topic New mum anxiety in Anxiety

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 00:28:48 GMT

Hi I'm a mum to a 9 month old son. I started having health issues in October and after an ultrasound and a ct scan I was told I have a bulky pancreas. The Dr didn't explain anything to be about what it meant and I was left to my own devices. Weeks later and I'm still having chest pains and toileting issues. I don't know if it's anxiety or my pancreas. Daily I think I've got something so serious that I'll die and leave my son without a mother. I'm getting a blood test tomorrow to see if there are further issues, but my current Dr rolls her eyes everytime I go in there. I wake up feeling sick in the morning and worry that it means something is seriously wrong. My partner thinks I'm over reacting so I can't talk to him. My family live interstate and I just want my mum. I used to be so healthy and loved life but now I'm sick all the time and don't like leaving the house alone. 😢

New mum anxiety

3girls — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 07:17:39 GMT

Hi kad79. So sorry to hear your having a tough time of it. Please get a new doctor and discuss your health concerns. It may be that your anxiety over your health is causing you to wake with anxiety symptoms I find when I’m anxious the mornings can be the hardest. But you need the all clear to put your mind at ease. You will get back to your old self keep connecting and talking. All the best.

New mum anxiety

baet123 — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 22:05:17 GMT

Hey Kad79,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for posting.

Sorry to hear your struggling at present. It is super encouraging that you are actively seeking treatment and reaching out to health professionals and doing what you can on your end to try and improve your condition and health! This is extremely difficult to do for many people and you should be extremely proud of yourself.

I suffered from health anxiety and my body for a few years kept playing tricks on me. You mentioned your doctor said you have a bulky pancreas in October. Was that when you started having these health concerns and pains or was it before this moment? It is possible that when you were told you had a bulky pancreas and were sort of "left in the dark" by your practitioners that this has caused you to experience symptoms of health anxiety?

I think having a few tests done and getting the results back will provide you with some assurance. However, if your daily life and overall quality of life is being impacted due to your concerns, please consider seeking advice on possible medical care and treatment to address these concerns.

It may also be a good idea to see a new doctor and one that shows a great deal of interest relating to your genuine concerns about your health. Your doctor at the moment sounds extremely incompetent and negligent.

Please keep us posted and all the best,

Nick.

New mum anxiety

White_Rose — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 23:01:06 GMT

Dear Kad

Welcome to the forum. It's good to hear your story and I hope we can support you .

Having had four children myself I can relate to the enormous change your baby has brought to your life. The unfortunate thing is that we often do not associate having a baby with anxiety etc. It may also be Post Natal Depression (PND) which does not necessarily kick in when your baby arrives. Did your GP check this out with you?

Apart from that it is not helpful when a doctor sends messages that you are wasting her time, which is what her eye rolling indicates. How very unprofessional and indicates a serious loss of care and concern. If she thinks you are imagining your aches and pains then she should explore this with you. I don't think this is the case as you have already been proved right with one issue, the bulky pancreas.

I agree with Nick. See another GP, one that is prepared to try and help you through what sounds like a difficult situation. Ask your new GP what having a bulky pancreas means to your life. Your pancreas is a vital organ which needs to be kept in tune, to use a car service analogy. I was told several years ago I had a cyst on one of my kidneys. What does this mean for me? Well not much because the cyst is not getting in the way of anything else and not causing problems to the kidney. The Urologist said that if it became a problem I would need to remove that kidney. Wow! I did not realise this. However it has been there eight years and I knew nothing about it until a couple of years ago. So now I get an US every couple of years.

Sorry to bang on about myself, I want to say we have these differences in our bodies at times but they are not necessarily harmful to us. However the doctor should explain the ramifications even if it is not a problem. In fact I believe it is more important when there is nothing wrong to save you worrying as you are.

By now you will have had your blood test and waiting for the results. Do you have an appointment booked to see the GP? If your GP says there is nothing amiss ask about your pancreas and ask about PND and anything else causing you concern. I suggest you also talk about the toileting issues. This is not something you need to continue. If you do not get a satisfactory answer then change GP.

May I also suggest the GP refer you to a psychologist for a few sessions? Your anxiety is a concern no matter what the cause. Once you can get to the bottom of this I think you will start to feel better.

Mary

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:27:52 GMT

The pain was before, the Dr said it was because of the way I was carrying my then 8 month old. 🙄but acid reflux seemed to appear after I was told about the bulky pancreas. It could have been previously I can't remember though. I had blood tests that showed nothing out of the ordinary, but Google got the best of me and sent me into a wild panic. I've got a new Dr who has referred me to a gastroenterologist. As I'm going through the public system I have to wait for an appointment which isn't really helping. I'm going to ask my new Dr if I can get a follow up ct scan in the interim to alay some of my fears.

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:32:08 GMT

Thanks Mary. My blood tests showed up as fine, but I have gone to a new Dr who has referred me to a gastroenterologist. She said I had every right to find out what having a bulky pancreas head means and I'm doing the right thing about following my concerns up. I didn't think of pnd. My mum thinks I have it. My sons birth was pretty full on I ended up with a emergency c section under general anaesthetic. At the time I was fine about it, but it could be attributing to my anxiety.

