Why can't I believe what the doctor said?

[Dan21]

Hi all.

Trying so, so hard to get a grip but I'm in the middle of some terrible episode of anxiety and could really do with some re-assurance, especially as I saw the doctor on Friday evening and he said symptoms were/are non life threatening.

I've had discomfort around abdomen and especially around sternum & navel area for about a week. No red flag symptoms but feels like mild indigestion. The doctor examined my abdo and said that all looked and seemed fine and it was probably IBS that was causing the discomfort...I explained about my anxiety and that I've been under A LOT of stress lately. He prescribed some muscle relaxants and told me to stop worrying.

The lower abdominal pain has eased but the discomfort around the sternum is still there. I'm worried that it could be a tumour in my stomach and the doctor has missed it. I'm trying had not to Google stomach tumours so anyone who can offer any supportive words would be really, really, really welcome now.

Thanks in advance,

D

[Catalyst]

Have you been feeling / prodding the sternum area at all? I know from experience that you can cause a lot of prolonged discomfort by doing that! I had an ache at the base of my sternum - poked around & found what I thought was a lump. Kept 'checking' it & consequently made my sternum hurt a lot more! So don't do that!

Hope it improves soon. X

[Mark13]

It's anxiety my friend. I mean stomach tumour? How rare is that? You've got more chance of winning the lottery.

You should have more faith in the medical profession, they are much more experienced in these matters than you or I.

Your pain sounds like indigestion and IBS.

The thing is, you've got health anxiety. People with HA believe they have serious illnesses.

With all due respect I sense some hypochondria there also (no offence meant).

I worry about symptoms, get checked out by the GP, get the all clear then forget about it. Maybe my HA is mild.

However hypochondria is a feature of chronic HA, in that you never believe the Doctors. If they say you're fine, you think they've missed something. It's a no-win situation for them, in that there's nothing that they would be able to do to convince you.

I mean this kindly - what would convince you? An x-ray of your stomach?

[Dan21]

Thanks Catalyst, good advice.

Mark, no offence taken. Your hypochondria remark is probably closer to the truth than you think. To be honest, I don't know what would convince me. I feel pretty guilty marching into the GP's office and wasting his time but the HA/hypochondria can be mentally crippling sometimes.

Maybe I'm just particularly tired/anxious at the moment but it seems harder than normal to kick this symptom into the grass. I'm hoping a week or so and the discomfort will ease.

[Mark13]

Dan

I've spent most of my life with HA. Mainly because I have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain, controlled by a surgically implanted shunt (catheter)).

If that shunt breaks down then the fluid builds up in the brain leading to crushing pressure - symptoms: violent headaches, double vision, vomiting, dizziness and many more...

I had to have 2 replacements of this shunt in childhood (brain surgery) so that's why I worry about my health.

Because every headache, nausea, dizziness etc COULD have been serious.

I got a bit more relaxed as time went by on that score, but I did think in my 30's that the parasthesia I had was (MS - had tests, it wasn't). I thought my back pains were spondylosis (wasn't). When I had acute depression at 26, I thought I was schizophrenic (wasn't).

Yet in 2006, I got blinding headaches, nausea, vomiting....yes you guessed it. I didn't, I thought I had sinusitis. I completely believed it was nothing serious. Even when the vomiting and double vision started. Needed another brain op to replace the broken shunt.

Anyway, my point is, is there such a thing as reverse HA? :)

Thousands of worries about my health were for nothing. The only time I wasn't particularly worried it was serious BUT it was an existing illness, not MS not ALS, something I already had (where the implanted shunt had broken).

In my roundabout way I just saying that it's a lot of stress for nothing because the odds are you'll never get any of the serious illnesses you worried about.

Look closer to home at what ailments you have. You have HA, this causes lots of symptoms.

Mark