Tiny red dots on skin

[John_Daryl]

Iv got these on my arms mainly, an a couple on my thighs.
Iv read its petechiae and its linked to lymphoma which iv already got a huge concern about :(.

They are really concerning me, iv looked up what they are on the net and it says its caused by low platelets on the blood, and iv had blood tests recently and they came back fine. So what could this be.

Im constantly thinking about cancer, thinking i have it, and what id do if i had it, its taking over my life and i dont know what to do.

[randomworry]

hey daryl please try and relax, you do not have cancer. those red dots are normal everyone has blemishes and things.

[stinger]

If you mean really tiny red dots like . size then i have quite a few of them on my arms and when i was younger i asked the doctor about them and she said its totally normal. They are just part of your complexion.

[Anxious_gal]

do they look like pin picks? cause those are very normal

[randomworry]

yeah i think the best way to explain dots is like part of complexion like stinger said if you are white you tend to have red dots and if you are black black dots. Essentially we are not a oil painting smooth and matt with one single color!!

[marley]

You know what, I'm going to be honest and harsh. You're at the stage now where no amount of coddling and empathy will help you.

First, the facts.

By the time lymphoma causes petechiae, it's at stage 4b - which means it is in the bone marrow. It also means that the white cell count would be phenomenally high, and the red cell count phenomenally low. The low platelets are what cause petechiae, which are probably not even what you have. Most people who think they have petechiae actually have either burst capillaries, or (even more likely) normal spots made more obvious by the cortisol release in the body during stress, which draws colour away from the skin.

IT WOULD ALSO BE INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS TO YOURSELF, YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR FAMILY. YOU WOULD BE VERY VERY SICK.

Look, I'm being curt with you because I've been in your boat. It took away time from my life that I'll never get back. It almost killed me. I ended up carting myself to the emergency room in hysterics and the doctors begged and pleaded me to get counselling. That was in March. I've not had a single panic since then. Not even a little one.

You're addicted to the fear, addicted to doing online amateur 'research', and thus completing a neat cycle of addiction. There is nothing online that can help you if you don't want to be helped.

You're afraid of lymphoma taking your life, but you're perpetuating your own health hysteria in a way which is as dangerous to your body as a disease itself.

[randomworry]

listen to marley...............he is so wise and i myself am becoming wise to this disorder too. yes i still have intrusive thoughts where i think i have undiagnosed neck cancer etc but you have to try your best to focus on the real world away from your thoughts.

trust me if you worry too much you will be sicker than if you even had lymphoma. In fact it may seem mad but i would rather have lymphoma than health anxiety because that way you have a clear end in sight i.e. you fight until you are physically well.

with health anxiety it seems almost endless.

stop now stop now. trust me!!

[daybyday]

I have had, and have tiny red dots come and go, some stay longer. I read they are often aging dots. No worry. But now I'm scared.
And I was doing so well for weeks taking grasp of fearful thoughts and symptoms.

[Typer]

Daryl, have you any ideas why you get worried you have cancer? Did you know someone who died of it, or has something scared you to make you feel so anxious about it?

[daybyday]

Thank you Marley for being so upfront with us. Often times we need someone to say "ok, get a grip". You and others are like a reset button when we spiral out of control.