New mum anxiety

White_Rose — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 04:20:53 GMT

Hello Kad

So pleased you are getting answers to your concerns. How is your anxiety now? Hopefully it has reduced a little.

Your GP can refer you to a gastroenterologist and you will get an appointment sooner. Yes you will have to pay the fee but Medicare will kick in with a large part of that. It may be worthwhile for you in your current circumstances. Next time you see your GP or if you go to check out the referral process, ask about the Medicare safety net and /or look it up on the Medicare site. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to extra rebates under the safety net process. No harm in checking it out.

My daughter ended up with a caesarean section after she had been in labour for a number of hours. She was exhausted and I think welcomed the rest while the doctor did the work. But yes, not the best of experiences.Your baby was born with the requisite number of toes and fingers and is progressing in the way all babies should. If there had been any problems during the birth your doctor would have told you about it. I know sometimes people think their doctor does not tell them everything but I assure you if anything was wrong you would have been informed. I hope you can put that concern to rest.

I remember the dreaded reflux. Every baby once they got big enough to put pressure on my diaphragm. So uncomfortable. If this is still happening then ask about it. Remember your tummy went through a lot carrying your baby and giving birth and it does take time for everything to settle down again. Are you still feeding your baby? This also puts pressure on your body and make sure you are eating well. Try to avoid fatty food or highly spiced food even if your favourite dish is a hot curry. Keep your diet fairly bland (but interesting enough to want to eat) and drink milk. That's one food I found helped my reflux. Better than commercial antacids.

This new GP sounds good and building up a good relationship with her will help you to stop worrying. Ask all the questions you want. Remember the only silly question is the one you don't ask.

Mary

New mum anxiety

baet123 — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 11:01:46 GMT

Hi Kad,

Good idea. I think going to see a gastro is the right thing to do! Specialists are always really busy but it is amazing the way you are actively going about seeking help and doing all the right things. White Rose said it best above when she mentioned "the only silly question is the one you don't ask". Spot on.

I hope 2019 is a good year for you and please keep us posted on how your appointment with the gastro goes.

All the best,

Nick.

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 04:26:20 GMT

My anxiety has turned into panic attacks. I'm getting the results of my blood test tomorrow (checking for ulcers) I'm going to ask if I can get a ct sooner rather than later.

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 07:14:33 GMT

Got my blood test result today, no ulcer so that's a positive. The Dr I went to see (my Dr is away for the week) was terrible. I started telling him about my anxiety and that I'm scared I have cancer and he was like ah yeah, but you don't have an ulcer so that's good. So now I have to wait until Monday to see the good Dr to talk about my anxiety and ask for a ct scan sooner rather than later. My partner doesn't understand and says I'm determined that I'm dying, that it's all in my head and that I'm going to ruin our relationship. I said I hope that it's all in my head. I wish I had more support. All my family and friends live interstate. All I have her is my 10month old and my partner. 😞

New mum anxiety

baet123 — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 02:33:41 GMT

That is excellent news Kad (the blood test results). I am sorry that the doctor that you saw sounded extremely dismissive and unhelpful. Unfortunately, many partners and couples in the situation you are in face the same challenges.

I would also consider speaking to your doctor or calling up your states Mental Health Hotline and asking for a contact number for the Perinatal mental health teams/services.

Please enquire about SAFE START / Supporting Families Early programs. In NSW we have the SAFE START Health policy initiative, aiming to improve the health outcomes of NSW families. Emotional and psychological care are included as a routine part of antenatal and postnatal care (together known as perinatal care) and identify early any family social and mental health vulnerabilities in pregnancy and the early postnatal period. Every family choosing to receive care from Maternity Services and Child and Family Health Services will be offered the chance to talk about social and psychological factors which may be affecting them during the perinatal period. Midwives and Child and Family Health Nurses include some questions about mental health and social circumstances as part of routine assessment and care of every patient.

Women and families may choose to not participate in this discussion. However, research has shown that most women find this type of care very supportive during the perinatal period. When vulnerabilities are identified, options for support are discussed with and offered to the family. As well, some more complicated family situations are confidentially discussed with a larger specialist group of clinicians, who may suggest additional ways to support the family (called the SAFE START meeting). The aim is to offer families access to more expertise, provide coordinated care to families from all Services that focuses on family needs and enhances family strengths.

Hope this helps and let me know if you need any other information.

We are always here to support you.

Nick.

New mum anxiety

Kad79 — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:52:47 GMT

Got the results of my ct scan yesterday. No change to my pancreas so they think it's I just have a pancreas with a bigger head than normal. In the back of my mind it's still niggling away. The Dr asked if I was relieved and I said no. Then there was lots and lots of crying. The Dr then decided it was time for medication so today is hopefully the start of some bug changes. I'll still go to the specialist when they call to arrange an appointment. I'll be getting my mental health assessment once my Dr gets back from holidays and she still wants me to see a psych. So hopefully we'll be able to get my anxiety under control. ❤️ Thank you so much for your support.