Health Anxiety - Part 4

[polkadotpixie]

I hope no-one minds me starting a follow up thread. I know some people were waiting for me to update so I thought I would but happy to ask MNHQ to delete if one of the long term posters wanted to start it 😊

Hi all, been silent as I’ve worked myself up into a proper state☹️.... anxiety (I hope, rather than what I’m afraid of) has caused me to flip out a bit....I feel totally energy less, my stomach is burning and I’m exhausted having woken up at 3:30 and then 4:45 on the previous 2 nights. I’m in bed at the mo but can’t sleep, I feel so frightened. Dh is holding the fort on kids and tea front at least. polkadotpixie I’m sorry you didn’t get total reassurance from your scan, hopefully consultant can do that for you on Thurs💐

Hi all, just popping on to say I'm not dead yet 😁

Hope you’re feeling ok Kaspar!!

@polkadotpixie that's encouraging news. Clinical correlation is required just means that the person who read the scan and said looks like endometrioma doesn't have any of your clinical history and poss other scans etc to make a definite diagnosis and/or treatment plan. I'm sure if it was suspected cancer it would say that so I would take this as good, but obviously I understand the fear given I'm here on a thread for folk with HA! Sending good vibes xx

Thanks @onlyreadingneverposting8 I agree we need a better balance of when to know if something is serious. My two DC have CMPA too. Oldest has grown out but baby is in the thick of it now. We did the challenges and they were ok, although both reacted. But as they were only for a limited time it wasn't as bad as the initial reactions.

@AJ297 good luck, sending good vibes! I was convinced I had a lump under my armpit as I could feel a difference when both arms were down it was like there was something in there but lo and behold when I got scanned yesterday there was nothing out of the ordinary. It's reassuring to know that it can feel like that but be totally fine.

@Skyliner001 yes to reassurance on how our brains work! I also get the fear of tempting fate. I found it really helped to know others get the same morbid intrusive thoughts as that was something I found so worrying but now I know is more common than I would have thought.

@KasparKat 😂😂😂 great to see you alive and kicking!

@Skyliner001 yes it’s fascinating really how all our brains really work the same! 😂

@Blimeyoreilly2020 I’m sure it will be the anxiety, how are you feeling today?

@StooriMidori I also get the fear of tempting fate! I really do find problems!

@KasparKat glad to hear it! 😂😂

Well my calm day turned rubbish!! I got a headache and started feeling vaguely nauseous with a heavy feeling in my stomach. So naturally I'm convinced I've got stomach cancer. Wanted a good nights sleep to see if it would ease - baby decided that wasn't happening and got up every hour! Still feel off this morning - heavy feeling in my stomach and a taste in my mouth. Urgh - just when I was having some better days 😩 Last time something similar to this happened I ended up with an endoscopy (completely normal!) symptoms were put down to stress.

Today's the day. I'm sat working myself up and thinking the worst because I daren't be positive incase I'm tempting fate. I hate being like this, most people probably wouldn't have even known they were there. Feel like I'm just wasting my life worrying about dying 🥺

@AJ297 Please let us know how you get on, don't forget we are all with you!

@onlyreadingneverposting8 I'm suffering with headaches at the moment too, I think part of it is the sertraline, causing me possibly to grind my teeth or clench my jaw! They are sort of dull, maybe tension as well, just wanted to stop by anyway and emphasise about the heaviness, I always perceive I have heaviness in my abdomen. I honestly don't know what it is. At the moment more towards the right side.

Hope everyone has a good day today. I've got so much work to do!

Back again - pretty certain I don't have stomach cancer now (having spent all night worrying and googling) I feel better now. Can only think it was a migraine but one that made me nauseous (they don't usually). Hey ho! I feel my HA is getting worse 😕

Hi everyone, can I join? I have been reading over the threads as I have bad HA too and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone!

So I had an abnormal smear result and have been waiting for 12 weeks for a Colposcopy (due to Covid) so that’s on my mind all day every day and doesn’t help that I’m bleeding for 2 weeks at a time and have a lot of discharge when I’m not bleeding! Haven’t told my GP this as my anxiety stops me from going.

Also have been worried about a lump on my neck, although I’m not sure if it’s actually a lump or my HA as I can only see/feel it when I tilt my head to the other side. So scared to go to my GP about that incase they think I’m nuts!

Along with all the other HA things every day, if my heartbeat gets slightly fast then I’m having a heart attack and end up having a panic attack which of course makes me further think that I’m about to die!

It’s a horrible thing to live with. Do any of you take medication to control your anxiety? And how often do you go to your GP for different things? Does it help or make it worse? I’m always too scared to go to my GP incase they don’t take me seriously or incase I really need them one day and they overlook me because they will realise I have HA.

Welcome @SherbetLemon713 Sorry that you find yourself here, but you are among friends!

I'm also going through cervical worries at the moment, I've been spotting quite a lot over the last couple of months, and my periods have been a bit weird for the last 12 months. I have been incredibly stressed, and my smear test is due in the next couple of weeks. Dreading it!

I also have really long periods, and they are very heavy, but I've been that way for awhile.

My main stresses around breasts, and anything reproductive! Although sometimes I sent to them on something else.

I take sertraline for anxiety, and only go to the doctor if I absolutely need to. I'm so scared of doctors.

My health anxiety was triggered last November after I found a large lump in my breast, it was a large breast cyst which was drained. But it sent me into a spiral.

