I hope this is the right place for this question.

Earlier in the month, I spent just under two weeks in hospital for shortness of breath (my sats went down to 80%) - at first, they suspected pulmonary embolism, but that was ruled out. Now they think pulmonary hypertension, based on an echocardiogram I had three years ago that showed it - and I was not told at the time! I have to have another echo but it has not been scheduled yet.

Due to a misunderstanding, I had to see two consultant-liasion psychiatrists - psychs who specialize in people with medical issues - I have a ton of them. They recommended that I get psychotherapy after release from hospital. At first I said no way, then I thought why not, it can't hurt, so I asked my GP for a referral - she's suggested it in the past when I was dealing with a stressful medical situation which has returned, and she had my discharge summary recommending it so she said yes, but it will likely take a while. Our provincial health care system will only pay for a psychiatrist, not a psychologist or any other kind of therapist and I can't afford it.

My question, since I've not done this before - what can I expect from him? (I asked specifically for male as I find them easier to talk to) What will the appointments be like, esp. the first one? I find it hard to talk about feelings, etc, so I'm really nervous about it.

Also, if there are any other people in my province (Ontario), how long did it take for you to get an appointment?