen a doctor about it. I keep making excuses for myself... it is ridiculous and I would have a not-so-nice speech for every patient doing this. I am endangering my own health and I know it! But I just can't bring myself to tell my doctor how stupid I've been exactly.

Ugh. I don't know if this post contains anything helpful for you. I just hope your appointment will not be quite as bad as you hoped, and that your doctor will react to your weight loss in a nice way. Good luck

Thank you so much, all of you! I am still nervous, but I am 24 years old & I can do this. I just need to think about it only being about 45 mins of my life & then it's over for a whole year. I am proud of myself for losing the weight & I want her to see that I have lost. If she doesn't say anything, I'll make sure I mention it! =)

Elwing: I know how you feel about being scared. I mean, I'm scared of the doctor so much, and I can't imagine how you must be feeling. You know what? I bet if you went & checked you would find that everything is fine.

As for the C-section thing...it's just a fear of not being able to do what my body was made for. Luvja, I think you are very right though. My 2 best friends have both said that I need to get a 2nd opinion. And my mom has told me that your structure changes a lot when you are pregnant, so it might end up being ok. It's not something I can control so there's no point in stressing out now.

Thank you again dears. I'm gonna do some relaxing things tonight & then try & keep my mind off of everything while I'm driving there tomorrow. I'll just nervously talk when she's examining me to keep my mind off of what she is doing. =)

i know exactly how you feel! i absolutly despise going to the doctor...and i can neveer ever get an accurate blood pressure reading either..i just get so nervous even if im going for a cold that they are going to tell me i have some life threatening disease!!
But you will be fine -look how healthy youve gotten lately, your doctor will be nothing but happy! let us know how it all goes

You know what - I just called my doctor to make an appointment. When I read again what I wrote this morning I mentally slapped myself and took up my phone. I'm so glad that I did it

(Kind of off topic but I thought it would be nice to mention it)