My Doctor came through! (see my LATEST post in this thread)

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Hi,

Last week I wrote to my doctor asking him is he could refer me to be tested for AS, and giving reasons why I think I might have AS.

He has now sent me an appointment for Tuesday. I am no giood speaking to authority figures and am terrified I'll end up making a fool of myself or being unable to remember things/unable to speak to him.

I have had trouble with him before (over anticonvulsants) as has a friend who used to have him as his doctor. This doctor can be incredibly hard-headed, unreasonable, and I'm scared to talk to him. I';m sutre he's going to tell me that he thinks I've read too much on the internet and am imagining it, but I have NEVER self-diagnosed before (or even gone to my doctor with a suspicion) although medical textbooks and learning about infectious diseases and their effects used to be an obsession of mine about eight years ago. If I were prone to hypochondria, I would have been to my original doctor more times than you can shake a stick at, suspecting one thing or another, but I haven't.

I'm going to take a list of things to say and keywords to trigger my memory so I don't forget what I want to say. I'll try and anticipate questions he might ask and prepare answers. I'm even thinking of showing him my extensive cattalogue of my Jurassic Park collections to show him how just how obsessively I catralogue stuff.

Maybe I'm being unduly worried, but it's best to be prepated.

Has anyone else got any advice-PLEASE??? I'm terrified of this appointment.

Julie

Ithink that having the list and the keywords is a very good idea; then you won't have to worry about remembering what to say. I'm really not to sure what else would help, but good luck!

One of the psychiatrists I was seeing was such a "bully" that I would cry after I left the office because he was so belittling. I wouldn't cry in front of him but out of frustration afterward. He would complain about me being non-compliant on the meds (even when I was taking them) because they weren't working as well. The most frustrating thing though is that he would badger me with questions and then constantly interrupt me before I could answer them completely. And when I would get interrupted I would easily forget what I wanted to say. So - I agree that making a list and taking it with you is important. And to keep reminding yourself that you deserve to be treated with respect.

And it wasn't anything like as bad as I thought it would be!

He told methe stuff I'd sent him and my reasonins was extremely well-written and that he weas impresserd on the reasearch I'd done, then tld me he was happy to refer me but wanted some iunput into where I wopuld prefer to go, as none of the centres given by the NAS are in Loindon.

The one i wanted however said that i had to try for somewhere within my area first...which is no problem.

So I'm one step closer to getting a diagnosis..and it is such a relief as I thought convincing my doctor would be the hardest part. I have much more confidence in him now.

Thanks all for the advice!

Julie