Would the doctor refer me?

[Aimee92]

Hi there, question for you all. It's a little long winded and the actual question is only a short sentence at the bottom. I'm a 20 (21 in July) year old female, with no previous serious illnesses. I have type 1 NF but that does not affect me in anyway at all, just have loads is birthmarks. I also have a very slightly curved spine.

I have not been diagnosed with anxiety, and I've not had any real problems with worrying about my health in months. I was terrified I had cancer a few years ago, but was too scared to go to the doctor and just left it until I was made to go. I didn't really have any symptoms apart from chronic nausea and stomach aches, with mild constipation. Doctor said I probably had IBS, have me meds for nausea and to help with IBS and my symptoms went after a few weeks. I've not had any symptoms or problems with IBS in 2 1/2 years. I very rarely had scary thoughts about my health until recently.

Lately I've been feeling really under the weather, and am terrified I have some kind of cancer. I've been has nausea on and off for months, recently it's been more frequent and sometimes so bad that I've seriously though I was going to die, I've not yet thrown up though.

My period was really different this month. It lasted 4 days (pretty normal, but it was really light and I'm normally quite heavy, there was very little blood the first 2 days and only blood on the tissue when I wiped the last 2, none in the toilet.

I get ringing in my ears on and off, usually last for a few seconds to a few minutes at a time.

Whilst I do not have headaches very often at all, and if I do they are pretty mild, I have been getting mild shooting pains in my head over the past 7-8 months. I also occasionally get dizzy after I've stood up (similar to a head rush, but it starts a few seconds after I've started walking). I get this mild pressure in my head sometimes that makes it hard to put my full concentration into something (again its been on and off for months), it doesn't hurt at all just annoying.

I have a spot in my right eye (been there for 2 years), that kinda messes with my vision. If I look at a light (phone screen for example)for a period of time in a dark room then look away from it, the colours of things whilst the same as in my right are slighter darker in shade. Going just from dark to light is no problem.

I've had an infection from a filling recently and my gum and left cheek and side of jaw swelled up. I had a root canal done last week and x-rays where the infection was (bottom left, second from back molar). I still have a bump on my gum, and my cheek feels thicker than my right, and is a bit rounder than my right. I do eat mainly on my right side though, so maybe that has something to do with it. Also my led cheek has been a bit tingly and a bit numb (could still feel web touched it, and difference between hot and cold). I'll shamefully admit to having poor oral hygiene (I try to take much better care of my teeth now). I do not smoke and drink rarely and in moderation when I do.

I have the feeling of something being stuck in my throat. Barely feel it normally, kind of similar to a tablet being stuck in your throat. Had this for about a year, maybe a little less. I also have had a mild-moderate sore throat for almost 2 weeks.

I noticed yesterday, when I touch the left side of my neck, there is a small bump (I say bump, but it is not an actual shape. It kind of sticks out and does t go back in again). It's soft and doesn't hurt, unless I press it in. But the right side of my neck is tender when I press it in to so I presume it's normal?. To be fair I think I've seen the bump before, years ago but I'm not sure.

I have been losing weight for no apparent reason, which I noticed about 3 weeks ago. I must have lost at least a stone and a half now, though over what period of time I don't know, since I later weighed myself 8 months ago. I have lost at least 9lb in the past 3 weeks, but this may be due to my worrying.

I have been to the doctors and I had my bloods done and a 24hr ECG (I was having heart palpitations). I got my results for my bloods back on Thursday a d they all came back clear (Thyriod, Liver, Gallbladder, Kidneys, Full blood count, Glucose). I've not had my ECG results yet.

I went to the opticians today and whilst I have a slight change in my prescription, my eyes are otherwise healthy. Optician is referring me to an optimologist (not sure if its spelt right) for a second opinion as I was worried. That's what he did, but my mind keeps trying to convince me that it's because he saw something bad and just said that not to worry me. He did show me the pictures of my eyes, but I had no idea what I was looking at.

Past few weeks I've gotten random spasms in my leg for no apparent reason, and occasionally my whole body will jerk when I'm just about to doze off at night. I cannot sleep properly, rarely before 1am and when I do I'm constantly drifting in and out of sleep, as the clock is the first thing I see, I keep waking up around every hour-45 mins. So I can't get a proper nights sleep.

I have convinced myself (mainly thanks to google), that I have oral and thraot cancer, and have revisited previous thoughts of a brain tumour.

I have an appointment with my dentist on Tuesday about my mouth and am booked in to see the doctor on Friday to get my other results.

Now I am not asking for a diagnosis, more your opinion.

Do you think, given my worries, the doctor will consider getting me an appointment for an MRI (since they are safer and more accurate than CT scans)?

The doctor I am seeing, I have only seen once before (the last time I went 2 weeks ago on Thursday). She wanted me to wait and book am appointment when she was next in as she knows how worried I am.

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Aimee :)

[mrs way to worried]

i could have written this u have my exact symptoms especially the mouth stuff

[Aimee92]

It's seriously scared me. Honestly hope it's all down to anxiety, I'm sure the dentis is fed up of me going in (been in 3 times in past month because of my tooth infection). I'll have to beg the doctor to organise a test for me, or I'll worry myself sick(er) otheriwse.

