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Health Anxiety - Part two

999 replies

MrsWhites · 30/12/2020 20:46

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!

OP posts:
tmh88 · 24/01/2021 08:27

@Skyliner001 yes I’m like it all day every day! It’s like my brain won’t let me believe it’s the same lump! I honestly doubt myself daily that it can’t be the same one Confused

NooNooHead1981 · 24/01/2021 08:51

I have lots of health problems and anxieties about some that I could potentially have but am a bit embarrassed to post them here, as they sound a bit trivial... They also make me sound a bit of a hypochondriac...

Skyliner001 · 24/01/2021 09:25

Morning ladies, hope you are all okay today. I had an itch in my left boob, and scratched it, thought I felt a lump, and then had to examine it again. A common story.

There was nothing there other than lumpy breasts issue, but it led me to Poke around the other Breast... Again I think I've resolved it.

But I had that thing of wanting to go back straight away because I must've missed something…

Anyway I'm going to endeavour to do better, and leave it a few weeks before my next exam. I have so much house work to do today anyway! That will be a good distraction 💪🏻💪🏻

Skyliner001 · 24/01/2021 10:26

Just a quick one as well; does anyone else apply the rechecking to their HA research? Ie. Just one more blog, one more google, one more article, one more journal and I'll find the obscure info to diagnose the symptom I have as something bad...

chorusline79 · 24/01/2021 12:17

Yes @Skyliner001 I honestly despair as convince myself Drs are missing something

@NooNooHead1981 don't ever worry about coming across like that - we really do understand and if you want to share then I know you will get support on this forum as everyone is so lovely

tmh88 · 24/01/2021 12:27

@Skyliner001 yes I’m the same as @chorusline79 I never trust my dr! Which is part of what I want help for in therapy x

Skyliner001 · 24/01/2021 12:28

@NooNooHead1981 A million % agree!

chorusline79 · 24/01/2021 12:35

@tmh88 I worry now they now I am having CBT for health anxiety they are more dismissive!

Skyliner001 · 24/01/2021 13:27

Just freaked out about slight armpit pain, dug about a bit under there and nothing, so decided to worry about my irregular period. In the process of that the armpit pain has miraculously disappeared. 🙄🙄

Lib3rtine · 24/01/2021 13:29

Hi everyone, thank you for your well wishes. We are both doing well and I’m loving being a mum!
My HA has been on the back foot and I’ve just spent 4 days worrying about my baby and googling everything! I was worried this would happen but I suppose it’s normal to worry when you’ve not a clue what you’re doing!
My milk has come in so breasts are sore and rock hard so I’m not touching them at all and my anxiety has kept at bay which is good as anything breast related is a massive trigger for me.
I also do the same regarding research, just one more website, I’ll just google this, another thing I need to stop doing!
Hope you’re all doing ok xx

MrsWhites · 24/01/2021 14:34

@Skyliner001 I do the same, even if I feel reassured after a check, within a minute I think ‘wait did I feel it wrong or what if that was a different bit’, anything really to justify another check. I also do the google thing, I’ll google something like ‘round lump in breast’, then I’ll google ‘flat round lump in breast’ - convinced that the responses will be different.

My husband said to me once if you google anything to do with a lump etc it’s always going to be bad results...no one writes articles about once I found a perfectly normal lumpy area in my breast! He’s right of course but it’s hard to see at the time.

Also, I get pains from my armpit into my breast, a nurse told me once that anything like that is usually hormonal. I’ve reached day 9 before my period today which is when my breast pains start to get really bad so I’ll feel the same as you this week!

@NooNooHead1981 Never feel like that, honestly, we have all posted about some really random symptoms and lumps and bumps on here! No judgement, we are a really friendly group! If you think it will help then post it on here, there is always someone around for a chat!

@Lib3rtine so lovely to hear you are doing well. I think it’s totally normal to shift your worry onto your baby. Hopefully you will feel more relaxed once you get more confident, it’s scary being a first time mum, it’s a steep learning curve 😂 Definitely try and stay away from touching your breasts at the moment, they’ll feel all sorts of crazy! If they get really sore, try chilled cabbage leaves in your bra - sounds absolutely mental but it really does work!

