Another worry. Silica Sand

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi all
I've found something else to get my health anxiety going.
Silica sand.
I had a new driveway layed. Block paving and they put silica sand in the gaps between the blocks. I've now read that exposure to silica dust can cause scarring of the lungs and cancer.
I did read that it's quarry workers exposed to high levels of it for years. I'm still worrying though as since they did my drive I haven't swept it and there's a small amount of sand on it and I've walked a tiny amount into my house on my shoes. I'm now worried about the dust from that before I hoovered it up.
Surely I'm overreacting and if it was really really dangerous in small amounts they wouldn't be allowed to sell it.
I'm so scared I hate this constant health anxiety!
Nighttime pacer

[Fishmanpa]

Surely I'm overreacting and if it was really really dangerous in small amounts they wouldn't be allowed to sell it.


^^^^ Exactly! :)

Good Luck!

[Nighttime pacer]

I keep reading more about it online and getting more scared as it's also in cement and bricks. I remember having a window put in and loads of dust being created. I'm now panicking that I inhaled too much of it.
I've made an appointment to see my asthma specialist on Saturday to see if be can reassure me.
Health Anxiety has ruined my life!
Why do we end up like this?
Nighttime pacer

[hheavenlyangel]

Our respiratory system is an amazing machine, we have so many mechanisims that these particles must pass through before it hits our lungs and even when it hits our lungs - our body goes to work to rid it off that contaminent.

Even if something is classified as a carsinogen it doesn't mean that you will get cancer. There are so many other factors to be considered and MUST be considered.

I truly do know how you feel as I too have these kinds of fears but please, Try to relax and remember you are perfectly safe.

[Nighttime pacer]

I know I shouldn't but I can't help worrying about this. Even when I spoke to someone at The British Lung Foundation they said it usually affects people working in the building industry. I even made an appointment with my asthma specialist and he said I don't need to worry. The trouble is I know it's possible I may get sick, pretty unlikely but still possible.
I only need to realise it's possible I may get sick for my health anxiety to go through the roof! I've got another counselling appointment next Tuesday I'm hoping to maybe try and calm down my HA. Nothing's worked so far, I've tried relaxation techniques and also reading about anxiety. I tried some CBT. The only thing I haven't tried is Antidepressants as I don't want to be stuck on those all my life.
Sorry for rambling.
Nighttime pacer

[Ellewoods]

I worry about this stuff all the time. I moved into a new apt (new construction) and there was dust everywhere, not floating around but settled on the walls and surfaces. I cleaned it all with a mask but there was still dust for a while. I had an air purifier and tried to clean constantly but the dust was still hard to get rid of. I have since moved out of the apartment but still constantly worry about this and what was in the construction dust.

[Nighttime pacer]

I'm glad it's not just me. The trouble is I keep finding new reasons to worry about it. I had a small cupboard next to my bathroom where some of the plaster had fallen off the walls from when they took an old bath out. I worry that I breathed in the dust from that for sooo long. Thinking logically it wasn't that much dust really. I guess plasterers and builders are subjected to this stuff all day every day and I know they don;t all wear masks. Surely none of them would still be alive into retirement if it was that dangerous to all of them.
I hope!

[Ellewoods]

I suggest getting a True HEPA air filter. That should make you feel a little bit better. I am also slightly asthmatic so very sensitive to this stuff. When I worry about breathing in this stuff I try to rationalize and think about all this highly processed food we eat, and surely that is worse for our health!

[Nighttime pacer]

Thanks for the suggestion about a hepa filter. It does feel like it's all too little too late though. I'm starting to feel like I'll certainly be having problem sin the future with silicosis. I think I'll make another appointment to see another specialist as I'm too concerned to just wait I need some more information and hopefully some definite answers to my concerns.
I've got mild asthma too.
I just hope the specialist doesn't just tell me to chill out but actually listens to my worries.

[Ellewoods]

What did the first doctor say about it?

[Nighttime pacer]

The first respiratory doctor said it's unlikely anyone involved in DIY would get silicosis. My worry is that I seem to walk a small amount of silica sand from my drive into my house every time I go in. It's a block paved drive and they sweep silica sand in the gaps between the blocks and I think they used too much. I'm going to sweep up all the excess but I'll make sure it's wet first so there's no dust and get it off my drive as even if it makes no difference, I'll still feel better about it.
I am starting to think though that a few grains of sand can never create much dust can they?
The first doctor did do a chest x ray and a breathing test (spirometry) he said if someone had silicosis it would show up.
I don't think he realised how worried I was.
I'll make another appointment with my first Asthma specialist and try and persuade him how terrified I am of getting silicosis.

