I went to Dr Google now I'm terrified

[extraketchup]

For a week or so I've had upper back pain, mainly centrally above my bra strap but can move to the left. No recollection of injury.

Today I went to the GP, a new one, she examined me still clothed and said muscular but I would have an X-ray. Didn't listen to my chest (the lungs are there, right?). I do have asthma and chronic hyperventilation.

She told me to stay on top of pain relief, use heat and massage and should improve in 4-6 weeks but X-ray will dot the i's as upper pain is less common.

Last week, separately I had to have blood tests for another issue, various screens and they all came back normal.

Now, I've stupidly googled and I've been diagnosed with lung cancer. Ffs I'm terrified.

I'm 30 and do have severe health anxiety but man this has shaken me up.

Oh I get this all the time. I have really big boobs though, I seem to strain something there when I reach round to put my bra on. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Wish I could say the same. 30c

If you Google for long enough you'll find cancer as a result for any symptom: you'll drive yourself mad.

Jelly it was the first search but yes you're right

Am sure you'll be fine OP - do you have any of the other symptoms relating to lung cancer?

I only ask - honestly not to alarm you - but because I have health anxiety too and I realised I used to focus in on the one symptom I had - so for example (and apologies for the flippancy and over exaggeration) I'd google "death guaranteed disease" and the symptoms would be something like:

• Yellow horns growing from head
• Hands developing luminous glow in the dark spots *Coughing up small mammals *stomach ache

And I'd focus entirely on the stomach ache and ignore the other symptoms. Now when I'm in a health anxiety moment and have succumbed to Dr Google, I force myself to read out each symptom aloud and say yes or no to it. I find that this approach makes me more conscious that I may have 1/2 a symptom of a list of 10 rather than ignore 9 1/2 and focus on the one bit that is relevant to me.

I'm not sure if this would help but thought I'd share and for upcoming x-ray - am sure it will be as the Dr thought.

you should google “upper back muscles” - there are loads and they can hurt for all sorts of reasons

not to mention referred pain from a trapped nerve in shoulder/neck could cause that pain.

it could be anything like you strained it when opening the fridge door, or you’ve been sleeping funny and tweaked it.

you could search for some yoga or “upper back physio” and do some of the stretches/exercises and see if that helps.

ive had extremely bad health anxiety for almost 10 years but its settled down now that i take low dose sertraline - would that be something you would consider if this is something that you deal with regularly?

According to Dr Google, I’m not actually here typing this, I should have been dead a long time ago and several times since. I know how you feel I’m exactly the same but honestly if being in the medical profession was as simple as referring to Dr Google there would be no need for years and years of medical training and exams. I told a dr recently that Dr Google had said xyz and he laughed and said I should have asked Dr Yahoo for a second opinion. Hope you’re ok soon.

Coughing up small mammals

😂 I can (almost) guarantee that I'll have developed that symptom by the morning! Health anxiety is a bugger.

Isn't it more likely the X-ray is to see your spine rather than look for lung cancer as a cause for your back pain? Don't even use phrases like 'I have been diagnosed with lung cancer' in the hypothetical- you HAVEN'T and indulging in that type of wording even mentally or online is feeding your health anxiety (I suffer from it too and know I must be stern with myself!) Get some treatment for your sore back (heat, massage, painkillers etc) and work on your anxiety which is probably not helping your tense back muscles!

Are you stressed? I get a terrible upper back pain when I'm stressed, feels like I've been literally stabbed in the back.

So so sooooooo many reasons for upper back pain - muscular, reflux, pleural - the list really is huge.

Cancer starts off in pretty much all cases with symptoms that fit into the symptoms of a tonne of other illnesses/conditions, hence why it appears in so many symptom searches as a possibility. Mouth ulcer? Cancer. Stomach pain? Cancer. Feeling tired? Cancer. I could go on.

Health Anxiety is a bitch, I suffer from a very specific version of it myself - CBT works wonders though.

Woke up with this yesterday morning. I get it once in a while when I managed to totally tense my self with stress and if I sleep on my back that night.

I've had a lung collapse before and the pain is similar but if it was both lungs I certainly would feel much worse. Its a vicious circle, you get anxious, you tense, you get more anxious.