[mrs way to worried]

all my bloods r ok im seeing head and neck specialist in two weeks in terrified x

[Aimee92]

Glad your tests have come out clear. Hopefully the specialist won't find any problems with you, probably all just due to our overactive imaginations.

[nomorepanic]

They will only refer you if they think it is necessary because of the costs involved so you have to trust what they do.

[unsure_about_this]

Glad to hear your results came back fine as well.

I do have NF type 1 myself so understand you are worried (I am worried about a lot of things as well at the moment) especially with this abdominal IBS whether it is something else, even though I have a few tests and have asked for more (so far all have come back fine)

I have been to the eye doctor earlier this year because I was worried about my eye sight, because of the fear of brain tumours (I also seen photos of my eye and said I was fine)

I have tried to stay of Google because I am so worry about so many types of the big c word because of NF.

[Aimee92]

My NF is not something that bothered me until I started having all these symptoms. Now though my mind's gone into overdrive and I'm convinced I have some form of cancer.

Given then fact that I got it from my mother and her from my grandmother etc..., and they've had no problems with theirs as of yet, and there is no history of cancer in the family, I've been told I shouldn't worry as the chances of me getting any form of cancer, especially at my age is small. But someone telling me that does not help in anyway, as it DOES happen to people my age and as for it not being in the family, well it's got to start somewhere.

It's the first thought I have when I wake up in the morning, and it's driving me mad.

I totally understand the Goole searching. The urge to search my symptoms in Google is really hard to resist. If I've learned anything from all this, then it's that Google is not always my friend.

[unsure_about_this]

My Mum also has NF (but she has to have some of her lumps) looked at. I have had the ones I got looked at and these are fine, just want them removing because their are really annoying at times, we have no idea if my mum started the gene or someone else of the people who are no longer with us had NF.

I been told as for my age of nearly 30 cancer is also fairly small, but I been frighten about reading more about NF and cancer.

Cancer is my biggest phobia. I really want to go for another MRI brain scan but since none of my symptoms have change no sickness/throwing up, vision not change, headaches levels about the same. I went for one last time in 2003 and remember that there would give me one every 10 years unless things change.

My parents did not know there was a problem until I was eight (knew I had NF thanks mainly down to fantastic spotting to my auntie who is a nurse when I was about three or four) when an eye doctor spotted something (lucky nothing serious as it has got smaller, but still a great concerned that doctors can not do anything about it from what their have said)

I have pushed for too many scans already (abdominal ultrasound, CT scan) in the last 6 months because I been so frighten about lots of cancers and conditions..... even though I feel guilty I felt reassurance that there was nothing wrong.

We got no family history of cancer in the family I know his Dad had a heart attack and died, his mum died of some type of cancer because (she smoked) stated on the death certificate.

[Aimee92]

We only found out about the NF because of my sister. She was a bit of a late developer when it came to her speech and has other minor learning difficulties, but they don't affect her too much. It was only when she had a mole on her neck checked when she was about 9 that the Doctors mentioned her even having NF, which was when the rest of us got checked out for it. They said the NF could be a reason why she has minor learning difficulties. But since there have been no signs of anything more serious, the doctors saw no reason to keep an eye on it.

I've not really had any problems with my health before, apart from the bout of IBS a few years ago, the dental work I've needed because of how I used to treat my mouth, and scan for my curved spine (last one I had was when I was about 14). I'll admit I don't have the healthiest of diets, but I don't stuff my face with processes food 24/7, I just eat whatever's in the house and it's not always vegetables and fruit, in fact I very rarely eat fruit (even if I do actually really like fruit), and veggies are only eaten a few times a week, and even then it's not a lot. I don't really exercise either. I am not overweight (though I do have a bit of a belly) and as far as I know I'm a healthy weight for my height (even I suspect that I've been losing weight for no reason). I'm 5'3 and last time I went doctors I weighed about 8 stone 9. But I swear about a month and a half ago I was much heavier, as my trousers all feel loser and I've had to tighten my belt a bit more.

The mind really is a frightening thing, it honestly astounds me the things your own body will do to you.

I really do want a scan to ease my mind, but at the same time I'm terrified that if I do get one it will show that I do infact have cancer, and then find out there is absolutely nothing they can do about, and then I just gave to wait counting out the days until it finally kills me. That though scares me so much, I honest can't think of anything worse than knowing when I am going to die.

The media doesn't help either. I swear wherever I look, be it in the front of a magazine or in the paper, there is always something about cancer lurking somewhere. Even switching on the TV and watching my usual TV shows, someone always has some form of cancer, it really doesn't help at all.

Now this is going to sound completely ridiculous (it does to me), I am not superstitious in anyway, so I have absolutely no idea why my mind has decided to use this as file for my belief that I have Cancer. It makes no sense. But for some stupid reason my mind is trying to convince me that one of the signs that I have it, is because my star sign just so happens to be Cancer, therefore that's a sign that I probably have it. I know that is incredibly stupid and can push it out of my mind most of the time, but every now and then that thought likes to pop up to say hi.