aversion to doctors?

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i seem to have a bit of a bad aversion to doctors.

i don't know why. i think it's their attitude. and how personal going to a doctor is.

id rather sit at home and tough out an illness then go get a medication for it. i hate having to go back and get new prescriptions for my psoriasis. i had a blood test months ago i never even called back to get the results for

but i do give blood, the needle makes my blood pressure rocket for moment and then i'm fine again. it's not so personal, really.

i've finally booked myself an appointment for the dentist next week, im am fairly certain i am facing having my wisdom teeth removed.

i don't know which makes me feel more uncomfortable, the though of watching the instruments coming towards me and working on me while im awake, or being knocked out and having strangers there

i'm not scared, i just don't want to deal with it

i'm going to have to go and just deal with it, im in quite a bit of discomfort.

anyone else have an aversion to doctors? anyone have ideas for me to chill out a bit? or help me reach a decision if it does come to removal?

I am the same way. I will avoid the doctor office at all costs, although I know enough to go in if it's vitally needed. I do regular dentist visits. Like you, it's not necessarily an issue of pain or fear, but rather the discomfort of having to endure such a personal encounter (like answering personal questions - the worst!) and being in such a stimulating environment. To help, I always think about it being a very temporary situation - a few hours out of the year, in proportion - that will be over soon. Also, I try to remember that I have some control over the situation and can ultimately refuse or ask for alternative approaches that work for me.

I go to doctors when I'm sick, but I refuse to get a physical because I think they will find something wrong with and than I will have to change my diet and ecerise and I don't wanna do that.

I don't have any particular aversion to medical treatment, but I do have an aversion to the horrible prejudiced and thick-skulled attitudes of many doctors, who think they know everything about you and your lifestyle without asking. Case in point: EVERY time I see a doctor for the first time, they do the usual height, weight, blood pressure, etc etc... AND every time, they come back in and sit down and ask "Have you thought about maybe losing some weight, and maybe slowing down on the fried foods?". I'm 6 feet tall and around 190 lbs, and yes I do have high blood pressure and out-of-control cholesterol. BUT..........

WHY IN THE HELL do they do that, rather than to ASK ME what my eating habit and lifestyle might be?????? The fact is that I have a rare condition called hypoaldosteronism, which causes imbalances resulting in wildly high cholesterol, but thankfully NO increased arterial plaque or heart risks, etc. And the kicker is, that I am a bodybuilder, and I'm very athletic, and I have 4.8% body fat which is what a college athlete might DREAM he could achieve. And it's NOT EASY to earn that, and I don't like being scoffed. And for the record, I don't eat ANY fried foods because they give me stomach trouble. No desserts either; I don't like sugar. I eat lean meats and chicken/turkey, and lots of whole grains and vegetables. Then when I tell them all this, and I lift my shirt and show them a sixpack washboard stomach, and so little fat that you can see every vein, they scratch their heads and say "oh". And that's the end of the discussion and they don't want to hear anything else.

As far as actual things that go on in a doctor visit, no problem, I don't have any issues with needles or fingers, etc., when necessary.

Charles

You described me to a T.

I can't even walk into a hospital without wanting to freak out. Whenever they come in asking questions to get info, the registrar people, I get nervous. At one time there was one who was new and she didn't know about my AS/HFA and other disabilities. She was asking me questions and I said, "Uh, can we wait until my mom comes back she won't be long..." and the lady was like, "You don't need your mom you are over 18 and can answer on your own". I almost melted down when she said that to me until my mom came in right on time when the lady was distressing me, my mom noticed this and had to explain to her and she asked my mom those questions instead.

Other times my mom can tell them about my disabilities and the doctors will treat me like some ret*d and ask my mom if I can talk and she's like, "Yeah she can talk she just gets distressed easily" or whatever. So I am like you, the only way you will get me to a hospital is if I am bleeding to death or its a real and serious emergency and even then I'd still be freaked out by the amount of doctors.

Same for dentists.

If it's a doctor I already know and trust (or is referred from a trusted doctor), then I'll go along. But usually if it's a different doctor, I'll be hesitant with making the appointment, let alone going to it.

With people, it takes ahile for them to earn my trust. I'm not sure if that's a particular Aspie trait or not.

thanks guys

yeah i think it partly because of how personal it is, and partly because they might find something "wrong" with me

the discomfort levels were pretty high yesterday, i have a high pain tolerance. so im going to the dentist whether i like it or not

doesnt mean i have to like it





you'd after all the time i've spent at hospitals after mum's cancer and my brother kidney failure that i'd be over it all by now. i don't seem to mind going if it is for someone else, i just hate it when it is all about me!

Even though I am doctor myself, I tend to avoid getting myself treated.

I fear being "one of them," the whiny patient who complains about minor symptoms and wastes your time. I am always concerned I am blowing a problem out of proportion and have lost perspective.

Despite that I have been to doctors a lot, usually when the problem gets severe. For example: I didn't go get my shoulder looked at until I had dislocated it five times.