Keep thinking I have cancer

[Cobey]

It seems like every other day I see an article like “I had these minor symptoms and the doctors wouldn’t listen, then it turned out to be undiagnosed cancer”.

I have an aching pain in my ribs. The doctors won’t listen to me. Keep telling me it’s muscular or a stomach ache, but it’s lasted for three months. I had a mammogram and an ultrasound which didn’t find anything but the technician said ultrasound can’t rule out cancer and it can’t see through bone.

I keep thinking I’m one of those people in the news who has cancer and the doctor won’t listen. It’s driving me insane because I truly believe it. I keep crying and stressing thinking I’m going to die. The doctor says it’s a MH issue because there isn’t anything wrong with me. Help?

Those clickbait things are awful! Log on and you’re assaulted by them 😥
health anxiety is also awful and they feed into it massively.
id advise ser referring for cbt, I’ve done that and about to start. I can’t wait tbh as my health issues will hopefully improve.
rib pain can be linked to digestive issues - ultrasound rules out a lot if it was an abdo one.

Hi @Cobey. I know this is a few months old but found your post and wanted to say hello. I suffer from health anxiety. Its one thing after another. I had a full set of bloods done in July plus stool samples and FIT test and everything was fine. But, it doesn't stop you from worrying. I've had a painful knee for some time and I'm convinced it's bone cancer. I have a physio assessment on Monday but, it doesn't make me feel any better.
My mind just won't switch off. Do you take anything for it? I take 50mg of Sertraline which I'm not sure it helps that much as I've been looking at PMDD as my episodes seem to coincide with my cycle and they last from mid cycle until I get my period.

It's an awful feeling isn't it. Like you're genuinely worried about these symptoms and no one will listen.
I really hope you found some answers x

Hi, six months later I still have a lot of health anxiety and still have the pain in my left ribs. In the end they put a camera in my stomach to see if the pain was something in there, but it isn’t. Now they have basically fobbed me off saying “people sometimes have to live with chronic symptoms which have no physical cause” and told me to seek support for anxiety. So basically “fuck off”.

Firstly if they genuinely think I have such bad anxiety that it’s causing physical pain, surely they should be referring me to a support service. Not just telling me to get lost. Secondly it’s not anxiety - I am anxious about the pain but anxiety isn’t causing the pain. Thirdly I don’t think they’re correct. I can name at least three other people who were diagnosed with minor issues and told they were being ridiculous, only to later find out they actually had a condition which needed treatment. So I think it’s perfectly possible that the doctors are just shit and haven’t diagnosed what’s wrong.

No I don’t take any meds for anxiety. Because I know if I get side effects I’ll start shitting myself about “new symptoms”. Some of the side effects are nasty. I can do without any additional problems.

I'm really sorry you are being made to feel like that and feel like you aren't being taken seriously. Yes of course they should be offering support for anxiety if that's what they think is causing it.

A friend of mine had terrible trouble with rib pain and was then diagnosed with Costochondritis have you heard of it? Google and see if it sounds like it could be that?