so scared of whats wrong

[tracieann]

i have had severe ha for over ten years lost family and friends to cancer always scared of it have had cbt for it but still have bad times had an endoscopy for gastritis in december last year it comes and goes on omeprazole for it .two weeks ago on hols had two bleeds from bottom bright red on loo paper TMI sorry also started itching on legs arms pubic region and head been to docs on arrival home examined she said anal fissures again im seeing gastros for colon appt in 2 weeks but the itching has not gone im scared i had blood tests and liver function and thyroid all normal three weeks ago so what is it I had an extremely stressful time a few months ago and lost 7lbs or maybe 8 and i havent put it back on remained same for 8 weeks now but im worried about cancer cos of itching scared stiff please help someone:weep:

[aggiecuttler]

its piles i assume, sounds like it, with the blood and itching it comes and goes, i would not worry yourself they are common blessings

[tracieann]

thanks for your kindness no i dont mean my bottom is itchy i mean the skin of my arms legs and pubic area plus the hair on my head a bit its a little better im trying to remove possible triggers and ive stopped having tons of decaff coffee it seems to be better but not gone wonder what it is:huh:

[Cyberchondriac]

Itching can definitely be a symptom of anxiety. I have had a very anxious start to the week and have been itching all over - so much so that I have red marks on my stomach and back from itching! But today I've been less anxious and the itching has sort of gone away.

[tracieann]

well i am 50 now hairs starting to go thinner hot flushes have just begun and ithchy can be part of menopause it said on a meno site just worried about bowel probs now too its crap having HA it really is:wacko:

[saab]

I have never heard of itching as a symptom of bowel cancer. Also bright red bleeding is fresh blood do more likely from a cut or a fissure. Its scary though. I have had it a couple of times after being constipated and straining on the loo.

What were the sheets like in the holiday hotel? Sometimes new sheets make me itchy. I also itch a lot if the room is too hot, and it can take days to go.

[tracieann]

well saab i itched worse on holiday than i have had home but i was scratching like crazy on hols anyway two weeks later its a bit better but not fantastic and my hairs falling out !!! its thinning and ive noticed im getting hot a lot so heaven knows see doc tommorow gonna ask for meno test and kidney function as for bowel doc said ive torn a fissure that was operated on last year grr and im back to see gastros and gonna ask for colonoscopy to make sure all is ok i hope it is

[tracieann]

God a scary day went back to docs with itching and hair falling out she is sending me for a kidney function test and for an iron blood test if im iron deficient ive been bleeding for a while from somewhere oh and that makes me think of bowel cancer im so scared i really am need to get sorted out i dont have periods anymore cos of iud and age so its not from there ahhh im so scared of cancer

[hadenough]

hi tracieann, Im exactly the same, petrified of finding out I have cancer, its ruling my life. I have a gp appointment on wednesday because of stomach issues and weight loss and thats the only reason I can think of. My daughter had hair loss because of stress so wouldnt be surprised if thats what causing it. Also Im sure I read on here somewhere about anxiety causing itching. I dont think that an iron deficiency necessarily means youre bleeding from somewhere. I would say try not to worry but I need to follow my own advice. xx

[Raidenshred]

It sounds like stress. If it helps any, hair loss is NOT a symptom of cancer. Hair loss is a side effect of chemotherapy.

[tracieann]

hadenough thanks for your reply i wrote to you i think i have tummy issues too have ongoing gastritis and duodenitis and have been on omeprazole for quite a while the stomach is one of the first things to start misbehaving in severe anxiety even if you are stressed and have only a bit of heartburn anxiety makes you feel sick and allsorts You see im good at reassuring you like you are with me but neither of us can take our own advice like raidenshred says hair loss is a side effect of chemo its also caused by thyroid trouble anaemia menopause hormones oestrogen failure and a fair few other things but once again ive gone for worse case scenario i hate HA sooo much result of bloods tommorow hopefully ok thinking of you for Weds hadenough good luck

[tracieann]

blood results came back with normal kidney function and ferritinwas within normal ranges but low normal 10 -291 mine was 23 so its low but not anaemia ive upped my iron containing foods and have stopped itching hair loss may take a little longer ive also had awful stabbing pain under lower left rib and am now fretting about pancreatic cancer i know there are other signs but its sooo scary any advice HELP

[tracieann]

shouldnt have opened my mouth im itching again now after shower and hair wash hair is falling out terrible im scared im going to get alopaecia or something itchy too grrr im so fed up of this!!! seeing gp today for it and consultant tommorow about bowel problems just very scared

---------- Post added at 17:05 ---------- Previous post was at 13:31 ----------

please help now im terrified doc has asked for lfts and thyroid again as they were done before holiday that and ive got bowel consultant tomoz what if he orders colonoscopy that show bowel cancer and im itching cos it has spread omg im so scared help me someone please

[Twinsmummy]

Hello
My sister had anal fissures and they were awful, very difficult to heal. If you think what the conditions are like where they are, it's consistently damp and full of bacteria, so having an open sore in that area is horrible. I hope it all gets sorted really quickly.

