Barnicus
10-01-12, 22:39
Hi All,
I've been a long time reader of this site but this is my first time posting.
About two years ago I had my first panic attack and through a mixture of this website and CBT therapy I am much better than I was. I am still plagued by health anxiety though! So much so that I have scheduled an appointment with my therapist (who I haven't needed to see for the last 12 months). This time around it started on New Years Day, I was with friends at the beach (I live in Sydney, Australia so it was nice and warm) and despite applying so much sunscreen I resembled Casper I managed to miss the back of my neck and was subsequently burnt. I don't make a habit of getting burnt and almost always wear a shirt in the sun but I have definitely been burnt numerous times in the past (never to the point of blistering but I have peeled.) At the same time I developed what appears to be Contact Dermatitis, possibly from the chemicals used at my dry cleaners. Long story short I googled the symptoms I had (itching, etc) and came across a website for skin cancer. This almost sent me in to a panic prompting a visit to my GP (Doctor) who examined all of my moles with her little light ‘thingy’. I was told nothing looked suspicious and just to monitor them and if there are any changes to come back and see her and she would have another look. I was relieved for a day or so but this insidious health anxiety wouldn’t let it rest, I’m now focused on some really dark freckles I have. I’m trying to convince myself that I’ve been checked by a doctor (one who admitted has plenty of patients with Melanoma, so one would assume she knows what she’s talking about) but I’m worried she missed these dark freckles on my arms, I have lots of them and it’s the one place which sees plenty of sun! I’m totally freaking out but don’t want to bother a doctor again. I’ve read that freckles aren’t really a cause for concern except that they are a sign of sun damage so I should keep an eye on any moles/large blemishes in the area.
Has anyone had any experience with this? My apologies for the long post.
Thanks in advance.
Nathan
I've been a long time reader of this site but this is my first time posting.
About two years ago I had my first panic attack and through a mixture of this website and CBT therapy I am much better than I was. I am still plagued by health anxiety though! So much so that I have scheduled an appointment with my therapist (who I haven't needed to see for the last 12 months). This time around it started on New Years Day, I was with friends at the beach (I live in Sydney, Australia so it was nice and warm) and despite applying so much sunscreen I resembled Casper I managed to miss the back of my neck and was subsequently burnt. I don't make a habit of getting burnt and almost always wear a shirt in the sun but I have definitely been burnt numerous times in the past (never to the point of blistering but I have peeled.) At the same time I developed what appears to be Contact Dermatitis, possibly from the chemicals used at my dry cleaners. Long story short I googled the symptoms I had (itching, etc) and came across a website for skin cancer. This almost sent me in to a panic prompting a visit to my GP (Doctor) who examined all of my moles with her little light ‘thingy’. I was told nothing looked suspicious and just to monitor them and if there are any changes to come back and see her and she would have another look. I was relieved for a day or so but this insidious health anxiety wouldn’t let it rest, I’m now focused on some really dark freckles I have. I’m trying to convince myself that I’ve been checked by a doctor (one who admitted has plenty of patients with Melanoma, so one would assume she knows what she’s talking about) but I’m worried she missed these dark freckles on my arms, I have lots of them and it’s the one place which sees plenty of sun! I’m totally freaking out but don’t want to bother a doctor again. I’ve read that freckles aren’t really a cause for concern except that they are a sign of sun damage so I should keep an eye on any moles/large blemishes in the area.
Has anyone had any experience with this? My apologies for the long post.
Thanks in advance.
Nathan