bodily checking making me ache? help scared of doc

[gonecrazy]

Well, I've posted before on this and it's a symptom that has been bothering me for a couple of months. I have an ache in my side and it seems to follow suit of IBS on the bowel front... you know, noisey, sharp, gassy, mucous etc... typical and fiber is helping with that but I'm scared of the ache. It doesn't stay in one spot, it's in my right side, upper then lower then hip then back, it depends on the day. And I have TERRIBLE posture and can seem to stop clenching this muscle too. Well, I was fretting to my husband that this was cancer of some dreadful sort and that I just am TERRIFIED to see the dr. bc I know it's going to be bad and what if it's too late etc... I guess I should go in for peace of mind (or to find out the worst) but I just can't! Last summer I spent 2 months worrying about palpitations and thought it was the end... I wore a monitor and all was fine. I feel like I battle with myself daily... You should go in and get checked and it might just be something simple... You should give it time and hope it goes away... This is not good, you are dying of bowel cancer that has spread to your pancreas and lungs and you are dead! And this is how I talk to myself... ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!! Well I also self check and I dig HARD! My husband says I press on it as though I am trying to feel my right side through my left. One day I was fine. I had a garage sale moving boxes etc but don't remember straining to lift them, had to go #2 and didn't want to bc it was a public restroom so I held it for a DAY! I get home and boom... all this starts. So since then I have dug into my side everyday... ALL day! I guess I don't even know I'm doing it anymore.
I guess I'm wondering if I'm fine, but I've injured myself from repeated checking. It's like I'm addicted now and it's a challenge to go without digging at the spots I'm afraid of. I dig in there on and off from the time I get up until I go to bed. I guess no wonder it is sore. It's my side btw... not the tummy area but the actual side. Anyway, can anyone offer advice on this? Am I alone on this one? I'm I a nut whole digs and prodes at herself? Ok well yes to that... but am I alone?? All my aches seem to go away if I'm busy or distracted but I still seem to dig... subconsiously I think! My husband says I've waited this long, so leave it alone... DON"T touch it for a couple of weeks, do some exercises and if it is still there, then go in. Sorry this is so long and ranting and nutty!
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DiBear]

Hello there - I know exactly what you mean - I had the same pains too - they seemed to move around from right next to my belly button to right inside my hip to down in my groin. I was terrified it was appendicitis, and also did the digging thing, and got really worried about hardness round my belly button until I felt my husband's tummy in the same place and realised it was normal!

Now I just ignore any pain that occurs on my right hand side, its not appendicitis as it would have happened by now (been having the pains since Feb), and if its not in my groin or hip, I give it a gentle rub which seems to help, as I read (on here I think) that it might just be trapped wind which, if massaged, moves along nicely and stops hurting.

Give yourself little targets - 'I will not check for half an hour' and then see how many half hours you can go. Focus your mind on something else and see how it goes.

From being in pain every day, its only occasional now. I don't think anything has changed, our bodies just do silly things at times.

Hang in there, it will pass.

Love Di x

[constantworrier]

Hi,

I have very similar symptoms from time to time and have gone through the cycle of obsessively checking and rechecking many times. Like you DiBear, i recently concluded that appendicitis was imminent..though it never happened.
If you think about it anxiety causes muscular spasm and tension as a by product of the tensing effects of adrenaline. Since muscles are distributed through almost the entire body, any of them can be affected and spasm, causing pain...whether it's in you foot, leg, pelvis, head... especially your abdomen.... As well as being covered by a huge layer of muscle (your abs), it also contains some 25 foot or so of intestine which is also ... MUSCLE.
So you get tense, a muscle spasms...you get pain...you worry...more spasm...more pain...more worry etc...and so a cycle begins. If you combine this with repeatedly pressing on the area, more soreness will occur...NOT necessarily because you are pressing on something sinister, but because you are squashing the already oversensitive nerves in the tissue in that area. This then makes you hypervigilent and the pain can seem worse and more frequent...not necessarily because the condition is getting worse, but because the increasing focus draws your attention to it more. I'm sure you are unlikely to do any serious physical damage by doing this...the checking is a very common component of health anxiety and i'm sure that many people here can empathise with you on this.
The crucial thing in what you say is that the aches and pains seem to go away when you are distracted...(just like mine)! I don't think that any serious illness would subside just because you are not concentrating on it...
I find that applying a hot water bottle and having hot baths helps with IBS and any sort of muscular tension. It tends to relax you, lessen the anxiety...lessen the pain...and so reverses the negative cycle that it's so easy to fall into. Hope this helps.

