Hello! :)

Hello everybody!

 

hope you're all okay(ish) in these worrying times. I was hoping someone can advise me please I have searched the forum and found similar threads with answers which is great but I want to elaborate on them for further advice if that's okay.

 

I had a mole which was flat, over the course of some months it became slightly raised then it eventually came kind of scabby and somehow it came off (not scratching) and it's  kinda going back to a scab.

 

now I know this is not necessarily cancer but the reason I wanted further advice is recently I been having heart pain / problems I went to the doctor who did an ecg which showed like a blip and he did a finger pulse monitor thing which showed a heartbeat of 49 bears per minute. Then even more recently I've had armpit pain groin pain which I've had in the past but went away so I didn't bother doing anything about it but when I went to see the doctor he was like one of the nodes in your neck is 2.5cm have you been sick recently and I was like I can't remember the last time I was sick? Also sometimes my head itches at night and I've had like really bad fatigue for about a year. I've also had alternating toilet issues including blood but they did a virtual ct colonoscopy and didn't find anything 

 

im 33 years old and I play a lot of football my weights gone up and down  a lot recently but I consider myself quite fit there is a history of cancer in my family but more on my mums side, I have had meningitis twice and a brain tumour (benign) as a baby but other than that nothing major. I have suffered with depression and bad  mental health for a long time. Oh and I still like to eat which I guess is a good sign! Coz my mum couldn't eat when she was ill with it.

 

with regards to the heart thing I've been referred to a cardiologist and with the lymph node i been referred for a ultrasound which could take a while given covid and people with cancer etc needing help more urgently which i completely understand cancer is what killed my mum so I would defo want other people getting help first especially the elderly I actually refuse to visit my gp atm coz I don't want to take a slot from someone else so I just communicate with them via email. 

 

my question is this are any of the symptoms I've listed above associated with any specific type of cancer. I appreciate it might not be cancer at all but I just wanna see if they match a criteria, I'm not scared of dying I'd just want to know if I was sick so I could write a will etc and look after people I love.

 

swollen lymph node (2.5cm) but also irritating nagging like a poking in both armpit d and occasional groin.

digestive problems 

low heart rate / abnormal ecg 

fatigue 

itchy head at night but also itching under the skin in general at times 

I had severe chest pain which was diagnosed as costochondritis but I thought I was having a heart attack.

mouth and tongue problems 

 

this is it, sorry for the essay I have been to a doctor so just awaiting help but I feel anxious and just thought I'd ask my questions to people who would have good knowledge with lived experience! Hope you're all okay and for those who are currently ill that you're feeling okay! And the cancer stays away!

 

thanks in advance for any help or comments anyone can give.

 

im sorry if this is in the wrong place admins!

 

much love 

 

Sean X 

 

 

  • Hi Sean.

    It's not clear from your post, but did you show the mole to the doctor?  If not, then I recommend you do so.

    The problem with listing your symptoms is that most of us aren't medically qualified, and I think that someone who is qualified would not be able to make a meaningful diagnosis without giving you an examination.

    I think that your best option is to return to your GP and explain your fears.

     

  • Hello! :) 

     

    thanks for replying to me, I know the individuals on here aren't medically trained I just wondered if the symtoms listed were indicative of cancer symptoms like I know a lot of the symptoms are symptoms of other things as well because I am going back to GP but I felt anxious in the meantime and didn't want to google.

     

    I didn't show the mole because I had so many other things making me feel ill I didn't really think about the mole because it didn't hurt and at the time it hadn't come off but I am going to go back but not until after my ultrasound on the 20th but I felt really anxious so I thought I'd ask.

     

    thank you for answering me, have a lovely day! :) X

  • You are right not to Google, because whenever you do, inevitably cancer comes up as a possibility, even when the chance of cancer is tiny. 

     

    I think you shouldn't wait to show the mole to the doctor.  It's probably nothing, but any change to a mole should be flagged up.  It will also give you a legitimate reason to discuss your other symptoms.

  • I avoid google which is why I tried here because I know people would be more likely to help rather than just answer cancer to everything. Yeah you're right I guess I just feel bad because I know their so busy coz of covid and I don't want to take a doctors time which could be used for someone really really sick but I'll send them a photo via email and see what they think.

     

    i got my letter today for my scan and it says US guided biopsy neck, does that mean they're putting a needle in? The doctor just said I was having a scan :( 

     

    thanks for all your time answering it means a lot! Have a nice evening X 

  • Any changes to a mole should be referred to a doctor, so please don't let this drop.  It's probably nothing but better safe than sorry.  They may be busy with covid, but that doesn't mean that every other health concern should be put on the back boiler.  I think that particular lesson was learned during the first lockdown.

     

    Regarding the ultrasound scan, if they do a biopsy it most likely will be done via a needle.

  • Hey - thank you very much for all your help I know you're right and I should ask for help it's just cancer is what killed my mum and she waited and from the time she waited it went from stage 2 to like 4 really quickly and I don't anyone else having that, I got bad depression and mh problems so I tend to fluctuate between worrying about myself and not caring about myself at all but I'll defo chase it up.

     

    awww that's what I was worried about the doctor said just a scan I don't really like hospitals but I guess it is what it is.

     

    thank you very much for all your help I really appreciate it! You're very kind - hope you have a nice night! And thank you again :) <3

     

    kind regards

     

    Sion

  • Don't worry too much about the apparent change from a scan to a biopsy.  Remember that the hospital has never seen you and has no reason to think there's anything seriously wrong with you - so the most likely reason for the change is that it's just hospital policy to always take a biopsy when they've got you, because it saves time later on. 

     

    Many medics seem to take a biopsy whether or not there's any particular evidence that it's really needed.   Two years ago I had a throat endoscopy under general anaesthetic.  When I woke up I received a message from the surgeon that he could see nothing obviously wrong, but he'd taken a couple of biopsies anyway.   They came back clear a couple of weeks later.

  • Hello - good morning!

     

    ahhh that makes sense it just scared me coz I though it was just a scan and when I saw biopsy I was panicking, because I had a brain tumour when I was little so hospitals kinda make my heart pound!

     

    thats good that they came back clear! Yeah I guess it makes sense to take it at the time just in case to avoid a second unnecessary trip to hospital I googled it and it doesn't sound very nice a needle in the lymph node but I guess there's much worse things that people have to go through with so if it happens I guess so be it! 
     

    thanks for messaging again - hope you have a nice day! :)