Mental purge

[Jess_Mc]

Hi all,

Have had a horrid weekend. My dog fell seriously ill and, though I had some savings aside, has cost me quite a bit to get her well again. I'm not griping (much) about the cost but there was a moment on the weekend when I spoke to the vet receptionist and asked whether they accept payment plans or an alternative payment like Vetpay. Her response was, "No, sorry, we don't accept anything like that." I went ahead and applied for it anyway in the hopes that once the surgery was complete I could somehow convince them to let me pay off the vet bill that way. My priority was getting my dog well and I'd figure out the rest later. It was my birthday as well and my flat mate, well meaningly, had tried to arrange a stress free day of brunch and cake, but I struggled to get into and wanted to watch the netball and just keep to myself until I knew whether I needed to start mourning my 10 yr old rottie. She pulled through (has pulled out her staples and is currently back at the vet getting re-stitched) but when I was there today, the receptionist mentioned how good Vetpay was. I had spoken with the vet and advised him what the receptionist had said on the Saturday so he was aware in case someone else asked about Vetpay in the future. When I had spoken with him about it after the surgery, he'd happily accepted it and sorted the paperwork. The receptionist, however, just lied. I'm not sure if it was the Saturday or today, but she lied. Today she said it was wonderful and told me that I must have had my wires crossed because she touted Vetpay and its benefits to anyone who would listen, she said. Disoriented and confused, I said that I was sure she hadn't suggested it on the Saturday and left it at that. Given my anxiety is particularly bad at the moment, this tiny moment - this small, inconsequential thing which doesn't really mean anything to me personally - has wound me up the most. How dare she lie! To bring it up anymore than I have would be ridiculous. Either she made a mistake and is lying to cover herself, or she forgot, or whatever... it doesn't actually matter. Only it does .This one thing is the thing that my anxiety has latched on to and won't let go of. I can feel the familiar compulsive need to think about this and I'm trying to distract myself (here, for example). It's just so frustrating. There I was, worried I'd have to put her down because the bill was too high. And she didn't have the grace to apologise.

[PamelaR]

Hi Jess Mc and welcome to our forums

Yes, I know what you mean. Having a pet that needs help from the vets is always stressful and the cost to get them fixed just adds to that. I'm sorry to hear your dog was seriously ill.

Anxiety is a funny thing isn't it - when it gets hold of something and won't let go. For me it just makes my anxiety worse and worse. It does sound like there's been a mix up with the reception staff. When I've had a mix up with people, I always find myself trying to resolve it by talking to them. I call it straight talking. It doesn't always work out the way I'd like it when that happens. But for me, I've done my best to try and resolve it, if the other person doesn't respond well, then there is little more i can do. I have to let it go. Not always easy.

What sorts of things are you trying for your anxiety? For instances do you talk with anyone, like a health professional? I've found them to be very good at helping me see things differently and handling situations differently. Because we're all different though, what works for me may not work for others. It's finding out what works for you.

Feel free to browse our threads and to join discussions. There are quite a few people who post what they do to help their anxiety. One good thread is - Self Help Tips for Managing Anxiety. It can be found by doing a keyword search using the search tool at the top of our webpage. No pressure though, only if you want to.

I hope your Rottie gets better soon.

Kind regards

PamelaR