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 😊

I guess I am just deeply admiring of people who can discuss their MRI scans, and their appointments with such calmness. When I was waiting for my breast clinic appointment, I literally felt like I lost my life

@Blimeyoreilly2020 for alcoholic liver disease you would probably have to extremely alcohol dependant! If you are worried about any symptoms just post! I know with my dad though he is seriously unwell with it and I really would trust your ultrasound it isn’t the mildest of diseases I would assume you would be in severe discomfort by now! Hope that helps xx

@Skyliner001 yes I have a fear of the dr finding something so I try to avoid it to my best ability but I also worry the Drs will miss something so I’m in a no win situation 😂 like when I had my lymph nodes scanned I was convinced for a long time they had missed something! Logically I know they haven’t but I’ve had a wobble over it past 2 days

@ofwarren funny you say that I get a sharp tingly pain when I eat and drink!

@skyliner001 I'm a seeker rather than avoider. I've been to A&E twice since November, the doctors probably 5 times and also to out of hours. Even rang an ambulance 😔
Embarrassing really

@tmh88 I've been googling 🙄 And it says you can get stones in the paratoid salivary gland and also, any swelling from the ear area can trigger it as it is massive and sits right under your ear.

@ofwarren I’m at the dentist next week so I will ask them and report back x

@tmh88 I think they can see that gland in x ray so it will be good to see what they say
I had a panoramic X ray last week and the radiologist cut the sides off the image so it only showed my teeth. So annoying.

It's so hard to be calm when my cheek feels numb like this. I just had the rush of anxiety.
I've had an ultrasound on my arteries so there is no blockage but it still really scares me and makes me think about strokes.
Can't wait for my MRI tomorrow!
It's only a "head" MRI so I hope they don't only look at just my brain.

@ofwarren Good luck at the MRI! I just also wanted to say that I get that weird sharp pain sometimes when I eat. Definitely related to Salivary glands. It used to freak me out, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is.Hope that tomorrow goes well. We will be thinking of you.

@tmh88 I think we are the same person! The difference is that I am always on breast!

I had five minutes to myself so started feeling my armpits. I have a lump in each one, they move under the skin and I'm convincing myself I can feel others but I can't tell if it's just muscle tissue and ligaments. Google is scaring me saying painless lymph nodes are concerning and these don't hurt at all. I've convinced myself I've got lymphoma 🥺

@AJ297 I have a painless lymph node under each armpit, I've had them for as long as I can remember. Mine are actually quite big

@AJ297 I’ve been exactly where you are! All my nodes are painless and showed normal on the ultrasound! Try not to worry! Easier said than done! I’ve had mine wince September time and I do still get wobbles so I understand x

@ofwarren how annoying they cut the image! Typical really! Let me know how your MRI goes tomorrow! I highly doubt it’s a stroke or anything although I know all logic goes out the window x

@Skyliner001 I think we could be too! 😂 honestly though my breasts have several lumps/bumps all over them so I’m sure you’re will be perfectly normal! Actually tonight I’ll have a proper feel and post exactly what my breasts feel like which will hopefully help some of the breast worries on the thread! I’m currently waiting for a parcel and don’t want to get caught with them out 😂

It hurts under my jaw on the bad side and feels like my glands are up, but I'm not sure if they always felt like that.
I'm getting a jabbing pain at the side of my throat and when I open my mouth, my jaw on that side makes a wet crunchy sound in my ear.
I hate feeling unknown sensations. It's my biggest trigger.

@AJ297 Really wish I could reassure you, when I had lymphoma my armpit lump was like a golf ball! And it wasn't movable at all! And it certainly wasn't the same as the other side.

@tmh88 Yes, mine are the same! Not totally the same on both sides so, but both have been examined by the doctor, and by a consultant, and the left one has been ultrasounded! To be honest they have probably been lumpy and bumpy for ages, and I've just never obsessed about them before.

Ugh Just went to the bathroom and have some more spotting, it's Now been 10 days since my last period started. I don't know whether my hormones are all over the place with all this anxiety. I'm going to keep an eye on it, but it's so annoying, my first time spotting was last month. That I am aware of.

@Skyliner001 thank you, it is reassuring. I think I'm probably causing lumps and swelling also by prodding. They are definitely not golf ball sized. Ones just bigger than a pea and the newer one is about the size of a grape. Both move about under the skin and the other I can feel isn't really a lump, I think that's muscle. Google is very contradictory saying they should be moveable and soft but they don't feel soft but they move. I don't think I've ever had a lymph node I would call 'soft'. I'm so glad I've found you all, anyone I ask looks like I've got 3 heads

I've never had a lymph-node that I can feel it feel soft day there, I have several shots he knows, one in my neck, and one above my collarbone which has caused me some anxiety in the past. I think it's a problem with information online, it's so hard to determine what exactly they mean. Your lymph-node sound completely normal. And nothing like my underarm notes when I had an informal, the ones in the side of my neck as well were also large and immovable. Just as an aside, my swellings we're not the only symptoms are there, I had lots of other symptoms, and I was diagnosed in stage two, so it wasn't like it was massively advanced.

Symptoms were drenching night sweats, like proper sheet soaking night sweats, incredible fatigue, severe pain in the lymph nodes when drinking alcohol, and I also lost a lot of weight.

Also, I don't think poking helps at all. I wish I could contract out my poking, but I wouldn't trust anybody else to do it probably. I'm beginning to think that my spotting today might have been caused by me rummaging about up there for around two hours including yesterday. Apparently this it's really easy to scratch the cervix, as some people bleed after a smear test.

Sorry about all the typos, I'm dictating

@Skyliner001 yes I would have thought that would definitely be the cause of your spotting. If I ever have sex soon after a period ends it always causes spotting (not at any other time). I've also had physiotherapy for pelvic floor dysfunction and the physio was very hands on, shall we say! She said that vaginas are always asymmetrical and often go in a slightly diagonal rather than vertical line. I had one side of my pelvic floor much tighter than the other and she said its normal, but that can mean things don't feel symmetrical either. Hope that is reassuring.

I am panicking about my tight chest again. It went away for a few days and then came back last night just as I was going to bed so made me panic and not get to sleep until really late. It was gone when I woke up and is now back again. Its right in the middle down the front, kind of where the lungs split on two.

If it was anything serious it wouldn't come and go would it? I'm thinking damage from covid or heart problems or a lung tumour or something.

I'm someone who usually goes to the GP and gets tests rather than avoiding it. But I'm so scared of catching covid I am now avoiding the GP and that has made me even more anxious. A large part of my anxiety is not knowing whether I am being silly to contact the GP (and whether it will make things worse if he takes it seriously/orders tests etc) or whether I'm being irresponsible and potentially causing my own death by not speaking to the GP. Its so exhausting...

I also always bleed after a smear test, especially now they use those mini chimney sweep things and rotate it around 😮

@KasparKat have you had covid? I tested positive in September and the past couple of months have been having tight chest and heaviness feeling, I've had X-ray and heart and lungs were clear but it is scary and has made me really anxious