Health anxiety #4

[Tommyb]

Sounds like an infected hair follicle! Very common and annoying but not usually serious at all. The fact that it’s popped means it’s on its way out.
annoyingly, unless you’re a smoker (stop) or diabetic (get your diabetes more controlled), there’s not really anything you can do to stop it happening - just shit luck! Aside from cleaning yourself obviously but if you’re worried enough about it to be posting on a forum, I assume you’re also worried enough to be keeping up with basic hygiene

Haha good points. Not a smoker or diabetic. It's been months of it swelling then going down so I'm thinking the infection just need a bit of help so hopefully an antibiotic ointment or something from the doc. That's what I thought about it popping but it's gone down a bit but still very big. I'm very clean I swear!.

As long as it's not a lymph node I'm ok with it taking time. That's why I was relieved when it popped!

 

[QueenBW]

So I have a weird humming/muffled feeling in my left ear. It started last Thursday after I used earphones for too long. And maybe too loud. Then it went away over the weekend. Then on Monday like an idiot I used them again and it restarted.

I'd obviously convinced myself it's a brain tumor or MS.

And then I started having a scratchy throat.

So now I'm like... Coincidence? Covid? Something else?

This close to Christmas I truly can't cope with my health anxiety .

 

[Lendawg]

Hello,

Was just wondering if anyone had tried acupuncture to help with their anxiety and any reviews?

Thanks

 

[VeryNiceVeryEVIL]

You’re spiralling…it sounds more like a polyp to me.

My Dad had bowel cancer and he was in a lot of pain before being diagnosed and had a lump in his abdomen. I’m sure the Dr would have felt your abdomen?

9 out of 10 cases of bowel cancer are in people over 60 (my Dad was 73).

I have some or your symptoms but I have external piles.

Hopefully you get the date for your colonoscopy soon and reassurance when you get the results.

Do you suffer from health anxiety or is this the first time ?

Oh no I definitely suffer from health anxiety

Severely

Yeah the doctor has felt my abdomen but I've been feeling it too and have bumps in my abdomen. Don't know if that's normal or not.

Hopefully it'll be soon because I just need to know now
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I couldnt read and run.

I think your worry here is fairly normal to be honest… it must be scary to have blood for an unknown reason in your bowels. I had bowel trouble earlier this year which I also had cancer fears about… felt a heaviness and like Something was falling out everytime i went to the loo. Turned out it was haemorrhoids, anal skin tags and some polyps. Got it all banded and now I am much better. I think the awareness of bowel cancer is great but it does make you leap to that when there are other very likely causes!

Luckily they will check it. The colonoscopy isn’t in too long, so you will have an answer either way fairly soon.

I hope you find a way to get some peace before your colonoscopy. health anxiety and general anxious rumination is an absolute bitch…

I really appreciate your reply

Don't know if it means much but the blood isn't actually in my stool. Just on top and when I wipe.

It's definitely a heaviness that I feel and a fullness in my bum all the time

Hopefully it'll be soon.

 

[lorballs]

Ooooh gosh I'm starting to get really nervous for my appointment on Wednesday. I'm having to have a biopsy on a lump on my toe joint. It popped in November and has slowly come back. I've been waiting 3 weeks for the appointment and for the most part have been fine but now it's pretty close, I'm feeling really scared that it could be something horrendously bad

Have u any soreness stiff ness etc some Arthrits can cause lumps etc the pop and puss espically around joints

 

[IllBredHen]

I've found my people. Sitting u with a sharp lower right abdomen pain and know I won't sleep worrying if its my appendix or my gallbladder or my right ovary.

It's probably fucking trapped wind but I can kiss my sleep for the night goodbye

How are you feeling today?

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this. Doesn’t anyone work night shifts and notice a change in their bowels when working nights?
I have googled it and it does seem to be a thing. Although it does occasionally happen when I’m not working as well, but again it’s usually when I’m on away from home. Doesn’t often happen when I’m home and not working. I get soft stools/diarrhoea, bloat, stomach pain and gassy stomach. I also get a tiny bit of blood on toilet paper but I think that might be due to the bad quality toilet paper at work as I don’t remember seeing it any other time.
When I was at college so nearly 10 years ago I did get bloated quite badly and maybe diarrhoea more often than expected and mentioned it to my doctors and she said it’s likely just IBS. So since she said that I’ve just coped with it since as it’s not all the time.
The other week when working I didn’t eat during my shift for a few days, just before and it was much better. So I think it’s due to the times I am eating mainly, so I might stop eating at night again and see if it improves. I know I need to improve my diet as well. Sorry if TMI, just been thinking over the last few weeks if I should bother to go to the doctor or not

 

[Suzesnooze]

Next drama for me...

3 days of sore tummy pain, bloating and bright green poop.
Recently learnt an old friend has stage 4 bowel cancer which came from nowhere so now I'm freaking out I've got something bad.
I literally can't believe it's been 2 weeks since the all clear from my prior concerns and now here I am again, back down another rabbit hole.

Logic brain tells me I had a colonoscopy about 2 years ago that was fine so hopefully that has me safe for anything bowel related but so many other things to worry about

Definitely get that checked out.

