Medical appointments are often stressful. For stress awareness month, we are sharing some tips on managing this stress. Different things will work for different people. Give them a go and see what helps you.
Before your appointment
If you can already feel the stress rising there are some things you can try to help you prepare.
Tick off some to dos
If you have a lot of tasks crammed in your mind it can be hard to focus on any of them. Writing them down can help. Then try to do a few of the quick and easy ones. It could be that email you’ve been meaning to reply to for weeks or some birthday cards you need to buy.
They might not be the most important things on your list, but they will free up a bit of brain space and make it easier to think clearly at your appointment.
Decide what YOU want to get out of your appointment
Your doctor is a medical expert, but you are the expert in you. Your appointment should be a two way conversation.
But in a stressful appointment it can be easy to end up just listening and coming away without all the answers you need.
Before your appointment, set aside a bit of time and write down what you want to get out of it. This could be a list of questions that you want answered or maybe your top 5 symptoms that you want help with. You could make tick boxes for each question so that you can work through them at your appointment.
Find out more about questions to ask your doctor.
On the day
Some people find it helps to stick to a routine on appointment days. Just following a pattern means there are fewer other things to think about that could add to your stress.
The most stressful bit of an appointment is often sitting in the waiting room. As well as working with our support groups, our outreach project manager Amy is a qualified CBT therapist. She has a couple of quick techniques that you can try when you feel stress building:
The 5 4 3 2 1 technique
If stress is rising and your mind is buzzing, this simple exercise can help to calm you down by bringing your focus onto your senses. Sitting in your chair think about:
5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can touch
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
No one else in the room will be able to tell you are doing this. You just note the sensations one at a time in your mind.
4, 7 ,8 breathing
Your breath is always with you. So it is a good thing to concentrate on when you are feeling stressed.
Breathe in for a count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 7
Breathe out slowly for a count of 8
You can repeat this exercise several times, concentrating on your breath and the numbers you are counting.
During your appointment
Most people struggle to take in everything they are told at an important medical appointment. Trying to keep up with it all can add to stress.
If you can, take someone with you who will help you to ask your questions and remember what was said afterwards.
Another option is to ask if you can record the appointment on your phone. Explain that this is to help you remember everything.
If you can feel that you are getting upset or stressed it is ok to tell the doctor and ask them to pause for a moment. You could try one of the techniques above to bring your stress back down a bit.
You can find out more about what you should expect from your care in our patient charter.
You can find out what to do if you are not happy about your care here.
After your appointment
Get good information
A confusing appointment, or uncertainty about the future adds to stress.
It is easier than ever to get more information. But there is so much available, especially online, that it can be hard to know what to trust.
Read our page about finding health information online for some simple tips.
Other pages you might find helpful:
- Useful words glossary
- Adult liver conditions A to Z
- Childhood liver conditions on the Children's Liver Disease Foundation website
- Liver Cancer UK
- Living with a liver condition
You can also call our helpline. It is run by specialist liver nurses. They can help you to understand what you’ve been told and what your options are.
Get support
One of the best ways to reduce stress is to just tell someone what you are going through. Talking to someone can even change the levels of stress hormones in your body.
You do not have to tell everyone. You could pick one or two people who have been there for you in the past. It might help to tell them up front that you are not looking for solutions, you just need someone to listen.
Connecting with other people in a similar situation can also help. You can find out about our support groups and online forum here.
If you are struggling with the stress of medical appointments, it is good to remember that stress is a totally normal response to a difficult situation. It might not be possible to completely get rid of it. But by trying out different techniques or asking for help you can hopefully find ways to manage it.
