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 😊

Her not her ex. Stupid phone

@Skyliner001 I’m not doing too bad! Due on however so anxiety is in overdrive over pretty much everything!😂 hopefully once I come on it’ll ease like normal.. 👀 yes would love to know how @lib3rtine is doing!

Her ex 😂

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all ok. Soooo sorry I’ve not been around, it’s been non stop! We’ve had a rough time with her, two A&E trips and an overnight hospital stay she’s ok now bless her. So I’ve not had time to think about my health! I finished my CBT so I’m hoping it’ll help when I have another relapse. I did have a wobble yesterday, someone my husband knows died of cancer at 34 so that really upset me. In terms of checking and obsessing, I’ve just not had the time which has been good. I’ll have a catch up on the thread when I get chance today. Missed talking to you all x

@Skyliner001, I worry about marks on breasts too. I had some weird spots on my breast last summer
and could convinced myself it was serious (not of course). @GransKitchen, yes there’s always something, I find it so wearing and my GP must be so fed up with me. I contact them very frequently about my worries but they’re always really kind and thorough with me and know I have rampaging HA. Doesn’t help that I’m a medical secretary (a job that I love) and am faced all day with patients who might have cancer.

Sorry to hear that @Lib3rtine children really are worrisome things! Glad to hear you’ve finished CBT and hopefully the distractions will be an end to health anxiety for you! I think stories like that whether you have health anxiety or not are distressing to anyone because it’s so unjust x

@argueifnecessary and @GransKitchen wow I thought no one else thinks like that but me!! I’m so bad for it, we need to move house but I’m so reluctant because deep down keep thinking what’s the point, do this with everything!

Morning all. I'm waiting for a call back from doctors, one of the lumps in my armpit has turned into two lumps joined together 😭 I'm trying to stay calm. Anyone had similar? X

Hello all
Hugs to those struggling.
I've also had a children panic (well, she's 17) complaining of bad stabbing pains in head so obviously I go warp speed panic. Pretty sure it's sinusitis like we all have in the family, plus the stress of online life. Gah.

@AJ297 i've had various changing lumps! I feel like a bit of my breast is lumpy than it normally is! And I have no idea where I am in my cycle because of my ovulation not coming! Bahhh!!!

@HildegardeCrowe I work at the hospital in cancer services and I honestly think that's what started my health anxiety off, although I do like the job

@GransServices, that’s so interesting. It’s the same with me, the job kicked it all off too. Are you a clinician or admin?

Apparently its really common for first year medical students to develop health anxiety as they find out all of the different diseases you can get!

Another NHS worker here, why do we do this to ourselves!

I'm also NHS and work with cancer patient pathways. I think it's definitely a contributing factor to my health anxiety but I do love my job and colleagues so I don't want to leave

Well, that does explain a lot about why my HA has become more and more rampant over the years at my job. Like you @polkadotpixie, I find my job immensely rewarding and don’t want to leave.

3 days later and still no stool sample results back yet. I've got the medication from the chemist but the GP told me not to start it until I get the results. The reflux is making me feel so sick and anxious. Doesn't help there was an advertisement on radio this morning for cancer charity stating if you have regular heartburn, indigestion, hiccups, acid reflux it could be osophegus cancer! (Haven't spelt that right but you get me). It's all I can think about because the symptoms will not go away. 🙁

@tmh88 They definitely are! Fingers crossed we’re doing ok now! I feel strong in terms of my health anxiety but I know it will come back strongly when I feel down and the cycle will start again so I’m really hoping what I’ve learnt in CBT will enable me to deal with it better next time x

Just sat waiting to go in to see the consultant for a follow up after the MDT regarding my ovary. My heart is racing and my hands are shaking so much I can barely type. I feel sick with anxiety

I was supposed to get my long ECG results but nothing yet. I'll have to wait until tomorrow and I feel so sick with worry and keep crying and crying and crying. Also because I know the problem is not my heart, but rather somewhere in my nervous system.
Also my mood isn't helped by the fact that someone I know (a friend of a friend who's 32) has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had a total hysterectomy yesterday, she has two small children, one of them 7 months old.

But it is the same as working for the NHS. You hear these things and think why am I special? I'm not special enough not to have cancer or another horrible disease.

@polkadotpixie
How did it go?

I'm still waiting to go in, apparently the clinic is running an hour behind 😩

@polkadotpixie

Try and keep yourself distracted. Sending you strength and calm. Everything's going to be OK you're in the best place

I'm okay! It's endometriosis so I'll be referred to the specialist clinic for that but he says I can stop worrying now 🙌

Yay, that's great news @polkadotpixie. Keep reminding yourself of what you just said, you can stop worrying now!

I had my ecg this morning and convinced the nurse to see what would happen when I stood up. She was a bit reluctant but did it and my heart rate went from 75 to 112 as soon as I stood up, which she said was abnormal. I understand that for a Pots diagnosis it only need to go up by 30 bpm and mine went up by 37. I'm sure it's normally much higher than as well. So she said to make a telephone appointment with the doctor for today. I hope it means he will take me more seriously as when I told him the oximeter registered my heart at 66 to 120 on standing he just said that oximeters aren't very accurate. I find it so frustrating to be dismissed like that. Although to be fair to him he did order the ecg and blood tests. I hope he's not going to be annoyed at the nurse who let me see what happened when I stood up. It just seemed pointless to me to do a lying down ecg when the problem happens when I stand up!

Although I do think a large part of my problem is often thinking that I know better than the GP. I know that's not healthy but as I have been right in the past and the doctors have been wrong I find it really hard to trust what they say if I think differently 🙄

Just had the GP call and he wants to refer me to a cardiologist. It is what I wanted and I'm glad he's now taking it seriously but obviously I'm now worrying! I just hate the feeling of having to wait for appointments and tests all the while not knowing what is wrong. I asked him if it was likely to be POTS and said he "had no idea what was causing it", which has just made me worry more!

Sounds like I will have a referral appointment and then he said probably a 6 day heart monitor. I assume that's like a portable ecg?

I suppose it can't be anything too serious as I've had it for nearly 3 months now and not died yet...