 

[Suzesnooze]

Just got back from my appointment at last, she couldn't find anything wrong with my lump but she wasn't paying attention to the spot I was trying to show her so I'm guessing she was just looking for lymph nodes and my lump isn't one?

My teenage son has had a lump in a similar place to yours for ages too. I’ve never taken him to GP about it as it’s never got any bigger. If the GP wasn’t concerned I would be reassured as you said you’ve had it a long time so if you rationalise it then you know it can’t be anything serious in that case.

 

[VeryNiceVeryEVIL]

I have my colonoscopy today and I'm really scared that it's going to be bad and they are going to tell me I'm terminally ill

 

[Suzesnooze]

So I haven’t got the main symptoms like weight loss, blood in stool etc. I get heart burn a lot, some chest pain, feeling sick etc, really tired which I know can be a lot of other things and it probably is my anxiety. I’ve just got myself worked up because she only mentioned these symptoms and then said what it was so I think I’m spiralling. I keep getting a lot of these type of things on my fyp even though I try and avoid anything illness related so it just made me worry

It sounds more like indegestion or reflux. If you go to the GP they might prescribe you some indegestion medication.

I know what you mean though about your fyp as I get the same things but I try to just scroll on past.

 

[lorballs]

So from Halloween night I’ve been vomiting and now have bright yellow diarrhoea I still feel like absolute poop I’m really dehydrated and can’t keep anything down.. of course my minds on overdrive as I have underlying conditions like gall stones and nafld

 

[toffeejelly]

I went to my doctor yesterday with pain under my armpit that’s been there for months and she found a lump on my breast. I have been referred urgently for an ultrasound and potentially a biopsy. I am convinced I’m going to be told I’ve got breast cancer. Any advice?!

 

[mcgee]

My health anxiety is through the roof. I’ve had a mole / freckle on my toe for years and years and I’ve noticed that it’s got darker and bigger. I got it checked 3 years ago and it was fine. My health anxiety has me convinced it’s something sinister and I’m struggling to function normally, the anxiety is crippling. Getting it checked on Friday but it still seems so long to wait.

 

[toffeejelly]

Does anyone suffer from headaches and dizziness? I do have anxiety but I’m unsure if it’s something serious or if it’s an anxiety attack. I’ve been given tablets from the doctors but nothing is helping yet. I’ve also got an opticians appointment next week but I’m a bit worried

 

[toffeejelly]

I have the doctors and opticians next week as I’ve been struggling with headaches and dizziness for a few weeks now. He thinks it’s migraine and I’ve been prescribed propranolol but I feel like it’s making me more dizzy. I dunno if my anxiety is worse thinking it’s something more than a migraine or what

 

[Honeystar]

I’ve had an awful cough since the weekend, was feeling totally poo, I feel fine now just the cough still but every time I cough I get a searing pain on one side of my head … I’m freaking out that it’s a sign of a brain tumour or I’m about to have a brain bleed or something… please tell me this is normal???

 

[ChampagneBox]

I'm having some health issues right now and have been for most of the year. It doesn't help that I have severe health anxiety.

Long story short, I'm having a colonoscopy soon as I've been having rectal bleeding and had a positive FIT test.

The doctor said that she thinks I have a fissure and that's whats causing the blood but I've been having abdominal pain and gastro symptoms too so I'm terrified that I have bowel cancer. I feel like food is going through me so quickly and my bowel habits have definitely changed.

My bloods are fine but my health anxiety is telling me that they could be and I could still have terminal bowel cancer.

Got a phone appointment with a colorectal nurse on Thursday so we'll see what happens from there!

I had the same symptoms as you, had a colonoscopy, only 1 benign polyp was found!! do you often get tummy ache/gastro stuff when you’re anxious?
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My forearm and hand felt dead today for an hour or so, you know the dull achy sensation just before you get pins and needles? It’s triggered my fear of MND again anyone else get dead arms when spending too much time at a laptop/pc?

 

[Suzesnooze]

thanks so much for that reply. this lump does slide a bit from side to side. just don't know why that nurse said non mobile. it being smooth/smooth edges is a good thing I think x

While you wait for your appointment why don't you phone your Surgery and tell them what you have read and say it's concerning you as this isn't what she said in your presence and ask if it's a possible error?

 

[Vidyagaymes]

Does anyone else have experience with haemorrhoids? I have them flare up every now and again (external ones). I had a colonoscopy 2.5 years ago which was clear. Recently I had a lot of bleeding so went to the Dr. She wasn't concerned but sent me to a specialist and he had a little nosey and was also not concerned.
We are currently away but they are bleeding a lot (assume it's them) and it's pretty uncomfortable down there! I'm using an over the counter cream which is helping but only a little bit.
I'm obviously paranoid it's something more serious but Dr dismissed me last time and said my colonoscopy results are good for 5 years at least.

What would you do? Back to the Dr to push for more answers? Or just regular annoying heamorroids...?

Go back! If it’s bleeding again and irritating you do tell them again. They might send you off with cream again, they might also send you back to the specialist. I think with chronic things like this it’s good to go every time so they have a note about it and maybe you can be referred for surgical treatment eventually?

(I also have haemorrhoids… mine have also flared up recently after having had them banded in July… gonna go back in the new year to get them sorted again.)