Hi....

When you go to the dr, tell him how you are feeling. He/she MAY run some tests to make sure there's nothing physically wrong. Even if any tests come back normal, it should ease your mind as far as your health anxiety goes.

As far as mentioning anxiety disorder, I would not--but I would tell him that you feel anxious. Drs. hate when patients come in with pre-conceived diagnoses. (I think it's an ego thing!) When a patient does that, they know you've been surfing the 'net. Drs. don't like that either. They seem to believe that patients surf the net looking for diseases to fit whatever symptoms they have and that hurts your credibility. I'm sure some people do but it's a bummer when you're the person that doesn't and your dr. accuses you of it!

If you tell him all of your symptoms, physical and mental, he will be astute enough to come up with a plan of action. He'll probably do some blood work first, then schedule a follow-up visit. They seem to like 4-6 weeks but if your mental state is not comfortable waiting that long, ask the secretary to schedule you sooner.

If it turns out you have an anxiety disorder, he'll prescribe a low dose of something such as Lexapro. If he determines that you are also depressed, he will prescribe a drug for anxiety/depression. I refused the Lexapro because I don't like the sound of the side effects but I do have a script for Ativan that I take ONLY on really, really bad days. The rest of the time I exercise, meditate, stay busy and tough it out.

Hope this helps. Let us know how things go for you. Good Luck!