ok, How many times have we managed to convince ourselves we have something seriously wrong and its turned out to be nothing ?

[bouncy]

So far when feeling low I have had a dodgy heart, which actually turned out to be a pulled muscle in chest.

Thinking I had gall bladder problems, in was indigestion.

terrible head aches, which went when I had a new pillow.

Just wanted to know if I am the only one who freaks out and lays awake at night worrying its something serious, and each time despite knowing what I am like, I still worry, then of course the worry caused the symptoms to be worse.

Normally I am ok, its just when I am suffering a low point.

Anyone else

Yes definitely. Latest one was bowel cancer which was actually piles

I had a chronic heart palpitations, which turned out to be panic attacks.

I think it's to do with having so much information at our fingertips. We get a pain, type it into google and hey presto, we have a diagnosis. Sometimes the info is beneficial and possibly lifesaving, but then the flip side is we convince ourselves we have a terrible illess.

yep your totally right WW.

the trouble is so many symptoms can be caused by so many different causes and if your in that frame of mind you bypass all the simple stuff and straight to the horrible bits.

btw, today my thyroid must need testing - I'm very tired

Thought that I had ruptured my achilles tendon today because felt painless popping sensation in my ankle. Gym instructor assured me that if I had ruptured my tendon it would have felt like being shot in the leg

also had a lump in the armpit that I thought was much more serious that a cyst that went after a few days.

whilst suffering PND I think I had monthly appointments with the latest problems.

I kept getting pins and needles in hands and feet and numbness of the face, all down to panic attacks and not breathing properly, but I thought I had MS or something.

Headaches caused by anxiety and stress, were a brain tumour etc etc.

I even went to A&E once with severe chest pains, which turned out to be heart burn!

lol april74.

I didn't quite make it A&E but I did wake up one night during my finals at Uni convinced that I was having a heart attack as I was in so much pain. I'd never had heartburn/indigestion before so it never occured to me it could be something so simple.

It was only because dh who suffers from frequent indigestion had accidently left some tablets behind when he'd stayed over,and it dawned on me to try one that I didn't run through the house waking my fellow students wailing "IthinkI'mhaving a heart attack"

Me too!

Stressing about my BP atm and I know stressing makes it worse

snap i had never had heart burn before so didn't have a clue, although the rich dinner mil had cooked might have been a clue if i was thinking straight. I was very close to having a ambulance called, but luckily i got a lift whihc saved the tiny bit of dignity I have left after finding out what it was.

I remember the nurse asking me if childbirth was 10, what number was this pain and I remember saying 9 lol.

When I get pins and needles in my foot, it's obviously a thrombosis cutting the blood off and I will lose my leg.

My headaches are mostly brain tumours too... especially if they go on for more than a day

I thought I had a lump in my armpit until my GP told me it was my ribs!!!!!

oh I have done the MS one.

Also if I forget something it is obviously CJD.

Meningitis - was actually shaving rash from using DP's blunt razor.

i was hospitalised recently and despite all evidence to the contrary was convinced that the extreme pain I was in would eventually be put down to gas and I'd be laughed out of the hospital. Even after the operations there was a feeling at the back of my mind that maybe... just maybe.. they'd got it wrong!

however I regularly suspect blood clots in my legs at about 4am...

Oh bouncy this was me a year ago, started out thinking I had polio, the guiyan barre syndrome, brain tumor, liver cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer (are you seeing the pattern yet!) worse was I had lots of lovely physical symptoms to go with it.

It took the poor doctor about 6 months to convince me I had PND. When I finally gave in and said ok I'll try AD's it was the best thing I ever did. A year on I'm sooo much better. Although I have a mole that still makes me a little wobbly.

Have you spoken to anybody about this.

Ps NEVER EVER EVER google any symptoms, I got my self into a right old mess

Oh god yeah forgot about MS too. Actually I was so terrified about the cancer I was praying for MS instead. I was very messed up

Funny, I was just thinking of starting a thread about this stuff so very glad to find this one. I so sympathise with everyone. I am terrible for the health anxiety thing. I found a small shaving scab on my leg the other day and thought it was skin cancer! Now I have a very small very dark mole and am worried about that. My biggest fear is cancer, especially breast cancer. Does anyone else have twingy boobs sometimes - just a bit painful. I went to docs who said breast pain is very common. Can't help thinking that every time I feel some pain, it's a lump. I'm so terrified now that I am too scared to even check myself in case I feel the smallest lump or bump and will then melt down into terrible anxiety. I have a feeling that all of this is just another form of anxiety and have been recommended CBT. Feel so stupid for worrying so much but can't seem to control it.

I'm also sick of the publicity surrounding cancer. I know it's necessary to raise money and awareness but I don't think the organisers realise the terrible effect it can have on some people, especially when you can't walk down the road without seeing a poster or a shop dedicated to cancer, cancer cancer ......

bighair sorry you feeling bad.

I do get painful boobs and even been to the doctor who had a good feel and decided I have nothing there.

Advice was to take evening primrose oil.

and by nothing there, I mean no lump, I worry especially as I am quite big up top, but the doctor mentioned something once and not quite sure what she said it was something along the lines that if the lump is painful, its a good sign.

I get this too. I am a terrible hypochondriac and have had to have treatment for it in the past. It's awful but I avoid medical dictionaries and resist the temptation to google symptoms.

Yes I am so like this. To be fair we have had a lot of serious illness in the family in the last year which has made me overly anxious. It has however got to the point where I genuinely believe that every minor ailment is a serious condition. So far this month I have convinced myself that I have breast cancer, ovarian cancer and this week I have bowel cancer! Everytime dh leaves for work in the morning I am convinced that he will have a heart attack and I am genuinely surprised when he returns home!

But Bighair21, the publicity surrounding cancer is necessary as it needs to be caught early to be curable. I don't understand why you feel this publicity has a terrible effect. Some people might worry unnecessarily for a bit but a visit to the GP will put their minds at rest. For some other people, it will be quite literally a life-saver.

With me, I think, with every symptom I get, I have to prepare myself for the worst, just in case, so spend lots of time worrying unneccessarily. The rational side knows it's probably nothing but I still can't stop catastrophising health issues.
For those of us who worry about thrombosis - my GP once told me that pins and needles aren't a symptom of a blood clot - but that's not much help to the MS worriers !