Health anxiety issues, ovary problems.

[Letitallout]

Name changed....
Im 31 and have pcos and last had scans oct 2013 all fine, but the last few weeks I have been getting pain in ovaries, my health anxiety is steering my mind into thinking the worst :( (ovarian c) seen my gp 2 weeks ago and she didn't seem concerned and since then I have been getting more symptoms such as pains in both thighs then I woke up yesterday feeling bloated and full and have had 2 bouts of diarrhea in that time.
I do however have ibs but it's never like this :(
Can't see the gp untill week after next, I'm ill with worrying which is making my bowels worse, also the top part of my stomach feels like I need to burp but can't, it is also making weird noises.
I am crying as I type this, and can't stop googling :(

Calm down! Get a grip! :)
It's not cancer. You are far too young, you have IBS and you had scans a year ago.

All the symptoms you describe are classic IBS.
Look at your diet and go online to read about the FODMAP diet for IBS which has 75-80% success. See if you can cut out some of the foods that are the worst for IBS and see how you go.

Thanks for reply :)
Still feel the same, can't see how ibs contributes to leg pain though

Ibs often masks oc :(

Look- the signs of ovarian cancer that cause bloating etc are when there is a huge tumour. This is an end stage of ovarian cancer. Look at the facts: ovarian cancer is very rare in women under 40. (I was screened for OC for 2 years due to having a cyst and being over 50 so I know what I'm on about!)

The risk of you having ovarian cancer is minute - almost zero because a) you are young b) you had a scan last year so anything on your ovaries would have been picked up and c) you don't really have the symptoms of late stage ovarian cancer anyway.

I suggest you look at the website of the charity Ovacome and see what is there.

Leg pain is not a sign of OC anyway- but it can be a symptom of period pain or IBS.

Try to stop worrying because you are really exaggerating your worries out of all proportion.

The issue here is your health anxiety. So, no matter how much we reassure you it's not OC ( it isn't by the way ) , you won't be satisfied

Stop googling , immerse yourself in a book/ box set / anything to take your mind off it and see your doctor about getting your HA under control

You probably do have some further IBS symptoms or a bit of a bug. What you don't have is cancer

Hey OP.

I have severe health anxiety and really struggling right now. I currently think a mole is cancerous despite a GP telling me two weeks ago it is fine.

I have also worried about Ovarian cancer.

Like others said, it is very very rare in adults your/our age. Usually by the time symptoms appear it is too late and there would be no doubt you had it.

I have been crying most of the weekend off and on about my stupid mole.

Please PM me anytime. Sounds like we both could do with someone to talk to right now

thanks for reassuring me, I hate health anxiety, it really puts a dampner on things :(
i have managed to get an emergency appointment tomorrow so hoping that helps.

u2 its awful living like this :( im sure your mole is fine :)
shall pm you :)

I am in a real state at the moment about my sister. She is 30 and has bleeding and a lump in her vagina. She has been referred and I'm in a far worse state than she is. I can't sleep or concentrate I'm worrying so much :(

Well I have a dr appointment this evening.
Yesterday when I woke up, the full feeling had subsided a little but remained all day. Mild niggling pain in pelvis off and on.
I woke up this morning with the same feeling but also actually felt like being sick but tried to remain positive untill I got weighed and have lost 3lb since Friday :( this is not good , I know exactly why though, because I feel full, it is not unexplained.
I am distraught, very irritable this morning with the kids.
Can anyone please explain bloating to me . I am overweight by 2 stone and do have a mummy tummy, so how would I know if I was bloated. I don't feel like the fullness is in my lower stomach, only the upper.
Tmi but I have had several episodes of loose stools, now they are beginning to get softer.
Part of me is thinking and hoping it's gastro related but then I have most of the symptoms of oc.
I can't bear the thought of it.
And I'm so sorry for coming on here and sounding so negative but health anxiety is an awful illness in itself :(

ihave what are you thinking it could be ?

Possibly a wheat intolerance.
have you looked at the FODMAP /IBS diet I mentioned?

Get a grip! You don't have ovarian cancer. You need treating for your mental health issues.

When you see your GP, as well as discussing your physical symptoms, have a chat with them about your health anxiety. Have you spoken to your GP about it before? I found CBT very helpful. Also the website No More Panic was good for me, have a look at it.

I have a lot of the same symptoms and its IBS related, constant bloating, pain etc. I know it's not ovarian cancer as I'm pregnant and had an early scan a few months ago at which I know they checked my ovaries.

You need treatment for the IBS/digestive issues and for the anxiety. The anxiety is no doubt making your digestion much worse, making your anxiety worse, a vicious circle. Let your GP know about both.

pink yes was already fmiliar with Fodmap and have cut down on a lot of things already.
Just keep thinking if this is all down to my ibs, how come iv never had it this bad before .

I have had cbt previously but I was on a waiting list and by the time it came to my turn, I was ok and didn't really have any issues, it seems to be there at a time I don't need them, then when I need them I have to wait, by which time iv managed to self help.

