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Health Anxiety

Just_a_dad
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Hi, so it seems I suffer from Health Anxiety. I was made aware if ugly by my GP earlier this year when i asked for a brain scan after 3 months of stabbing pains in the head. Personally i thought it was reasonable to be anxious!! I spoke with my wife about it in the same light, but she reminded me of other times where I had jumped to the "cancer" conclusion. There had been many. 

After a recent examination of the GP for a different ailment, he has asked for an emergency referral. My anxiety is through the roof. He saw something suspicious. I'm in a daze. I cannot think about anything else. Dr Google is on overtime. It would be normally but to refer me while the constraints of covid pandemic suggests only REALLY obvious diseases should be referred, makes me almost immobile with fear. Really really struggling. I also suspect after speaking to the hospital that j may not actually get an appointment. Am I going to end up as an unintended victim on covid? 

Funding it impossible to sleep and dreading work tomorrow. Not sure I get to dig my way out of this 

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    Hi Dad 

    Try and keep calm. Being urgently referred does not mean you have cancer. I was urgently referred to a clinic (dermatology) by my GP who said she would have to do this due to having a highly suspicious area. Within 15 minutes of arriving at the clinic, I was walking back out again with nothing wrong. 
     

    You don't say what your other ailment is (you don't have to of course) but it's likely that a great many other health conditions outside of cancer can cause your symptoms. 
     

    Do not google. Deliberately stop yourself. Tell yourself you're going through a rubbish time and that you're only going to do things that will make you feel better, not worse (you might think googling will offer you reassurance but it rarely does - it'll only fuel your panic). You won't find what you're looking for on there. 
     

    Let us know how you get on x

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    Hiya 

    I'm sorry your anxiety is so high right now and now worrying about the reasons you have been referred. Depending on what the doctor thinks will obviously depend if its something that needs seeing. Did he mention what he was worried about? 

    I only ask because there are a few departments who are still opperating and taking patients though with restrictioms at the moment. 

    Last monday i had a phone call from the cardiology department a day after i handed in a 5 day monitor for high heart rates and they said so you need to come in for a heart scan.....i was like eh? A what now? Why do i need to come for a scan? Freaking out slightly but when i got there and was just there process and how they work so you get a monitor and scan which i didnt kmow about haha i was freaking out over something they do all the time. I was think arghhh does that mean there is something wrong from tge monitor but they hadn't even looked at it.

    I hope you get answers soon and they are not bad news. I think its harder not knowing what is happening its so anxiety inducing and i can't even imagine how worried you are right now. Take things step by step and try not to worry unless you have too though i know this is easier said than done. 

    Take care x 

  • Offline in reply to citygirl111

    Thanks for the reply. Yeah it really doesnt matter what the new thing is. I've decided that no matter what, I need reprogramming. I cant go on with this mindset. I have two boys who i love for, and j owe it to them to be different. You're right, according to Google I'm on borrowed time!! So step 1 is to swerve Google and concentrate instead on self help techniques. Step 2 I haven't quite worked that out yet 

    The issue is that its constantly on my mind. I'm replaying the GP appointment over and over in my head to the point that I'm just confusing mysel . Did he say this? Did he say that? Why didnt k write stuff down? Etc. Basically I'm desperate for reassurance. I accept that isnt coming at the mo. 

    Thanks again. 

  • Offline in reply to Sammyg2010

    Colorectal. I rang them on friday and they said the case would be triaged by a consultant and on the basis of that I'd either get an appointment or not. Joy of Joys. 

  • Offline in reply to Just_a_dad

    Ahh colorectal. 

    Can i ask what your symptoms are its fine if not just ive been under gastro/colorectal for 18 months and had loads of tests so might be able to reassure you at least a little bit as ive now been discharged from them as nothing serious just need to manage the symptoms i have. 

    Take care x 

  • Offline in reply to Sammyg2010

    Sure. I had a telephone appointment for what I believed was a fissure, maybe 3 weeks ago. Second one I've had. I had one 15 years and it felt exactly the same. Being 15 years ago I couldnt quite remeber how long it lasted, I just remeber the pain I felt while driving with it. This was exactly the same. Didnt  really clear up after a few days of using the nitrate cream (couldnt get it in) and if anything got worse. I was clamped shut. Not getting anything up there. Tge stinging and burning became unreasonable. No more than 2hrs sleep, pacingbround the house all night. In and out of baths. Nothing. No relief whatsoever from anything. Thought I was going to go mad. So I rang the GP back the next day who sent me some numbing cream. Didnt work at all. So, k rang back and he asked me to go in. I was in agony. He DRE me and told me he would refer me urgently. Yes there was a fissure but he felt a lump as well. Didnt go in to any more detail other than to say it fekt rough underneath. I was in too much pain from the DRE (it had made me scream out). So dont know where the lump is or what "underneath" meant. 

    From what I've read DRE is bad practice when fissure can be seen. To be fair, he said it was inside. 

    So, that was thursday. I took friday off as i was just so tired. No way it hurts anything like it did. I can sit still now at least. Still clamped up and still aching. 

  • Offline in reply to Just_a_dad

    Ahhh right, i can see why you are worried a d i homestly hope the best for you. My friend suffers from fissures and was having bleeding and lumps felt and she was diagnosed with a flare up of her chrons and internal hemiroids. Obvioisly i am not a doctor but there can be so many things it could be other than cancers. I know its hard not to think the worse with anxiety and espesially with health anxiety it might be best to stay away from google if possible. I had symptoms of bloating/pain/ bleeding and feeling full and no appitite and theres history of bowel cancer in my mums side at a relatively young age. I hope you get answers soon xx 

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