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General health

Health anxiety and worries of bone cancer

17 replies

shakeapoo · 21/04/2019 10:30

I know it's not wise to google... but I did last night and now I'm so worried. I've had an achey leg for 3 years and it's getting worse. I've always wondered where the pain came from as it didn't muscular although stretching does ease it a little. Since it's been getting worse I thought it feels like it's bone pain and then being the person I am thought bone cancer. Googled to rule it out only to find it is most common in arms and legs and pain can come and go and may be worse at night. My leg pain is always worse at night. It comes and goes although lately has been more and more constant. I know I need to see my GP to get answers, I will next week. Just wanted to write this to ease my mind a little and see if anyone has some words of wisdom.

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gower4 · 21/04/2019 10:37

That's a massive leap! There are so many reasons for leg pain, most of them to do with posture/gait I would think. Go to the GP and they'll run blood tests as a first step I imagine.

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purpleunicorns · 21/04/2019 10:39

I get bad leg pain at night and it's sciatica, you need to see the doctor and ask about nerve painkillers as normal painkillers won't help. It gets worse on a night as you stretch your leg out which pulls on the nerve

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shakeapoo · 21/04/2019 11:45

@purpleunicorns sciatica would make sense actually as I had it during pregnancy and have had this leg pain ever since my second child was born! You think that could be it?? I always had more of a shooting pain with sciatica and higher up, never this ache.

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purpleunicorns · 21/04/2019 11:51

I think it's likely to be sciatica but make a doctors appointment if only to put your mind at rest. I get the odd shooting pain during the day but on a night it aches from my hip to my ankle, I've had it for about 3 months now and they've just increased my gabapentin to see if that helps

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NGC2017 · 21/04/2019 12:38

Just an idea. In December 2017 I started having the most awful lower leg pain. Sometimes is resonated upwards but it was always guaranteed to be constantly in my lower right leg. Then it started in my lower back. I questioned sciatica but as my pain was down the front of my legs it was ruled out.
At first I convinced myself if was shin splints, but it persisted. Was always there. More pronounced at night and when I was resting. I became consumed by feeling this pain. I started googling and found as story of a woman. It could have been me! Everything was so alike. Well she had an aggressive form of bone cancer.
From that moment i was convinced I had cancer. What didn't help I was in a battle with my doctor whom I had visited so many times about it that he had started rolling his eyes whenever I walked into his room. As my bloods were fine he said it was all in my head.
Then one day, I walked in and he rolled his eyes and I broke down. I told him how I didn't care that my bloods were fine. I am in pain and good blood results had not given me any reassurance or comfort. I cried about how I feared it could be cancer, how something could be serious and he wasn't willing to help me, and how I'd have no one to look after my young son if anything happened. I also made a comment on his attitude towards me.
It was the first and only time I felt he has taken me seriously. He examined me, sent me for an xray as well as a vitamin D blood test, which he said he was putting off as it costs alot and can still be refused by the person taking bloods.
To cut a long story short, que a phone call to return to the doctor about my bloods. I was virtually deplete in Vitamin D. I am now on extra strength supplements but I am happy to say the pain is no longer. I get it occasionally but that's when I forget to take my supplements. I can't believe how a little tablet has made all the difference as I honestly did believe I was going to be told I have bone cancer.
Please ask for this blood test xx

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shakeapoo · 21/04/2019 15:06

@NGC2017 mine is in my lower right leg at the front!! But has recently spread to my upper leg too

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shakeapoo · 21/04/2019 15:08

At least I have sciatica and vitamin d deficiency to add to the list so I thank you all for that

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shakeapoo · 21/04/2019 16:38

No, it's in the back too. It's hurting now and I'm trying to figure out where the pain is coming from! It feels like it comes from the middle and spreads. I find it really hard to explain.

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NGC2017 · 21/04/2019 17:45

When are you able to get into your GP? I can't believe me of all people is saying this as my health anxiety is off the scale but please try not to worry. Its easier said than done I know but it makes you worse.
I am a serial worrier, every day. Its ruining my life at the moment. I wish I had words that make it simple to not worry but I don't. Just please get yourself in the doctors. If you mention your health anxiety too they will hopefully be more thorough

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ScarlettDarling · 21/04/2019 20:52

Op, another one here with health anxiety so I'm not dismissing your worries, but let's be realistic here... you've had this pain for three years. If it was bone cancer don't you think that by now you'd have noticed some other symptoms?