I realise I do have bad health anxiety and this year I have had 3 bouts of it, in the past I have had about 6+over the course of the year! I even paid to see a homeopathist to help combat it to no avail.

The gp I'm seeing tonight is not my usual gp, can't see her untill next Monday, so have a feeling she won't be able to see me properly as she doesn't know me.

I'm very familiar with the no more panic forum, infact it helps me to see threads started by me so I can see if iv been through this before.

Really appreciate all of the reassurance :)

But the point is that IBS comes and goes- it doesn't stay the same with the same level of symptoms. If you keep a diary of what you eat then you may see a pattern- could be something simple like onions or garlic in something, or alcohol?

Forget homeopathy- it's a scam- it really does not work.

OC in women under 45 is almost unheard of. Your issues are IBS and an vivid imagination! Try to stop worrying all the time. This is what is making you have worse IBS.

I do try to stop my imagination running then another symptom crops up and so the vicious circle starts again.

OP your comment you made about the doctor not being able to assess you properly because she's not your usual doctor is absolutely classic health anxiety . You're already making excuses as to why whatever she says will not be enough reassurance for you. You will never be reassured because the issue is mental not physical. You need to get help - even if you feel well at the time - you need to do this for yourself and also for your children.

Force yourself to stop the panicking and actually tell yourself you're benign ridiculous. You are ill yes but it is a mental illness and you've refused help in the past.

You really need to give yourself a shake and face up to what the real issue is.

It has happened in the past, where there was a locum dr that didn't want to refer me for a test until she had spoken to my regular gp that's where that has came from.

It's not that I have refused help at all, like I mentioned earlier, the cbt is a long waiting list.

I thought you said you refused cbt when your turn came?

What wAs the issue the locus refused to refer you ? Although they didn't refuse did they? Just delayed it a bit.

You're in total denial.

I had 1 appointment of cbt, I had been on the waiting list for 9 weeks and when it came to my turn i was at a good place mentally and after seeing the therapist for an hour we both agreed that at that time it did not seem applicable for me to continue the cbt. They can only keep their records open for 6-8 weeks and she said I could phone up within that time to self refer. However there wer no other issues to that time so I got discharged.
Second time around was when I had breast pain, I got reffered and the waiting time was 7 weeks but again in that time I had an ultrasound on my breast and my pains subsided so I rang up to cancel as feel there are others more in need.
Locum said she needed to double check with my gp that it was ok to refer me for a brain scan given that she 'knew' me better, severe headaches for several month, turned out to be hemiplegic migraines.

Pink frocks / do you have experience of HA? Comments like ' get a grip ' and ' you just have a vivid imagination ' suggest you don't. Would you tell someone with depression to ' snap out of it ? ' or somebody with a broken leg to stop limping and walk normally?

HA is a form of OCD and it's hard to get on top of. And contrary to popular belief , it isn't hypochondria and people who suffer with it do actually know on some level that they don't actually have cancer. It's just an overwhelming sense of panic that needs dealing with

It's not helpful to given reassurances re the imagined cancer. It's helpful to encourage support from the doctor and diversion tactics

You might be better off posting this in mental health OP if you're really suffering with the HA. You possibly won't be told that you're in denial or to get a grip. You need robust, positive advice from your GP ASAP

Hope you are ok op. I have health anxiety and I have all the symptoms you are getting ( along with very heavy, painful periods ), I have been having these symptoms for almost 2 years on and off and I had a scan last year which didn't find anything other than a few small cysts, it still doesn't stop me worrying. I also have a mole I need to get checked out ( I had one removed 2 years ago after a biopsy came back looking dodgy ), trouble is my anxiety about picking up illnesses stops me from going to the gp as I'm worried about catching something whilst I'm there so I end up on google ( never a good idea ).

Ok well what I'd do, and have, is write down now how awful the anxiety is right now and take that to the GP and then the therapist . You need treatment long term not just when you're in the thick of it.

I had / have health anxiety but am much better in the last year. It's awful but it needs facing up to and treating.

I am sorry, but I can't get a fucking grip and neither can the OP right now.

If I could get a grip I wouldn't have spent all these years in a mess.

OP we have spoke today, you know what I think xx

Thanks for all replies :)
I try to disregard the negative comments as I know some people don't understand how bad ha really is.
I have a list written with all of my symptoms ready to see the dr tonight.
Guess I just find it hard to believe that I have managed with pcos and ibs with very little symptoms so why would they suddenly flare up now
The full feeling im getting is the scariest part, because I am hungry but just feel full, also I don't think I am bloated -well there is no distension of hardness.
Guess I will just have to wait and see.
I have far too much time on my hands at present despite 3dcs and working 35 hours, it's mainly an evening when dh is on nights I have plenty of time to dwell and google!!!
Don't really want to ruin my life constantly worrying and will do anything to combat this ha :)

You need to sign up for CBT again, and follow it through, even if you don't think you have any active HA symptoms at the time. Good luck.

I don't think I'll ever conquer my HA and still read through and refresh my CBT information years later, but I'm a hell of a lot better than I was.

First thing to start with is to stay away from Dr Google .