This is all so sad and really unnecessary.  Do you know before Google mist people just thought, oh that's odd, haven't seen that before but ignored it and got on with life.  I don't think I've ever intimately examined myself like you have!!  You're very young and unfortunately as a woman we do get infections and problems in our water 0works but the antibiotics have worked because you no longer pass blood in your urine.  Life throws illness at us but its not all cancerous, do you know I'm now 73 years old and have never once thought I might have cancer.  My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer but he never worried about it even when he had it.  Life is to be lived, so try and relax and stop googling, our doctors are the ones to see us and we should trust in them more, perhaps then people may accept they don't have cancer instead of assuming they do and going out of their way to prove Dr Google knows more than a real person.  Please just enjoy life, do you realise that all the worry in the world cannot change the outcome.  Take care, Carol x 

Alice, at what point will you be satisfied that there is nothing wrong with you?  You are so young and you should be enjoying your life, not fretting over whether or not you have cancer.  I have stage 4 cancer, I am not going to reach an old age, and my husband is also dying...........we are both living on borrowed time, but we are determinded to enjoy whatever time we have left.  Truth is, we are ALL going to die one day, and no amount of doctors, and examinations and hospital visits is going to change that fact.  I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but there can't be an inch of your body that you have not examined in minute detail.  You know what Allice, I WOULD LOVE to be in your shoes...........a clean bill of health and my life in front of me, instead of which, I am heading towards an early grave, along with my husband.  For goodnss sake, stop googling, stop probing your body and get out and ENJOY your life, take care, Violet, x

Sorry to hear you are going through that.

It sounds like the UTI symptoms gave you a real fright (understandably) and got you thinking about your health. Which is understandable. But the reality is that there are probably many things that could cause your symptoms and cancer really is unlikely.

I agree that looking up multiple cancers probably isn't helping you right now. Google really is obsessed with cancer. I had a pain in my wrist once and "bone cancer" was one of the options that came up when I googled! Definitely take your doctor's word before google's; apart from anything else, your doctor knows your full history and can get more detail on how the symptoms are affecting you. Google just matches words so...well, "pain in wrist" can cover anything from the pain of a bruise to a broken arm to a burn and it's very hard to google in a way that specifies what type of pain (or bleeding or whatever the symptom happens to be) whereas a doctor will know the right questions to ask to determine if it falls into the "concerning" category.

After some bad experiences and the scary symptom you had last April, it's not surprising if you are a bit on edge about symptoms at the moment. Hopefully, it will start to pass as the symptom continues to abate and some time passes. If it doesn't, maybe talk to your doctor about the anxiety it's causing you?

And there is no reason to feel guilty. You had some worrying symptoms. Yes, you got reassuring results, but it's OK to experience worry. Especially if you've had bad experiences with doctors in the past.

The fact that it is sucking all your enjoyment out of life is concerning, but it's concerning because it's making you unhappy, not because you are doing anything wrong. Again, I would say if this does not start to improve, talk to your doctor about it, in case you are developing symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Hi there,

I had health anxiety when I was in my late teens, so a bit earlier than you, I was terrified of getting cancer and thought I'd got it.  I think my friends at the time were completely bemused and wondered what on earth was up with me.  You can't help how you feel.  You're probably suffering from general anxiety and it's manifested itself as health anxiety.  Sometimes this can be caused by witnessing the death of a loved one, but sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for it.

I would definitely speak to your GP, not to check out if you have cancer (unlikely), but to talk through how you're feeling and to get some counselling which I think will help you.

I have had breast cancer at 55, so I think back to how I was at 19.  My worst fears back then have materialised but I've had a good outcome and prompt treatment and it was all found very early which I'm thankful for.  I'm still here and feeling fine.

1:2 people may have a brush with cancer in their lives these days which is a startling statistic.  It's due to people living longer and more screening which is a great thing.  It may happen to you one day, or it may not.  The point is that you can't waste your life thinking that it will.  You need to put these thoughts away in a box in your head and start enjoying your life without this cloud of crippling anxiety ruining your happiness.  Im sure counselling will help, or perhaps short term medication.

