Health Anxiety - Part two

[MrsWhites]

Hi everyone, it seems we have reached 1000 posts on our original thread which is amazing, just shows how much support we have been able to give each other.

I thought we would benefit from part two!

Gave in and had a pile of my boobs this morning! Does anyone else have times were you can’t feel something that you’ve felt before and rather than being reassured you will not give in until you’ve found it. What’s that all about! 😡

@MrsWhites definitely been there! I have to confess since the last boob lump scare a few weeks ago (also had one 20 months ago that had to be investigated - that was probably a cyst but it had disappeared by the time I was scanned) I've not examined my boobs. I can't face finding something else! 🤦🏽‍♀️ I breastfeed though so I am pretty aquatinted with them daily!

I have a lump at the back of my neck, it's quite large, about the width of 2 fingers.
I noticed it about 6 years ago but I can only feel it if I hold my neck in a certain way. It's never got bigger so I'm tentatively hoping it's benign. I've never asked the doctor, my aunt had lymphoma but her lump was at the front of her neck and it grew quickly - she was treated and has made a full recovery thank God.
I'm too scared to go to the GP with anything - I was convinced I had skin cancer last year but it turned out to be an age spot.
My main worry atm is bladder cancer. Also DVT. I hate HA. On Citalopram and propranolol but when HA bites nothing works.

@Kndg It definitely won't be lymphoma! Lymphoma rarely, if ever go to the back of the neck. It will definitely have spread around to other nodes by now, and you would definitely know. You can't just feel it when you move your neck a certain way. Please try not to worry 😊

Hello, I'm jumping in if that's ok.....
I suffer from pretty horrendous health anxiety. It's either focused on myself (usually cancer) or my youngest DD (aged 5). At the moment it is her I am worrying about excessively. She seems perfectly healthy and lively in herself but has a couple of pretty minor (I think) but unusual symptoms and google is telling me that the worst case scenario is unimaginably horrific. I haven't really been able to function properly for a good few months now. Does anyone else have excessive health anxiety about their DCs as well as themselves?

@MrsWhites oh when I was worried about lymphoma I remember a few times getting up through the night to let the dog out and I was completely soaked! The heating wasn’t on, I had a thin night dress on and only the duvet on me but even when I got back into bed the bed was damp. It stopped as soon as I’d had it checked out so I’d 100% put it down to worrying subconsciously

@Lib3rtine yes that’s what it’s like - a ridge with a lump. I’m trying not to prod it because I feel both of them are quite sore lately. My depo is due Monday so it could be a mixture of that but also from prodding so much so I’m trying to leave them alone

@Stilllivinginazoo dd was born in April 2019 and it started around October 2019 - I’d completely put it down to the hormones from having a baby. I’ve had counselling and was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder than manifests in different forms depending on my worries at the time, so health anxiety for me. I’m now on 50mg sertraline a day

@onlyreadingneverposting8 welcome to the thread! Sorry you suffer with anxiety too. Let us know what your GP says

@Kndg sorry you’re worrying too, it’s good that you’re keeping an eye on it though. Especially if it hasn’t grown

Does anyone suffer with OCD alongside this? I literally have to think of the order I'm doing things in rather than just doing them if that makes sense; if something needs doing I have to do it there and then... I'm hoping the sertraline sorts this out

GP update - it'll be hormonal especially as I'm breastfeeding - they see it really often! Wish blinking google could have just said that! I asked if I should get back in contact if it didn't stop but he said no!! I think I will if it hasn't settled in 3/4ish months time. I think my age is having an affect tbh - I seem to be very sensitive to hormone fluctuations.

@sunnysideup05 I am generally quite pragmatic about the kids when they are well but if they get ill I'll not sleep worrying about them - particularly when they are young. I have 9 children and We did have 2 scares last year - one with a testicular lump and another with a man boob age 6! Both fortunately benign. Our eldest son was dx a year ago with very severe ulcerative colitis and is ECV and shielding right now so I'm am very worried about him catching covid. The thing I do get in a state about with the kids is their vaccinations and them having a allergic reaction to them or some other really awful reaction. It usually means they have vaccinations a bit late as I'm too scared to take them and have to work up to it.

@onlyreadingneverposting8 pleased your GP contacted you and that it's nothing to worry about, it's really good they've said that they see it a lot

Does anyone take venlafaxine. I take 225 g daily and have done for several years. I would like to wean myself off them and just wondered if anyone have done this successful. I have suffered with health anxiety for many years x

I am having a bit of a panic tonight. One of the things the GP asked me when I had my telephone appointment for sinusitis was whether there was blood in the mucus. There wasn't so I said no but I've suddenly got fixated on it as I saw a teeny tiny fleck of something red when I coughed (and spat out the mucus, sorry disgusting I know). I've now convinced myself it's not sinusitis but something terrible and I'll have to call the doctor and go to hospital over the weekend and then catch covid. Argh. Wish I could shut off my brain.