Over 20 years ago I had a lymphoma, in my neck, and chest. So I think it woke a lot of feelings about that!

Anyway, just wanted to say hello, and that you are not alone, we all support each other here! Hope you find it helpful X

Hi @SherbetLemon713 welcome! I would really encourage you to tell your GP about the abnormal bleeding - they might be able to push your colposcopy appointment through quickly so you're not worrying for so long. 12 weeks seems an unreasonably long time to be waiting.

Well turns out I'm not dying, all they saw is normal lymph nodes and no real explanation for what it is, the consultant did tell me it's not cancer though!

Came home and started checking my tongue again, I can push it really far out and see all the lumps at the back so even examining them. Always moving on to the next thing 😂

@SherbetLemon713 I've had irregular bleeding for almost 2 years, I had a two month long period at one point. I was referred for scans and all was fine! I've also had an abnormal smear and had cells removed. Hope that reassures you slightly, but go to the docs for the bleeding it may be something they can help control 🙂

Hi @Skyliner001 hopefully your smear test is normal, I think the waiting on results is the worst part! It makes sense that you are worried about your breasts, after already finding a lump before and your lymphoma will always be on your mind too. It’s horrible how your mind goes there isn’t it! I think my HA was triggered and got worse a few years ago when my DF was diagnosed and passed away with cancer in the space of a few months. I self diagnose myself with a new cancer every month or so. Thanks, I hope I find it helpful talking to others who understand what it’s like

Hi @onlyreadingneverposting8 I called my GP office recently and they chased it up for me and apparently I’m on a waiting list as they have less clinics running atm due to Covid. But yes, maybe I should make an appointment and explain my symptoms and it might push it along.

Hi @AJ297 so did speaking to your consultant not ease your mind a little? Probably because they don’t have an explanation, you are going to always be wondering what it is. I’m the same as you, once I stop worrying about one thing, I move onto the next! I’ve been on the pill for the past 2 abs a half years so was wondering if it might have something to do with that, although I have only ever had a few days spotting every month on the pill and now I am bleeding for weeks at a time and surely the pill should have settled in my system by now. I’ve had an abnormal smear previously but at my colposcopy they said that I didn’t need treatment as there were only a small number of abnormal cells so they should go away on their own but now I’ve had another abnormal one my mind is thinking that they may have got worse! Hopefully I get my appointment through soon to ease my mind a little.

Welcome to everyone new!

@AJ297 so chuffed everything came back normal lymph node wise! I’m the same in I will always find something new!😂 but let’s hope you get some peace for a while x

Welcome @SherbetLemon713. I hope your colonoscopy appointment comes through soon, nothing worse than being kept waiting when you suffer from anxiety. A few of us on here have had spotting worries recently so you’ll be amongst friends here!

@AJ297 glad to hear your appointment went well! Lymph nodes seem to cause us all so much anxiety!

@KasparKat glad to hear you are still with us 😂

@onlyreadingneverposting8 migraine makes me nauseous too! I’ve had a few recently!

Hope everyone else has had a good day x

@MrsWhites lymph nodes really do cause anxiety don’t they! I think it’s underreported how often people just have nodes they can feel and can just come up and be there 😂

@SherbetLemon713 I don’t take any meds but I’m currently doing hypnotherapy! For anyone wondering I would actually say it’s worth doing! I’m starting to feel much more calm and doing things I wouldn’t usually do such as booking holidays etc x

@SherbetLemon713 oh bless you, that must've been so incredibly hard! Really sorry to hear that. I am definitely someone who worries about cancer, occasionally I worry about something like MS, but most it's cancer. Like I say mainly gynaecological, and breast! But breast worries the most!

Most of us here worry about cancer the most, so you are in really good company!

Stressing today about being so anxious it might make my blood pressure high and that is spiralling into having a stroke, causing dementia etc. Daft I know as just makes it worse!
Argh, need to just breathe and calm down. I'm on fluoxetine which seems to make the anxiety worse at times.

@SherbetLemon713 welcome to the club! I've had very similar symptoms and just had a normal smear but my periods are all over the place and last anything from 5-10 days. I panic, then have a good month so think everything is fine and calm down, then it's a long one again and I'm back to googling 'uterine cancer survival rates'. I think it's maybe being 10months postpartum, stressed out my head and/or peri menopause 🙈 I had a colposcopy years ago and nothing ever came of it and the procedure itself was ok so I'm sure it will be fine.

I'm very similar to @Skyliner001 in that my worries are mainly female health related. I think it got worse after having my DC. I take propranolol which is brilliant for helping with the physical symptoms. It really reduced that horrible dread feeling in your chest and the ice cold waves of fear, as well as palpitations. It doesn't help with the thoughts though but I find if I don't have physical symptoms then my anxiety is less.

@AJ297 delighted your appointment went well x

Morning ladies, how is everyone?

I’m fighting the urge to check my boobs again. I don’t know what is happening with me this week. I haven’t checked them for ages, been doing really well with them until last weekend. Every morning this week I have woken up feeling really anxious. I think it must be my kids being back at school, especially my youngest who is a real homebody and finds school challenging at times. Anyway, I’m finding that when the anxiety hits my first thought is ‘check my boobs’ so I definitely feel like it’s some sort of control mechanism for me but I know if I give in I’ll be stuck in a cycle of checking all day! I don’t know how to get out of this cycle or anxiety - checks - more anxiety!

Anyway, it’s nice to have someone to get this off my chest too. Hope you are all having a more relaxed morning than me x