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 😊

@Skyliner001 how did your CBT go?

@tmh88 I’m sure he loves you very much, I did worry that marriage would change our relationship before I got married though. It did, but for the better, I’m not sure why it made any difference because we’d been together for years before we got married but it made us closer I think. Apart from this week, I’ve got terrible PMT and everything he does is irritating me! 🤣

Did anyone here find their health anxiety was worse in pregnancy? I’m really struggling! I’ve needed to go to the doctors a few times recently for fairly minor things and every time I get prescribed something, I then Google it, and it always seems really scary! But how can most people go 9 months without taking any medication at all?

@MrsWhites yes I hope so, I have no reason to believe he doesn’t! I’ve just come on my period too and spent most of the morning secretly crying in the bathroom searching my body for lumps and bumps like a lunatic! Made a massive step forwards though and I’m seeing GP to go on meds next week, I’m drained from feeling like this everyday! I’ve been like this 8 months nearly and I need to get my life back x

@Peaplant20 I was a worrier through my pregnancy too, I think hormonal changes play a massive part in it! x

Can’t find who posted about hypnotherapy name now, however I finish my hypno this week, personally no, I don’t think it’s worked well for me! Definitely helped but I’m definitely not cured however I think it came at a bad time as my mum passed away end of dec and I started it in January and I think I spent more time going over that than I did my actual problems I had before before my mum died, so it would probably work for someone else it just came about for me at the wrong time! I do find everything I have been taught useful to calm me down and do that daily though but like I said above I think it was more bad timing than not working really x

@tmh88 Well done for making an appointment with the GP to go on medication, let us know what she prescribes, I'm on sertraline, and can probably help with the side-effects!

My first CBT session was interesting. It will be interesting to see if it actually does help, he has encouraged me to keep a diary, and so I am starting to do that to see if I can find a pattern.

I just wanted to share with you the way I have worried today, to see if it resonates with anyone.

I woke up, and felt quite positive and happy, so I immediately decided that I should look at an area of my breasts that has caused me concern before, I spent the next half an hour resisting the urge to poke it knowing that if I did I would spiral.

I then got up, and felt quite good about resisting the urge, and managed to leave the house to set off on a journey.

Halfway down on the journey I had to stop because I felt dizzy, and I wanted to check if dizziness comes from brain tumours…

That reminded me that a relative had a brain tumour once, so then I had to check if they are hereditary.

I managed to move on passed That, but then arriving at the car park at my destination, I decided I was worried about the impact of radiotherapy on potential brain tumours, so I had to read a few stories about that even though I only had radiotherapy to my chest.

I managed to move on from that, and went to the bathroom where I discovered I was ovulating.

That reminded me I wanted to check if my cervix with soft during ovulation, and I briefly considered checking it then and there, but thought that was mad.

I managed to chill out briefly, and have a nice lunch, and then on the way back swung between wanting to check my cervix, and knowing that I would go down a rabbit hole.

When I arrived back I decided that I absolutely had to, and so I re-examined a small lump in my vagina, and spent a bit of bad time in my head worrying about cervical cancer, vagina cancer, and a variant cancer.

My vagina is not completely symmetrical, and that stresses me out.

My cervix was soft, which seems like it's normal, so I went in the bath, but then did another few examinations just to doublecheck.

So that's been my day today!

Anyone else go down such an insane path?

Oh, I forgot to add on my journey back I briefly decided I might have thyroid cancer, and that might be causing my missed periods. So I actually stopped in a layby, and Google tyroid exam. And examined my thyroid in the car mirror.

👿🙄😬🥺

@Skyliner001 yes I went down that insane path today!! I woke up so happy and upbeat... however I quickly diagnosed myself with skin cancer.. then some sort of ear cancer! Then I looked back on pictures of myself over the last 2 years to see if a mole I’m fixated on this morning for some reason has changed since I knocked it off it isn’t like it use to be really which is now scaring me.. I’m not even sure if it’s a mole or keratosis but it doesn’t look like it did before! (Most definitely because I knocked it off about a month ago but my brain isn’t that easy on me to think that ) anyway... I’m hoping the meds work, when Ive actually spoken to the doc and got them! 😂 I also thought I was having a heart attack because my chest hurt when I was walking but I need to keep reminding myself I’m trying to lose weight and doing A LOT more exercise then I use to and my muscles are probably thinking wtf 😂 soooo glad we can admit all this madness to eachother!

Hi all, I'm just back from the cardiologist and he was very confusing. He said the ecg showed tachycardia so he is going to put me on beta blockers for 6 months and then see me again. He completely dismissed the idea of it being Pots and said my pulse was "fine" when I was standing up, even though my ecg from the GP showed my heart rate going up by 37bpm just standing up and it is even worse when I do it at home. I asked him if the tachycardia on my ecg was happening at the times I reported it being raised when I stood up and he said no it happened at random times. But I'm so sure it didn't, I was super aware of my heart rate and also used the oximeter when I felt it racing when I stood up and it showed a high heart rate. Just felt like he wouldn't even consider the possibility of it being Pots.