Anxiety itself can cause awful aches and pains. Or as a pp said, vitamin d deficiency is another common cause for aching limbs. You can get vit d supplements in spray form, take it once a day, sorted.

Make a gp appointment but try to stay rational , this is likely to be something very trivial. Health anxiety really is the pits isn't it?

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RippleEffects · 21/04/2019 21:19

With health anxiety self diagnosis is a very very bad idea. It feeds the anxiety exponentially. I see it like scratching an insect bite - momentarily you feel more in control but then the poison inflames and the scratching urge is even greater. I say this as a completely non medical person but wife of a sufferer crippled for several decades by health anxiety which with lots of support now over the last decade has become more manageable identifiable anxieties.

When did you last seek medical support for something?

If it's within the last three years, and this pain has been going on for that long, ask yourself why at that stage you chose not to mention it?

Now think to yourself how many things you've incorrectly self diagnosed. When did it help - If ever?

On a scale of 1-10 assess how urgently you need medical support, you can repeat this daily and record it to see if you have anxiety pain patterns.

Ask yourself, will this wait a week for a nonemergency gp appointment, then after a week, will it wait a month so you can discuss any other issues that occur?

Would it be worth a non emergency appointment to seek CBT or similar to start in the path of managing the real route of mental pain manifesting itself physically. Drugs can be very effective and with so many types and doses available to manage either immediate panics or longer term anxiety levels they may be a good option to make life better for you.

Each day can you see if you can work on managing the anxiety by getting at least 30 minutes out in the fresh air, ideally walking or jogging letting your mind wonder and take in the surroundings at your own pace. This air exercise combination comes up so often in treatment plans from different places and there is something very effective in it.

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Oldmum55 · 23/04/2019 11:46

I can relate to the health anxiety and how it exacerbates symptoms until they are exactly Dr Google's dire warnings of serious disease. As I said on other posts the symptoms are real enough but while you are looking at dr Google for reassurance, the opposite happens. I wanted some medication but the GP recommended counselling which I refused. I have bad spells but generally I'm better now that when I was younger.

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shakeapoo · 24/04/2019 16:26

Thank you for all the responses, they have helped ease my mind! Also leg has not been as painful last couple of days so I'm not as worried as I was. Drs appointment is next week so we'll see what they say.

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RippleEffects · 24/04/2019 18:53

Glad to hear you're feeling things are more in control.

Are you going to the gp about your leg, your anxiety or both?

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shakeapoo · 25/04/2019 22:08

About my leg. I feel ok about my anxiety. I get anxious but I know why I do and I feel able to talk things over in my head. So whilst I do worry that something is killing me I know why I do - does that make sense? I've recently come off antidepressants & I did that because I'm in a pretty good place. Just need to rule out something serious in my leg and then hopefully will be pretty chilled... until something else hurts.

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pearldeodorant · 25/04/2019 22:20

Sarcoma (bone cancer) is very aggressive and you definitely wouldn't still be here after 3 years!

See your GP ASAP and in the meantime stay away from Dr Google!! Take care

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shakeapoo · 01/05/2019 07:40

I wasted my leg appointment on something else - I've been getting headaches and having trouble focusing and finding lots of noise/stimulus hard to cope with. Dr said I could only talk about one thing so I told her that and she told me to go out for dinner or do some exercise to release 'happy hormones' 😐. Leg still hurts. This morning I woke up and almost immediately got horrendous lower abdominal/pelvic pain which lasted about 40 mins (eased off now but still tender). It was awful, I was curled up in a ball on the floor crying in pain. I realise as I'm writing this I sound like a massive hypochondriac and I fear if I go back to the drs again they will tell me the same nonsense or suggest 'talking therapies' or something. The thing is I don't feel depressed and I don't even feel particularly anxious, I just feel unwell a lot of the time and it worries me. But if it's too vague or the drs don't get the answers they want I'm fobbed off and feel like a nuisance ☹️