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Temporal bone near ear bigger on one side than other

Kelly08
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I'm 28 years old and suffer a lot with anxiety , 2 weeks ago I had a severe acute pain in my side and the doctor sent me to A&E for bloods and a CT scan to see if it was gallstones or gallbladder which indicated inflammation and bloods we're fine so I was sent home I'm still waiting on a CT scan which has me worried and scared but only until I found when I opened my mouth one side of my jaw near my ear bone is quite a lot bigger than the other I've tried googling everything and came up with TMJ disorder which I calmed down and thought ok maybe this is it or what I have but I just can't seem to shake the feeling it's a lot more and all that comes up is ear cancer and temporal bone cancer it's basically the bone in the ear when you open your mouth it sticks out a little bit but this sticks out way more than the other side should I be really concerned or am I overreacting or would it have shown up in my bloods in any way if it was a tumor or cancer related please can anybody advise me on this I feel so helpless with my anxiety and thinking there's something wrong when there actually might not be or is it anything to actually worry about is this normal ? 

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    Hello Kelly08, 

    A warm welcome to our forum. 

    I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so anxious.  I see from your post that you have seen a doctor and  been to A and E and the results were reasuring but that you are still waiting for the CT scan results. When you are anxious it can be tempting to look for answers online, but this can end up increasing anxiety rather than making you feel better. So try to resist the urge to consult Dr Google who is famously unreliable. 

    Waiting for CT scan results can be really stressful and the best thing to do while you are waiting is to keep busy and distracted if you can. I know it is easier said than done but it will help you feel less worried. 

    If you feel you are struggling with health anxiety, the NHS have some helpful information about health anxiety here . You might also find it helpful to contact the helpline provided by the charity No Panic or to talk to others on a forum such as Anxiety UK. 

    We do hope you get the help you need and that you won't have to wait too long for your results.

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

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