had quite a heart scare ... please respond if you have any thoughts

[swgrl09]

Well I was diagnosed with a heart murmur last year. Three doctors listened to it (at different times for different reasons) and every one said it sounded like nothing to worry about, wasn't that loud, and that it was fine. My dad also said that he had one at my age too and was no big deal. So I got over it and did not worry (for once!!! I was proud of myself).

So two nights ago I was with my aunts, and mentioned off hand about the murmur. Well my aunts went crazy (they both are hypochondriacs like my mom was - they are her sisters - but prob won't admit it) and said that one of them just found out she has some valve problem and I don't remember the name - it was really long and complex - that means that she could just drop dead at any moment. I said to them that three doctors had heard my murmur and weren't worried and my aunt said she was told the same thing all her life until this was diagnosed.

Well holy crap I got scared!!!! I actually almost got in a fight with them, as one of my aunts said she has a murmur and was tested and doesn't have this issue, and had all her kids tested and they don't either, but that I have to go get an echo. Well I told her I am having a difficult enough time learning to trust my doctors again after my mom died and would like to believe my doctors that it is just fine. I then called my dad freaking out (my fiance is out of town of course) who helped me calm down a little but now I can't get my mind off it!

Any advice? I am trying SO HARD to trust my doctors, and they all told me I am fine and no worries about the murmur. But now I am confronted with this and being told not to trust my doctor (admittedly from people who have health anxiety as well). What should I do?

[mpm1982]

i have this problem. A few years my grandmother passed away to cancer 9 months before that she had to have a stint in her heart due to an attack. They did mri and stuff so why didnt they find any traces of cancer. Now i have health anxienty and the syptoms i get with it i think i have a brain tumour but iv seen 5 doctors and they all say no its health anxiety. I was back at the doctors today and i have a bad inner ear infection and i now think that means iv got a brain tumour i find it very hard to belive the doctors. but after seeing 5 of them and them all saying they dont think its a brain tumour can they all be wrong just keep asking your self that

[swgrl09]

wow, thanks for your post. I experienced similar when my mom died. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and died a month after diagnosis. The tumor was in her abdomen on her colon and all over her liver. They said her cancer had probably been there for years, yet the year prior she had ultrasounds done of the area, a hysterectomy, etc etc and nobody saw any of it. If it was that bad, how did they not notice?

I think experiences like that truly make us not trust doctors. It definitely made me MUCH worse with my health anxiety. I understand what you are going through, it is so difficult.

[mpm1982]

tell me about it . But at some point we will have to start trusting them like i say they cant all be wrong can they? Just make sure you dont google it to much thats the mistake i made and now thats why things have got so bad .

[swgrl09]

Yep, you're right completely. That is why I am trying to not freak out and rush back, and just trust what they told me. THey are the doctors, not my aunts.

luckily I don't know what it's called, as the name was so complicated, ahaha. So I can't google it even if I wanted to. Guess that's a blessing!