Brown spot on nail, worried, advice please!

[stinger]

I think im scared of going to the doctor again. Firstly if he didnt think it was anything to worry about then i dont want to bother him by going back, ive done this before with other doctors and its always been them thats right and not me. I would absolutley FREAK if i was referred to a specialist because this has been there for so long now...i just want to stop worrying about it but are my worries rational or is it health anxiety? Ive shown my parents and my doctor and none seemed worried so maybe its just anxiety. I had mostly forgotten about it until i got the "sensations" in that toe but they seem to have mostly gone now, or ive noticed similar ones in the other foot as well. But it was enough to re-ignite my worries about this.

[randomworry]

stinger try and not look at the mark too much im sure its fine as doctor said try and find something very productive to do to take your mind of it.

all the best

[Primula]

Ok then, get yourself a good book on health anxiety, eg "It's Not All in You Head" by Amundsen and Taylor. I find this very helpful, when my HA is in full swing. Also try and distance yourself from the thought by saying something like "I'm having the thought that this mark could be cancer" and don't try to comfort yourself, just carry on doing what ever it was you were doing, and don't engage with your thoughts, just say "so what" to them. Books on Mindfulness are very good for HA and all other anxiety.

Also try not to keep checking the mark, this will make you more anxious to start with, but eventually you start to calm down.

Another thing to do is write down, "I have asked my Doctor and family if they think this mark is a sign of something serious, and they all say it is nothing to worry about".

Hope this helps

Good luck

[stinger]

thanks for that. I always just worry that the doctor doesnt know what hes looking for, and almost in the same way that i initially looked at it and thought "just a small mark, nothing to worry about" he probably just does the same. And then you read how only dermatologists are qualified to make these distinctions etc and it worries me that maybe he dismissed it too easily. I guess we have to assume that doctors know when something needs to be investigated further, and trust their opinion when it doesnt.

If i was sure that this was just in my head then i can deal with it, like you say i just focus on doing something else or dismiss the thoughts as irrational and its fine, i forget about it and get on with other things. But it does creep back into my mind as i logically cant think of any other explanation for this mark. Then i will forget about it again, then a week later start being concerned again except this time i will think "maybe i shouldnt keep ignoring this!?"

[Primula]

If this was me, I would definately go back to the doctor again, but this time tell him exactly what you fear this is and that you don't want to be a pest, explain you have a problem with HA. I'm sure he will give you an explanation of why he doesn't think it's anything to worry about. I know you dont want to go back, but you need to put this to bed.

[stinger]

Hi again, the thing is maybe i should go back but im scared to. Everything ive read online about this suggests than any discolouration under a nail that doesnt grow out with the nail is very suspicious and it doesnt offer any alternative to it being skin cancer. The only other options are bruise or fungus and my doctor specifically said that it was neither of those things! Ive gone from forgetting about this to being really worried again:( Everything i read says only dermatologists know about these kind of things, but it wasnt suggested that i see one. Even if i go back to the doctor, im not going to force them to give me a derm appointment because its just rude telling them how to do their job. I have no experience with doctors as i havent been since i was 16, im 22 now. It wouldnt be so bad if id got it looked at immediatley but BECAUSE ive suspected that i have health anxiety in the past, i told myself it was a small mark and nothing to worry about....now its been there SO long im not even gonna go into what my fears are:(

[Primula]

I think you need to face your fears, because even if this is what you fear, you probably couldn't feel any worse than you do now. You don't need to demand anything from your doctor, you just need to explain why you are worried, that is not being rude, or telling him how to do his job. If he think there is any cause for concern then he will refer you. Doctors are there to help you what ever you may read or hear. So go on, just feel the fear and do it anyway.
Good Luck

[stinger]

Do you think realistically there is reason to worry though? This doesnt seem to exhibit many of the symptoms, its just a mid brown mark near to the top edge of the nail...i dont think there has been any growth or change in the whole time ive had it, it isnt a line from the base to tip of the nail, and there is no pigmentation on the skin around the nail. There is also no logical explanation for what this and i havent found anything that really looks similar on the internet. Its irrational to think that without some kind of change or growth to this mark that i could be dying from it, right???

[randomworry]

yeah if it doesnt change there is no way it could do harm