OP posts:
onlyreadingneverposting8 · 24/01/2021 14:44

Afternoon everyone! My HA is really bad today. Had a teeny tiny bit of blood yesterday from a pile (sorry if tmi). I know it's a pile - I have piles - I've had 9 children - it'd be a miracle if I didn't have them! Anyhow, none today but my HA is obviously trying to convince me it could be cancer. 🙄 I'm about to move into a new age risk category too (turning 45 next week) so that's upping my anxiety too. God I hate HA!!

onlyreadingneverposting8 · 24/01/2021 14:47

@MrsWhites your husband is right of course...which is why you never read in the paper about people who fit the criteria for having something - they always feature the much rarer cases. But that doesn't help us does it because we al have the mindset that we WILL be that rarer case 😳😏

ofwarren · 24/01/2021 17:40

Bad day again for me and I think it's to do with the clarythromycin I've been put on. Within 30 mins of taking it, my anxiety is through the roof, I feel spaced out, clench my teeth and have a dry mouth. I missed one last night to see if I felt better and I slept well and had none of those symptoms.
I had another today and gave felt awful all day and I stupidly decided to do a urine dipstick which shows ketones in my urine and dehydration. This is to be expected because I've only had one drink this morning and a piece of toast, but now I'm concerned I have diabetes 😔
My ear is still stuffy and throbbing. I just want to feel better 😭

ofwarren · 24/01/2021 17:53

Thinking about urine dipsticks, do any of you have medical things at home?
I have a stethoscope, oximeter, blood pressure monitor, 2 thermometers and urine dipsticks. I have 2 huge medicine cabinets and. I have even bought those tests that see if you have blood in your poo even though I had no symptoms.
Embarrassing really.

Jericha · 24/01/2021 17:59

I don't have that much medical equipment but I have built a stash of lotions and potions. Savlon, steroid creams, sudocreme, colloidal silver spray, Aveeno etc.

May I ask if any of you are on medication for your health anxiety, and if so, which type and what dose?

My weird mark on my boob is still here, a month later and after two weeks of steroid/anti fungal cream. I'm now back to crippling anxiety like I was over Christmas. I restarted citalopram which I already had in the cupboard from a while back but I think I'm going to try and make a GP appointment. Not sure yet whether to make my boob the focus or the lack of a handle I have on my health anxiety.

Goolies · 24/01/2021 18:45

@ofwarren trust me you’re not alone with the medical equipment. I have a pulse oximetry, BP monitor, urine strips and recently have been stressing about my heart due to rib pain under left breast so I’m contemplating an ecg monitor. I’ve got a stash of supplements and meds too. Stethoscope never crossed my mind but it’s a good idea. Do you know what to listen for?

ofwarren · 24/01/2021 18:48

@goolies I'm not sure on what to listen for heart wise, but I bought it to see if I had pneumonia after a chest infection 🙈
The doctor said that they can hear the fluid last time I had a touch of pneumonia after a bad case of the flu. I figured it would be helpful for during a covid infection.

tmh88 · 25/01/2021 07:21

Morning, how is everyone?

I’m looking forward to dentist Wednesday this tooth pain is starting to go in to my ear now!

tmh88 · 25/01/2021 07:23

@Jericha I’m not on any medication but I have just started therapy.

@ofwarren I don’t have any medical equipment like that as I worry I would become too attached and use it all day every day! I’m bad enough checking my oxygen levels and heart rate on my watch Blush

amblonyxx · 25/01/2021 07:27

Hello everyone, first time poster in this thread. Have been dealing with UTI symptoms for the past month, they cleared up with antibiotics the first week and then I had on and off bladder pain and kidney pain until I had an ultrasound for kidney stones.

There were no issues on the ultrasound but after my kidneys had been poked around, the pain got much worse and I ended up in emergency. They said it was a kidney infection and put me on antibiotics. But now I'm super paranoid because I feel like the ABs aren't working (I've been on them two days and still have back and side pain) so I've been Dr Googling and now am just in an anxiety spiral. I have two days before I'm going back to my GP for a check up but I'm just so scared that the pain is going to be an ongoing issue, I hate the unknown.

onlyreadingneverposting8 · 25/01/2021 07:39

Morning everyone! Hi to @amblonyxx - Hang onto the fact that nothing was seen on the ultrasound!
@tmh88 feeling for you! Tooth pain is THE worst!! I've lost 3 teeth in the last 18months (I have really weak teeth) they are a great source of anxiety for me.
How am I this morning? Tbh I don't want the day to actually start. I'm currently laying in bed feeling anxious.

chorusline79 · 25/01/2021 08:06

@amblonyxx hope the antibiotics work soon, kidney infections very painful, take it easy Thanks

chorusline79 · 25/01/2021 08:14

@onlyreadingneverposting8 sorry you're not feeling great this am - Monday's are the worst somehow?

@tmh88 sorry to hear you have tooth pain and hope you have done strong painkillers til you can get sorted

chorusline79 · 25/01/2021 08:29

I'm feeling really anxious and shaky this morning. Can't stop the negative thoughts. Sitting with my son this am and thinking about how I won't see him grow up and what he will look like at 18, and this is very real in my mind - I feel guilty for feeling this way but the sense of doom is overpowering. A day of being v busy and distracted will help I hope. Hope everyone else ok this am.