I'm hoping he meant like really obvious blood clots or something.

Its such a horrible feeling like I have this massive ball of mucus in my sinuses causing so much pressure and then it drips down the back of my throat all the time but I can't get a good satisfying cough to get rid of it. Its like its completely stuck.

Sorry, not what you want to hear on a Friday night I'm sure. Going to do a sinus rinse and see if that helps at all.

The blood would be a sign of inflammation and would possibly indicate the need for antibiotics or a steroidal nasal spray to take the inflammation down - that's why the GP would ask. Even if you did have a tiny fleck of blood in the mucus it wouldn't be significant enough for the GP to act on it. Xx

Hey there @Catsneezies I’m certain that the DR will have meant an obvious unquestionable amount of blood. Deep down you probably know that too but the anxiety is trying to trick you as it does so many of us! X

Thank you for your wise words. I don't know why I suddenly got in a panic about it. Maybe just tired and all this never-ending mucus is getting to me!

I'm on day 2 of a 7 day course of amoxicilin now so hopefully it will start to make a difference soon. Starting to get sore chest muscles from trying to cough up the mucus from the back of my throat. (Sorry again, no one wants to hear mucus woes on a Friday night).

@Catsneezies agree with others, doctor will have meant a significant amount not a little fleck but I also know how our minds work and how you feel. Try and stay calm and remember it’s the anxiety making you question this x

Morning all, haven’t properly checked in past couple of days. How is everyone?

This thread moves quite fast and I'm on my phone,so sorry the personals are lacking,I didn't sleep well and brain lag is terrible today!

Whoever asked anyone has health anxiety and OCD?I do.whilst on ADs the OCD usually settles nicely.majes me sad I can't get on with them anymore as between the depression,anxiety,health anxiety and OCD some days I don't know which way is up!!

@tmh88 Great news! I have also had a really good couple of days, I'm leaving my breasts alone because I'm on my period. And I'm slowly leaving my lymph-node alone… Today I thought I had the feeling of a lump in my throat, so I started shining a torch down my throat like a loon, and almost made myself sick trying to hold my tongue down. But I think I'm probably okay…

Also to the person who asked about OCD and health anxiety, I definitely have some OCD with my health anxiety, are used to always be somebody that checked switches et cetera certain number of times. And I find the same with checking for health anxiety reasons. So I can do a check for example, perhaps on a known long to me. And then I need to go back and check it almost immediately to get the relief again, otherwise I feel it's not safe…

Morning lovelies, hope everyone is ok. I’ve woken up feeling absolutely awful, massive headache and sinus pain, haven’t made it out of bed yet!

I definitely also suffer with OCD, like @Skyliner001 said I can check something, feel relief and then instantly feel like I did it wrong or I missed something and I need to check it again to feel safe. I also have intrusive thoughts at times too and have worries about things like seeing a single magpie or if someone says something like ‘touch wood’. It’s more than superstition, it will worry me for days until I’ve done enough checks to feel safe.

Yes like @Skyliner001 & @MrsWhites I had quite general anxiety and ocd before health anxiety! I could turn my straighteners off for example know 100% I did.. but have to go back to check anyway! I also worry about things I say to people and think hope that didn’t come across wrong etc!

Morning everyone! Re the ocd I read that health anxiety and certain eating disorders can classed as a type of OCD. I think it's the OCD behaviours are a way of people trying to control the anxiety they're feeling if that makes sense. Certainly is for me.

@tmh88 yes I do that too, especially with people I don’t know well like school mums, teachers etc, I worry about whether I’ve said the wrong thing or it’s been taken the wrong way.

I read somewhere once that health anxiety is more closely linked to OCD than anxiety, I think it definitely has elements of both.

Hi ladies so I’ve been stressing about my heart, I’ve had on and off rib pain now I’m worried it could be my heart. I’m tempted to buy one of them home
Ecg monitor things. Has anyone got experience with them? Is it a bad idea to buy it? Honestly have no idea if it’s my ribs heart breast it’s really stressing me out.

I also have OCD as well as health anxiety, I have certain ‘rituals’ I have to do to avoid something bad happening, and I’m very superstitious. I’ve also read that health anxiety is closely related to OCD.
I’ve done well so far with checking and left my breasts and lymph nodes alone. Distracting myself by manically cleaning the house in the hope it’ll get baby moving!
@Goolies could the rib pain be related to how you sleep? I sometimes get rib pain after being laid funny or if I’ve lifted weights x