C

[tracieann]

hi twinsmummy i had blood test done AGAIN normal lft and thyroid all ok so WHY am i itching and hair thinnng went to bowel consultant today did internal exam and said fissure ok doing a barium enema just to make sure all ok hope to heaven it is

[tracieann]

going back to see drs tommorow came off omeprazole two weeks ago almost slightly itchy still but not as bad hair still thinning just cant work out whats going on sometimes paler poo and dark wee and that can be liver pancreas or gallbladder but its not all the time scared of hAving an undiagnosed cancer somewhere really scary thought

[mummyanxious]

This is going to sound odd but the weather sometimes makes my skin itch!

Hormones can most certainly also make your skin itchy too!

As for the bottom issue could be a fissure. Most probably is piles or fissure x

[tracieann]

hi mummyanxious thanks for your input my skin is better now weather cooler also since i stopped omeprazole.dr checked out all my results yesterday bloods all within normal ranges iron a bit low but not anaemic bottom was clear on sigmoidoscopy fissure healed just barium enema to have yuk

[saab]

Hair loss or thinning hair is a very common symptom of stress and anxiety. I know several people who have lost hair after bereavement or during illness. It's not a symptom of any cancer that I have heard of.

Have you looked up the symptoms of omeprazole? Itching can be one of them, so can diahorrea and constipation.

[tracieann]

thanks Saab isnt it great how i can accept your reasoning and advice but never my own started on iron tablets for two weeks every 2nd day see if ferritin level goes up Yes i looked up omeprazole and wow quite a comprehensive list of s/e ive had to go back on lansoprazle which i cant eat as well on or which dont help all that much !!!

[tracieann]

hi all not been on for a little while still itchy though not as bad hair still thinning too had barium enema on monday to check bowel is ok so much anxiety waiting for results and yesterday i threw up twice and for someone with vomiting phobia that was not good anyone out there to chat please

[tiff123]

Hi there, I hoe you can feel a little better soon.

To reassure you - hair thinning is v common as we age and also can be down to stress which it sounds like you have a lot of.

I would recommend if you can you discuss/ask for help from your doc with the issue of how to cope with the stress/anxiety, if they have suggestions of treatment/therapy etc.

[tracieann]

thanks tiff123 i have a wonderful doc who not only understands my health anxiety cancer phobia emetophobia and all physical complaints cares about my health and dosent treat me like she thinks im a roaring hypochondriac like some docs can do i have lots and lots of anxiety re illness made crazy by the fact i work in a hospital !!!! but i dont worry about other peoples complaints or illnesses just mine or my families like anyone else really i have had cbt for both cancer phobia and emetophobia and it does help but waiting for test results terrifies me

[tracieann]

still waiting for my barium enema results got myself so worked up my stomach has been nauseous for three days and i hate it sooo much all i can think of is what if i have bowel cancer and i itch cos its now in my liver OMG im so scared what am i gonna do i cant leave my children im so frightened i hate health anxiety so much please can anyone advise i havent felt right since july but i dont know if its anxiety depression and panic or bad physical illness

[tracieann]

please can someone advise starting to get really scared

[HoneyLove]

Sorry you're feeling this way tracieann, sounds horrible. At the moment there is nothing you can do apart from waiting for the results, so the absolute best thing you can do for yourself and your family is try to stick in the present moment and stop inventing scary thoughts about a future that hasn't happened yet. You're the one in control of those thoughts, but you're scaring yourself with them.

Do you do anything in your day to help you relax or relieve some of the stress?

Remember that stress can make you feel really bad physically, and what you're feeling at the moment may just be made worse by stressing so much. It would really help if you tried to unwind it a bit.

[tracieann]

thanks honeylove its just a waiting game i guess im fairly sure something is wrong now though so its a matter of waiting to be told i guess i know all isnt well by the way i feel and i havent been right for a long time gut and bowel wise i guess its just damage limitation for me thanks for your kindness and support though ill let you know the final outcome take care

[Andria24]

Hey Tracie

Given that I don't know you, but having read through your thread - are you being correctly dosed for your anxiety? Meds and therapy together? I'm not feeling good myself right now but I'm nowhere as wound up as you are - which is not meant as a negative but given how fretful and scared you are? I know the fear (it can be all-encompassing) and I know how difficult it can be to treat but still - have you thought about side-effects of your meds?

You sound like you're winding yourself up like a ball of knotted wool ... do you have support, friends/family? You sound so damn frayed you must be exhausted.

Do you have IBS? I do and it's awful, more so given that I have anxiety disorder which triggers my bowel into spasm (which is lurrrrrvley!) and round we go. And your doc knows you have health anxiety?

If you don't want to answer no worries. I'm not being nosy you just sound like you need someone to grab you and help you to calm down :hugs:

[tracieann]

Andria24 so many thanks for your kindness yep i get really obsessed and fixated by cancer its usually that before anything else i do have ibs which is horrible and stomach issues too but i think working in a hospital clinic setting dosent help sometimes i know all too well what CAN happen i have a wonderful supportive family and friends but im sure they get sick of me banging on about having serious disease i would not blame them if they all didnt bother i am on 40mg citalopram and have been for 2 years now my depression is crap my ha is awful it helps that there are lovely people on this site to listen thank you ever so much :Di am still waiting on result so i just keep thinking the longer they leave it to let me know maybe its not that serious :unsure:

[tracieann]

got stressed again gp wont give me result scary i have to wait for cons who did it to contact me and his secretary is off .started itching again terrible tonight driving me mad hair coming out as well but so so itchy keep thinking what if liver is affected by disease its hard to keep control HELP