Take care,

CW xx :D

"Instead of seeing the rug being pulled from under us, we could learn to dance on a moving carpet." - Anon

[gonecrazy]

Thank you so much sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I was awake most of last night with worry and have been for about 10 weeks. I wonder why this isn't going away, but I don't think I'll LET it... how can it when I'm obsessed and am thinking about it! Then I think I'm doing something fun and it's still there... but I'm still digging and thinking about it, so I'm not truely distracted. I feel comforted for now... lol... you know how that goes, I'm going to take it in small steps and see how I feel in another week or so. It's been 10 of constant digging etc... what's another 2 weeks right?
Btw... it feels much better when I take a deep breath and exhale. A shower does wonders for it too.
Thanks so much! Any more on this would be great! How do you stop digging and poking?? Should I take up knitting? Can I be trusted with those long needles?? LOL

[pinkpenny1uk]

hiya,
i too would love some help and advice about how to stop digging and poking. my problem is with my chest/breast/shoulder area. i have convinced myself i have breast cancer so am constantly poking and proding for lumps. this then makes me sore and tender, which makes me more paranoid. it seems to b a never ending circle and i wish i could find someway of breaking it.
the pain is always on the right side, and moves about. one min it could b my ribs under my breast then next under my arm or my shoulder. could this b just down to anxiety.if so y is it worse on one side more then the other?

many thanks in advance
pp

[lass]

pp, not sure if this will help you, but I had a breast lump investigated last year which turned out to be nothing and eventually went away on its own! But I did learn from the consultant (in her words) that "you don't find sinister breast lumps, they find you"! Mine was deep down and took a lot of prodding and poking to find, and from that she told me was nothing to worry about.

Have you ever had your breasts checked or been shown how to do this? If not, I'd recommend that you see your GP or practice nurse and get them to show you. You don't have to tell them your anxiety or concerns if you don't want to , I think it is a perfectly normal request for a women to ask for a breast check and to learn how to do it and what she is looking for. In fact, I think women should be taught this when they go for their first smear! It would save so much worry to learn how to examine properly in the first place.

This will then hopefully stop you checking all the time and put your mind at rest a bit. I was also told that prodding and poking was not a good idea as would make me sore!

Now I do it, as recommended, about once a month mid cycle - but as it is no longer a big deal with me I'm not even all that aware that I'm doing it or need to check or anything.

I hope this helps.

Caroline
xx

[pinkpenny1uk]

hi caroline,
thanks for your reply. its lovely to hear another persons view point and advice.
i have been shown how to do a breast check, and up til i started with my anxiety i was just doing the once a month mid cycle check. its only been this last few months that i have got it into my head i have breast or bone cancer cos of all the achiness i get in that region.
i have been to my gp and explained to him about my fears. he was very good and arranged for me to have some bloods took. one for a full bone profile, and the other a c-reactive protien test. this one shows if u have any inflammations or malignancies anywhere. although it dosn't tell u what they are it gives your doc an idea something is going on in your body.
happily both these blood tests came back normal. i must be honest and say since i got the results of these i haven't been as paranoid about constantly checking. now instead of checking every day i have got it done to once a week. its a start.

hopefully the gaps between checking will get further apart til i get back down to my once a month check. i still get the aches and pains in my shoulder/ribcage/breast area but now i try not to sit and fret about it as much.

i'm slowley getting there.

all the best
pp