For doctors to have hidden this from me?

[JustsamanthaJayne]

So I've been ill for several years, symptoms have worsened since last year year
One of my symptoms is a facial spasm where my brain feels like it's squeezing and then my mouth goes to the side for a few seconds it's been worrying me
So I had an mri in 2018 they told me everything was fine and then had another mri in 2024 I was told i have an pineal gland cyst which is incidental
So i requested my medical records and on my 2018 mri report it said I have a small retention cyst in my right maxillary sinus ( this would explain why I've had so many sinus issues and now it could explain the facial issues as well) but they didn't tell me about it??
Now I've suddenly developed a pineal gland cysts but no mention of the right maxillary cyst on on my recent mri scan?? Did it just disappear?
I don't understand why I'm getting 'incidentental' cysts at random like this and doctors are not concerned about this ?
My folate is low again with no explanation ? I constantly drained and having horrible nurological symptoms
Am I being unreasonable to be dismissed like this ??

How on earth am I feeding into her anxiety by saying I understand her frustration?

Whatever axe you have to grind, I think picking on my measured response where I simply acknowledge her current frustration is a bit bizarre.

Wanting a full picture of what is going on with your brain is hardly a big ask, and could have been handled better.

Supposedly neutral, medical words become slurs over time - eg retarded, spastic, idiot. We shouldn't use them, which was the whole point of my reply. It seems we agree 🙌

Aside from the fact you’re ignoring the potentially neurological symptoms that drove her to seek answers to begin with, what’s your intention with this question?

In an ideal scenario, yes. But things get missed in medical system, and patients have the right to advocate for themselves.

Right?! What an arrogant and dismissive statement to OP’s valid and understandable concerns. I say this as a healthcare professional myself!

A lot of things are not necessarily indications of anything to worry about. In my experience, good doctors tend to be open with patients and very willing to discuss test results but the system doesn’t always allow for this to happen.

Doctors will see all sorts of things on scans and tests - if they’re not clinically significant then they won’t mention them to the patient - otherwise they’d be there for hours!

Human bodies are “strange” - no two will be exactly alike and every single one of us will have random things show up on scans, but that doesn’t mean that we need to know about them or that they’re relevant to our symptoms or health.

There’s a reason why you need medical training to understand test results.

Why is the term ‘hypochondria’ derogatory whereas ’health anxiety’ isn’t? They both mean the same thing.

Advocating for oneself is best done in a medical setting, not on Mumsnet. People normally bring their anxieties here precisely because they're unable to accept the reassurance offered by their doctors.

Is retarded exactly the same as learning disabled? Do you use both terms interchangeably? Do you call mixed-race people coloured or half-caste because they "mean the same thing"?

The OP has had extensive investigations but is unable to be reassured by the trivial findings, which suggests health anxiety.

My intention is this: I choose not to engage with threads where the OP has health anxiety, because it's pointless. So it's a screening tool.

That doesn’t answer my question.

It does, actually. Supposedly neutral terms become derogatory over time and you'd only use the outdated term if you were ignorant of that or intending to insult someone.

Do you honestly believe that someone who’s presented with the OPs symptoms has gone straight to being given not one but two MRI scans without any other investigations? And that the consultant has not discussed the findings with her at all?

Now you’ve answered my question. Thank you.

I think the answer is somewhere in the middle.

I doubt they were deliberately hiding anything from you, but on the other hand, doctors should go over results and tell patients about incidental findings and explain, even if they're clinically insignificant. It's your body, your results.

It's not overly time consuming and it's extremely condescending to assume patients won't be able to understand. Not explaining fully results in scenarios like this where patients find out something later and are understandably alarmed.

It sounds like you might be experiencing compassion fatigue and projecting. Yes, of course some patients might have health anxiety. But others might have valid concerns and/or worrying symptoms that legitimately require a second opinion or review of previous findings/scan results to ensure nothing has been missed. It’s basic medical care.

A very common feature of health anxiety is believing that doctors are lying or deliberately withholding information.

They haven’t said everyone gets cysts. They’ve said cysts come and go. Which is true.

Yes, but that seems a rather unpleasant assumption to make about a poster based on one post? Perhaps she does have health anxiety, but why not give the benefit of the doubt?

I don't know if you've ever had symptoms that were difficult to diagnose, but it is extremely anxiety-provoking, even if you're someone without health anxiety. When doctors are dismissive or give incomplete information in those scenarios it can make things considerably worse.

Exactly. I do not have health anxiety, but after investigations over some abnormal bleeding I did find it helpful when the doctor took two minutes to explain the findings of my scan (including some shadows and other likely non significant findings). If my symptoms had continued unresolved I could see how I might have gone back over those reports at a later date and worried something had been missed/not followed up on if nobody had taken those two minutes to clarify the results. I doubt that doctors have intentionally hidden anything from OP but I can see why she is concerned. Those that can’t and are immediately dismissing her as an anxious patient seem to lack empathy and compassion.

OP - you have the right to advocate for yourself and request a second opinion or follow up appt

I have a friend who I love. She has health anxiety. She has had multiple investigations for conditions. As each new test clears up her concerns she finds something new and often the new concern hinges on an incidental findingnor throwaway comment or Google search. Her symptoms escalate. She tries various diets, becomes obsessed and upset....and can afford private care so she gets extensive reassurance and explanations. It doesn't help. It's sad to observe. Most of her friends see it. She can't because anxiety is a condition. It's hard to step back and be rational. I wish we treated that better

Health anxiety is disabling. It's not a judgement but validating it doesn't help. In my friends case they did all the tests....its important to believe the patient. But the outcome was still normal.

It also costs the NHS thousands and creates a burden of unecessary radiation doses so it needs considering. This impacts the patient whom is irradiated and the patients on a waiting list because someone with health anxiety is receiving multiple investigations

This is advocating that doctors treat patients like children instead of fully functional adults.

t would take about 20 seconds to say, on the scan, we saw x, it's insignificant, x percent of people have it, it's unrelated to the symptoms you're experiencing.

What patients do with that information afterwards is up to them.

OP has had 2 brain scans which shows cysts each time and worrying enough symptoms that she was referred in the first place - what here suggests health anxiety?