Stressed out/health anxiety

Hi there 

I'm in a situation right now where both of my parents have cancer and I don't know if it's a subconscious thing but every symptom I have I google it and it's stressing me out beyond belief. 
 

I have had a funny noise when I breathe out deeply for some time it's on and off and I feel like I'm not getting enough air when I breathe in (when I breathe out hard it's like a really deep husky wheezy noise) and when I cough it's obvious and it makes me cough so much I'm almost heaving (booking doc appt for this week). I also noticed some swelling on my groin lymphnodes (I'm sure? At least it looks different to usual). I have also been seeing so many videos on tiktok about skin cancer and moles and I have a mole that's diff colours with a rough edge but it's been like that for as long as I can Remeber. 
 

I am so stressed I don't know if any of the above is actually serious or I'm just so stressed with my personal life that I'm overthinking these things, the cough is most concerning as it's effecting me daily but I also had a pretty horrible flu just after Xmas, however it's a dry cough and this wheezy breathing out thing seems to have been on and off for a bit (could b allergies I guess).
 

Is anyone else going through anything similar? How do I try and not stress myself prior to the docs appt? I'm not sleeping well as it is :( 

 

thanks 

 

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    It is good to know that you have a GP appointment coming up, until then I am afraid that we cannot tell you what is the matter. However, I do know that your symptoms are not necessarily anything to do with cancer, but getting checked out is the best thing to do.

    Waiting to be seen can be stressful so I hope you have some support. And I hope you can stop searching online for a diagnosis as doing this cannot tell what is the matter but can cause worry and anxiety.

    I see you want to know if anyone else is going through something similar, that is good and might help you cope better. However, you may find you get more responses from other people if you post in another area , see the list of these on the left side of this page. 

    I am sorry to hear that both your parents have cancer and I can appreciate that this is adding to the worry you have. I hope you have some support and will be okay, do come back to us if you need to. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Take care

    Caroline