Anyway, the treatment he is giving me is the same as the treatment for Pots! So who knows...at least I have my GP appointment tomorrow so I can ask the GP to explain it all and see what he has put in his report.

Good news is that it is nothing serious and at least I being treated for the condition I think I have even if he's refusing to label it as such. He said even if my heart is racing it isn't doing me any damage and that I should look at reducing stress in my life!

I also looked up the medication he wants to give me and it says not to be used if you have low blood pressure or Raynauds and I have both...So pleased I can discuss all that with my GP tomorrow!

Oh forgot @Skyliner001 I also thought I had some form of cancer of the spine today too!

@KasparKat sorry you feel not listened too there’s nothing worse is there when they don’t want to take what you have to say! Let us know how you get on at the GP tomorrow and I hope you have some peace of mind for now! X

Hi all, I've been referred for another scan of my armpits. There's more lumps that have appeared. Am I right in thinking that if it was cancer the existing lumps would be getting harder and bigger rather than just more little ones popping up?

@AJ297 sorry I don’t have much to offer, just didn’t want to read and run! Your dr is most likely just being vigilant in referring you on. When did you notice the new lumps? x

I was supposed to hear back from the cardiologist last Thursday, I have been calling every day, just to be told the results are not back and today the assistant told me she thinks the cardiologist is on holiday!! Can you imagine?!? I might have had crazy arrythmia or something and this is the system here in Germany. And nothing will happen during Easter. I was actually feeling much better yesterday both physically and mentally and then I might have overdone it with cleaning and cooking and I felt terrible last night, literally had to lie down like an old lady and it has carried into today and I've been anxious and thinking I've got a brain tumour again. Or the bad type of MS.

@Skyliner001 those have been my two today but also thought about googling skin cancer (non melanoma). I'm staying off my breasts because they have always been too lumpy. They were checked by my OBGYN as part of an annual exam so I'm letting her do that in the future too.

@KasparKat

Sounds like your cardiologist was just trying to fob you off. Why did he lie that your tachycardia happened at random times and how would he know?? This is making me really angry for you. Did he ask you about the neuro symptoms?
Also, Raynaud's is a VERY common comorbidity of POTS. Which beta blockers did he prescribe?

@tmh88 thank you. I noticed a new one last night and one popped up the day after my covid jab on other arm. There's about 5 all together. The dr can't feel them, I have to dig to feel some so maybe they are just supposed to be like that. He told me the issue is my anxiety but I can feel them 😞

@AJ297 I have seen something about the jab and nodes being linked together! I’ll try find a source for it now! Hopefully might but your mind at ease x

I will post what I have copied from a website as I don’t want to post links where people may go down a rabbit hole however it says

“A COVID-19 vaccine can cause enlarged lymph nodes in your armpit or near your collarbone”

@AJ297 x

Thanks @tmh88, I am thinking that will explain the ones in the right armpit. I keep getting them in the left too and apparently it's only meant to be the local side you get them. I'm completely stumped x

@argueifnecessary when I mentioned the tremor/muscles twitches he wrote it down but didn't say anything. He asked me loads of questions at the beginning like when do you notice the tachycardia happening etc and then it wasn't until the end that he gave me his conclusion which felt like didn't add up to what I was saying at the beginning of the appointment. I asked at the end if the muscle twitch/tremor was linked to the tachycardia and he said no but I know by looking at Pots websites that it is common with Pots.

The medication is 2.5mg of bisoprolol which he said is a stronger beta blocker than propranolol. So he obviously thinks the tachycardia needs medicating but seemingly prefers to call it random rather than listen to his patient telling him it happens mostly when standing up!

It really doesn't help my general mistrust of doctors when they act like this. But ultimately I should be pleased and relieved because it isn't anything serious, isn't causing any damage to my heart, and he is treating me medically for the condition I think I have...just refusing to give me a proper diagnosis!

Will be interesting what the GP says about Raynauds and low blood pressure with this medication. Argh. Will be spending another day of my much-needed holiday thinking about the upcoming GP appointment and all of this.

@AJ297 I really think it could affect both sides as there isn’t enough data on the vaccines yet, there is probably also people that aren’t like us and will ignore things like swollen lymph nodes haha then it goes unreported! I do think some people can just feel them, there’s lots of us on here who can feel them! x

On a side note have any of you ever knocked off a mole type thing and it’s not come back how it was before?

I can’t remember when I knocked it off now haha but I might look back over these threads as I know I posted on here when I did 😂

Great news @Goolies - thanks for sharing, it's very reassuring that these things are all normal as so many of us with boob anxiety. Hope you are feeling much better and relaxing now.

@Skyliner001 I have definitely had days like that where one anxiety leads into the next, like a series of spirals. Absolutely exhausting isn’t it! Hope you feel better today!

@KasparKat glad to hear that it’s nothing serious, hopefully your GP can further reassure you.

@AJ297 hopefully the scan will be able to give you some answers and reassurance. I do think that the initial lumps would have grown or changed in some way.

Sad to see the sunshine has gone, I think that was keeping me positive this week!