medical care

[snugglekitty]

I'm just curious - does anybody else really dislike doctor and dentist appointments, and feel very anxious before and during them?

It's not that I'm really worried they're going to find something awful. It's more that I hate people poking around my body when I'm only in control to the extent that I can choose to show up or not show up. I don't like being touched by strangers.

I wish that medical care was more like consensual BDSM, with negotiation and checking in and aftercare.

Comments

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

I wish that medical care was more like consensual BDSM, with negotiation and checking in and aftercare.

This exists! They call it "bedside manner". It's rare, and it's what I look for in a doctor. I'm actually (as of very recently) not really happy with my GP's bedside manner anymore, and I'm thinking of looking around for a new one -- however, THAT prospect fills me with great anxiety, so I think I'll wait a bit.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

By the way, I basically mean this facetiously: good bedside manner is supposed to be vital, right? Everybody should have it? Well, then, why don't they? Why does it seem to be such a rare, unknown concept? Thbbpt. :P

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

yes. also, my dentist at least definitely uses a wordless safeword scheme.

(actually i noticed today he's surprisingly good at noticing tension and small noises, too. "you felt that a bit? novocaine wearing off? hm.")

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

to expand on that: checking in and aftercare often fall by the wayside, though theoretically part of the job, i think. :) but in my experience, you can certainly make negotiation happen.

actually, aren't you right now rapidly acquiring techniques and experience for doing just that, in at least one limited class of medical setting?

[girliegoalie.livejournal.com]

you might want to interview doctors and find ones that are like that.

my doctor sits down with me first fully clothed and talks before I have to do anything else.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Well, but the thing is, I don't have a problem with my doctor. She's friendly, she answers my questions, and she's better than about a dozen that I've had.

I don't honestly know how much it would help in my case, when mostly I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

[xmelancholia.livejournal.com]

I'm just curious - does anybody else really dislike doctor and dentist appointments, and feel very anxious before and during them?
Me!

I have a hard time making the appointments and an even more difficult time going to them. I do end up going to the Dr just takes awhile if nothing is wrong. My doctors are aware of my history and are pretty good with dealing with me yet I still have a diffcult time with it.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

I hate dentist appointments particularly. I would rather have intrusive gyn procedures done to me than have to get another root canal, I think. I feel so helpless and can't breathe with all that stuff in my mouth. It's terrifying. Doctor appointments I don't mind so much, since I have a doctor I like, and if I go any other times than my yearly checkup it's because I'm miserably ill and then the visit will hopefully provide relief. But the dentist, ugh.

[gothtique.livejournal.com]

I love my dentist! It is more than an hour commute for me to get to his office, but he is the only dentist that didn't make me want to swallow an entire bottle of Xanax! He talks to me, works with me, includes me in decisions, there is something calming about his voice. His office is clean and inviting, his staff great... it is still dentistry... so it is not always fun... but he makes even the unpleasant stuff bearable.
His name is Dominic D'Amico, he is in Watertown MA!

[rekling.livejournal.com]

Yes!!!

My anxiety around medical appointments is *terrible*. It causes me to postpone making appointments for months, and also means that I don't always follow-through (for example, last year after a lot of postponing, I went and got STI tested...10 months later, I still haven't worked up the calmness to go back and get results). And I like my doctor, and my dentist, and for most of my lfie I've had doctors I liked (and the only time I didn't was when I had minimal health insurance and could only see the doctor when I was really sick, and when I'm that sick, I'm often a little better with the anxiety).

I've actually throught about trying to set up some sort of a medical appointment buddy system...people going along to medical appointments to support eachother and help with the calming parts.

Because when I'm really nervous and freaking out, I then disregard the list of questions that I have for my healthcare practitioner because I just want to get out of there, and get convinced that they won't have answers and so on.

While I'm sorry you have medical-appt anxiety, I'm also glad I'm not the only one!!!

-Rek

[maedbh7.livejournal.com]

I wish that medical care was more like consensual BDSM, with negotiation and checking in and aftercare.

A-MEN! Given that I will have seen the dentist three times in the past two weeks, I so grok what you mean. *sympathies* and maybe *empathies* as well. -H...

[arachne8x.livejournal.com]

I have an awesome doctor, so I don't stress about seeing him, but despite the fact that I have a decent dentist these days I am still a nervous when I have to go to see him due to bad history.

By the way its me, I think you know who I am.

Ceelove and I were talking today about my interest in neonatal and young child nutrition and looking into going to graduate school in nutrition/public health to try to work in that field. She mentioned that you have goals in a similar sense with your practice. Anyway I thought I would friend you since I feel we mesh well together. Feel free not to friend me if you don't want to, I admittedly post a lot, but since my journal is friends only, since I am adding you you now have access.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Hi! Actually I'm not sure I do know who you are. :) But your name keeps popping up in various places (and weren't you interested in getting some energywork?) so I'm interested in finding out. (Care to drop me an email about all that?)

[srl.livejournal.com]

I have a doctor who's amazingly close to this. I love her.