Stay vigilant about your physical health and report anything unusual to your GP.  Im sure you will have many years of good health in front of you, but you must get some help with your anxiety.

Wishing you all the best.

Mary 

Hi Carol!

Firstly, thank you so much for replying. I'm really sorry to hear about your husband and sending you a big hug.

You're absolutely right as well, we can't change the outcome and I really do try to keep reminding myself of that and I know I'm lucky to be young and in pretty good health generally. I've put myself on a google ban and I'm really trying to think past it all and try and get on with life. I think with a mixture of horror stories you hear in the media and symptom checking/google searches, I've just scared myself!

Thank you again for replying, definitely helped me put it into perspective a little. X 

Violet, thank you so much for responding and I'm really sorry to hear of yours & your husbands circumstances. Although, it sounds as though we could all do with a bit of your attitude towards life.

I absolutely accept the way I am right now is totally ridiculous, but I guess in my head I keep fighting the 'is it gut instinct or am I overthinking?' but I think I know deep down I really am overthinking and ought to consider myself extremely lucky to be in the position I am.

Many thanks again for the reply, take care. X

Hey, thanks for your response I really appreciate it!

You're totally right, the UTI like symptoms really have given me a fright and I suppose the longer it went on, the more I got concerned, and with no real answer as to what it is, I decided to turn to google and it just went on and on from there. 

Your reply has really helped though actually. I never even stopped to consider that google just takes keywords and brings up every response imaginable. It's far too easy to get caught up and these things and before we know it, we've diagnosed ourselves. 

I've had anxiety on and off for years now, nothing comes close to this so far though. Which is sad really. Just so hard to shake off the 'what if's' you know?

My GP is totally aware of how worried and anxious I am about it all, but I have a feeling maybe she's getting a bit fed up!

Thank you again, take care. X

Hi it is understandable why you are feeling this way. It is always so overwhelming to see/ feel something that's not right. Every time one of my tests come normal, I don't believe it because then I wonder why I'm getting my symptoms.

It does seem like health anxiety is taking over your life so this does need to be addressed. Have you tried self help or contacted your GP about this?

I hope your appointment on Friday goes well. If you feel unsatisfied after your appointment, it is okay to ask to see a different clinician for a 2nd opinion. 

October does feel like a long time away. I remember being told my colonoscopy may take until October and I was feeling so impatient. I kept my GP updated with my symptoms though and now she thinks it's time for me to be on a 2 week wait referral.

It is unlikely that you'll have cancer at this age but it's still important to find out if you have a different condition which needs to be treated.

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your lovely mesage. Really pleased to hear of your good health too, that's really fantastic. 

You're right, at the moment, I just can't help how I feel - even though I am so desperate for it to stop. Somethings got to give!? My Sister In Law is the same age as me and got diagnosed with skin cancer about 4 years ago, she's absolutely fine and in great health now, but I think that scared me too. My Grandad was diagnosed with prostate cancer 2 years ago, but again was very lucky - it was treated successfully and he's also now in great health. My husbands great uncle did die last month due to cancer and it unfortunately going untreated for some time. He was quite late on in life so, as sad as it is, it was almost to be expected unfortunately. 

I've spoken to my GP about the anxiety side of things - which is why I think she's taking a look at me tomorrow and referred me for a cystoscopy (which is in October). She did say at the time that she didn't think it was anything to worry about but if it made me feel better she'd refer me. So that's good too. 

Again, thank you so much for your response, I really appreciate it and it's helped. Take care. X

Thank you so much for replying!

Means a lot to have people understand where I'm coming from. 

I have kept the GP in the loop on how my anxiety is effecting me and she did have me speak to a mental health nurse who I suppose told me that, although it's unlikely I have cancer, how I'm feeling is pretty valid. 

I hope, going forward, all goes okay for you though. Wishing you all the best and take care.

Thank you again for replying. X