What happened today at my Dr's appt. Paranoia or Stigma?

[hunter]

7. I went to a specialist, mid 1990's...

... for a problem of a rather personal nature.

I went with my wife because I was feeling extremely paranoid I had cancer or something and I wanted her there if it was going to be bad news.

We weren't even safely in a private room yet, the doctor glances at my medical records, recognizes something, his face lights all up and he says, "WOW! I've read all about you guys!!! Most of you..."

Yep, I'd been in some study more than twenty years before, entirely anonymous, but it was something his specialty paid attention to.

To him I was like some kind of celebrity who'd unexpectedly appeared on his doorstep.

I really didn't know whether to laugh or melt into the floor.

Pretty much I had to laugh, which diffused the paranoia, the stigma, and the violation of my privacy.

I'm telling you this story because that was the end of it, even though the experience was grinding through my head for a few weeks after that, not doing me any good.

Odds are whenever I'm obsessing about something like this it isn't doing anybody any good, most especially myself.