Is it unreasonable to worry about the same symptom for 8+ years? [Lymphoma Fears]

[Firstprime]

I've had two hard, mostly immovable, lymph nodes on my head for over 8 years now. For the last 2.5 years I've suffered from serious health anxiety, mostly centred on lymphoma and other cancers.

There have been many other issues and symptoms involved (check my previous posts for more on those...), but it was the long term worry over the two original nodes/lumps that originally caused me to develop HA.

Is it unreasonable to still be concerned about those original lumps considering how long I've had them? As far as I can tell they haven't grown or changed noticeably since I first found them.

I suppose my worry now is the symptoms I've developed or noticed more recently (other lumps/nodes, moles, aches, pains, spots, itchy skin, night sweats, headaches, sore throat, acid reflux, etc... the works), but I think the original lumps on my head are still central to my anxiety. I can't help but feel that it's all related and part of one big long term illness that was started by those lumps. I still sometimes get aches and pains in that area, itches too, and it always sets me worrying.

I tell myself it's been too long, to move on; but then I run through my symptoms, and feel my current physical symptoms, and I just can't believe that there's nothing seriously wrong.

Am I completely unrealistic and unreasonable to still be worried about those original lumps?

[swajj]

No it isn’t unreasonable.

Does that sound like a logical answer to you?

[Firstprime]

Honestly, yes. I suppose that's my problem. My mind still immediately jumps to panic upon reading that, despite the clear sarcasm.

I suppose I just can't look at the situation objectively. My mind still tells me there's a chance it could be something sinister, that all the possibilities haven't been ruled out. I just can't accept that all my symptoms and problems are either caused by anxiety or are simply coincidental.

It's certainly not helping that I've developed some new physical symptoms in that past few months that fit right in with the old ones.

I don't know what I'm looking for. Maybe I need to sit down with a doctor and run through all my symptoms at once, lay it all out, and get more definitive answers. I always leave the doctor with unanswered questions because I feel awkward about being anxious and annoying the doctor. Perhaps I just need to be more persistent next time and make sure I resolve all my concerns before I leave; ask those extra questions, and push for those extra tests. Of course the issue there is defining the point at which I'm just giving in and letting my anxiety take over.

Deep down I think want here is for someone to say "Firstprime, I've considered your case and I can confirm with 100% certainty that those lumps are completely harmless! It's all in your head. Everything is going to be okay!". But I know I can't get that here.

Maybe I just came here to vent. I need to get my head straight somehow. I haven't slept right in months.

[AntsyVee]

What have you done to get over your anxiety? Honestly I see no need for any more medical doctors unless they’re helping you work on your anxiety.

[orthagonal]

If those lumps were cancer you would've been dead five years ago.

I have a hard, immovable tonsillar node that I've had for 17 years. They're called shotty nodes, they're common.

[Thelegend27]

Well im coming up on a year now with my lymph nodes in my neck and i still worry at times. 8 years is a long time to worry about something like cancer.

[braginskaya]

It's not unreasonable to worry about symptoms we're constantly told are signs of deadly disease. I know it's mostly well-meaning and just precautionary, but I think all the cancer scaremongering in the media is really triggering for people with hypochondria or HA, especially since they rarely tell you most scary symptoms can also be caused by other, more harmless things.

There's a reason cancer statistics talk about the 'five-year survival rate'. It's extremely rare for anyone to survive longer than that without treatment, so if you've had the same symptom for 8 years without it getting worse then I think you're fine.