[Fishmanpa]

The first respiratory doctor said it's unlikely anyone involved in DIY would get silicosis. I'll make another appointment with my first Asthma specialist and try and persuade him how terrified I am of getting silicosis.

What will your doctor be able to do to quell your fears? What may be more productive is to make an appointment with a mental health professional to address your HA, as the crux of the issue is not getting silicosis from your driveway.

Good Luck!

[rahul]

hi. its glad to hear that u r almost free from this hell. god bless u n hope now u r enjoying life again. i also a sufferer of health anxiety. i hv sffered from heart anxiety.docs reassured me tht thre is nothing to worry bt as u said my mind was not ready to accept. my all tests like ecg, echo came back normal. now after smtime my mind is calmed bt still i hv anxiety towards b.p. smtimes my bp rise upto 150-170 at first n i ends up in e.r. now coz of health anxiety i regular check my b.p 2 times a day. mostly it remains 120-135 bt smtimes i feel odd sensation or jelly like feeling in my legs at tht time when i took my bp it rise upto 150-160 bt not always. i dnt no wether its anxiety or really high bp. last time when i feel this odd legs feeling i checked it and it was 140 after 1 or 2 mins it came to 135 n then 130 to 135, it comes down without medicine. before this one day i feeled some odd sensation in my hands while writing. then my mom took my bp its 150 or 160. i talked with myself to calm myself bt i felt that its going high. i took beta blocker immediately. my mother took my bp again with in just 2 or 3 minutes after taking beta blocker and it was 140 then again jst after 2 mins it came down to 125-130. it came down just in mins. i was wandering tht is my bp came normal because of medicine or it was jst anxiety? is it possible to came down jst in 2 or 3 mins with beta blocker? m confused abt this...... pls reply....

[Ellewoods]

The first doctor did do a chest x ray and a breathing test (spirometry) he said if someone had silicosis it would show up.
I don't think he realised how worried I was.


I think he did realize how worried you were and I think that's why he did a chest x-ray. This is only something that should be done when they suspect they will find something, because x-ray's carry some dangers themselves, and I am SURE he did not think you have silicosis. Again, when I get nervous about these type of things I try to remind myself that people renovate their house WHILE they live there. There is a really popular website called Young House Love and it is revolved around a young family renovating their house while they live there.

Also, I prefer to go to dr's that are more laid back and not rushing to order unnecessary tests, but that is just my personal choice.

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi all
I know it's crazy but I'm still worrying about this.
I saw my usual asthma specialist and he said I definitely won't get silicosis from extra loose sand on my front drive.
I'm still going to sweep all the loose sand off the drive though as it's really getting to me and I keep looking at other driveways and none seem to have visible sand in the joints between the blocks.
I know it's giving in to the anxiety but I do feel like an hour's sweeping (it's fiddly as you sweep one way and then it gets lodged between other blocks!) will be worth it for the peace of mind.
I know I'm overreacting and I hope my health anxiety will shut up for a whole now!
Thanks for reading this.
Nighttime Pacer

[nomorepanic]

This is more OCD than HA though I would say

[Brunette]

I think Nicola may have a point - if you are intending to spend an hour sweeping your driveway when you've obviously already swept it several times, it sounds more like OCD than HA.

Anyway, you live in the UK. At this time of year there is always a certain amount of damp in the air whatever part of it you live in. Apart from anything else, that will stop the particles of silica sand from going very far, least of all into your lungs. And unless the other driveways you mentioned have been laid recently they will have less visible sand in them that yours currently does.

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi all
I can't believe I'm still worrying about this but I am.
I keep checking my shoes for grains of sand. The problem is when I sweep it some always ends up on the top of the blocks and then ends up on my shoes which I then walk in. I had to see my asthma specialist for a check up and mentioned that I'm still worried about it. He said that because sand is so hard just treading on it wouldn't be enough to break it into small enough pieces to create dust. The trouble is I'm not sure if I believe that. I've since tried sweeping it again more throughly. I'm wishing I'd never had the driveway done in the first place even though it does look very nice!
I've been on to anxiety uk and have signed up for CBT counselling which I'll hopefully hear about in a couple of weeks.
I just wish I could believe what the specialist says.
I posted on here to stop myself googling, so I guess that's a start.
Thanks everyone for being so supportive.
At the very least I know I'm not the only one who worries about things like this no matter how irrational.
Nighttime Pacer

[sahara]

It definitely sounds OCD ish. In fact I read HA and OCD are closely link in the anxiety scheme of things especially the constant reassurance from drs to relieve our anxiety. The health thing being the obsession, the dr being the compulsion I guess. And then we go back again and again. I have had both. I am an artist working in pastels I guess I need to worry about the dust but funnily enough I don't. I think you will be fine