[Canidistant]

I'm really nervous about a doctors appointment I have this week. Earlier this year, I trashed my hip in an accident. I continue to reinjure it, and it is now preventing me from my normal active lifestyle....So, I broke down and made an appointment to have it evaluated for the first time. But, my sore hip is also the thigh where I cut. I have a lot of obvious scars and newer cuts, and I'm kind of freaking out that during the appointment I might have to expose my scars....and then I'll have to talk about them. I am actually considering canceling my appointment to avoid this... people seeing my scars makes me incredibly uncomfortable... Only one other person has actually seen them, and that was an accident...

Does anyone have any experience with docs seeing scars and cutting in a similar situation?

[Roaming_bird]

My experience has been that the doc will mention it to make sure it's being dealt with, but quickly address the problem I'm there for. I was really nervous about seeing my dermatologist for a skin check, but he was kind and told me he didn't think anything bad about me. If it makes it easier, you can tell them that you have some cuts from si, but are working on it with a therapist. They know you're there for your hip, not your mental illness. Please don't let your scars and cuts prevent you from getting the care you need.

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[ThisWayOut]

What roaming bird said... I've not been given too much grief over cuts and scars over the years. It's so awkward to talk about with a provider I don't know, but most accept it when I tell them I'm dealing with it in therapy. They might do a quick safety assessment, but generally move on to the reason for your visit relatively quickly.

[jman197]

If you leg is causing you problems you should get it checked out. Regardless of the scars there, you should go. If you don't then it could cause more cutting and even worse problems in the future.

[MobiusPsyche]

My physician said I was really strong for being in bthat much emotional pain and still fighting to have a good life.

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[Canidistant]

Thanks guys for the responses. They were comforting, and made going into that appointment a little bit easier, knowing that they weren't going to focus in on it...

Turns out, I was worried for nothing. The exam was very brief, I didn't have to expose my scars, and now I have a PT appointment in a few weeks for my hip. So, thank you for the encouragement and support. It really helped me get over the dread and fear of the appointment.

[SheHulk07]

Glad you made an appointment, and that it turned out better than you expected. Hope the PT appointment goes well.

[seesaw]

I always get nervous when I see a new doctor and they see my scars. But they see that they are all healed and none of them are new, so that makes me feel safer, like I'm not going to get committed because I don't have any open wounds. On the other hand, when I was actively SH, I was scared to death that every trip to the doctor would end in commital. Regular doctors, other than pdocs and Ts, don't understand that SH is not about suicide, and hospitalization is only going to stop you for that short period, you're most likely going to go right back to it because recovery is a long term process.

I think especially ER docs need to be better trained in what SH is and when to actually commit someone or not.

Seesaw