Stupid me googled again

[ballerina]

I came out of the shower and had a red rash all on my chest and arms, my neck feels stiff and I have a bit of a headache. I go on NHS symptom checker for the rash and stiff neck and it's saying I have meningitis, I'm so scared! I feel dizzy and sick now. I looked at my bedroom light and I can stare at it, and the headaches aren't THAT severe, I can touch my chest with my chin even though it hurts the back of my neck and I don't have a fever, the rash is most likely due to the new shower gel on my sensitive skin but I just can't get meningitis out of my head, I'm panicking ugh :( I can't afford to go to A and E because the only way I can get there is a taxi which costs a fortune or an ambulance (which I don't think I need, yet...) and I don't want to waste my evening in A and E when I'm supposed to be going out with friends so I don't know what else to do to reassure myself. :/

[Leslie735]

I was just watching something on TV the other day about meningitis and the Dr. on the show said to do the chin to chest check. He said when you have meningitis you cannot do this task. Sounds to me like you're just panicking which is understandable. I am no Dr. this is just what I saw on TV.

Also, back in 2003 when I was a senior in high school there was a boy in our school that died from meningitis. They were watching everyone in the school for symptoms and the things they told us to watch for was fever, flu like symptoms, vomiting and the stiff neck (touching chin to chest).



I hope you feel better soon!!!


ps if I'm not mistaken, the rash usually shows up on the palm of your hands and bottom of your feet.

[paul80]

Hi ballerina. Yes, Dr Google is bad for your health! From what you say, it sounds more like an allergic reaction. Why not call the NHS helpline? I'm sure they can reassure you. Good luck!

[Sadkel]

The rash for meningitis is more like little pin prick bruises that don't fade under a glass xx

[ballerina]

Thanks everyone, I'm too scared to do the glass test as stupid as it sounds because from my anxious point of view they probably won't look like they're fading even if they are. I stretched my skin though and it went white, I presume that's the same effect? They're not like bruises though, more like lots of red dots. I think I can vaguely remember the picture from the NHS meningitis leaflet we got given at school and it was purple/blue, hmmm strange how our symptoms can match perfectly to a harmless condition but vaguely match a very serious one and it's automatically the serious condition we think we have. I hate anxiety.

[Fishmanpa]

I came out of the shower and had a red rash all on my chest and arms, my neck feels stiff and I have a bit of a headache. I go on NHS symptom checker for the rash and stiff neck and it's saying I have meningitis, I'm so scared! I feel dizzy and sick now. I looked at my bedroom light and I can stare at it, and the headaches aren't THAT severe, I can touch my chest with my chin even though it hurts the back of my neck and I don't have a fever, the rash is most likely due to the new shower gel on my sensitive skin but I just can't get meningitis out of my head, I'm panicking ugh :( I can't afford to go to A and E because the only way I can get there is a taxi which costs a fortune or an ambulance (which I don't think I need, yet...) and I don't want to waste my evening in A and E when I'm supposed to be going out with friends so I don't know what else to do to reassure myself. :/

Read that about 1000 times and take a deep breath Ok? :)

Positive thoughts

[xxAmyxx]

My dad had meningitis 15 years ago. His symptom was THE WORST headache of his life. (He's totally fine now BTW) If it was meningitis you would know, sounds like anxiety to me. Hang in there.

[cattia]

When my daughter was three months old she was hospitalized with suspected meningitis (it turned out not to be luckily). She didn't have a rash, but the paediatrician told us that the rash is one of the last symptoms to appear and that by the time you get the rash you are already very ill with all the other symptoms (crippling headache, vomiting not just feeling sick, very high temperature that won't come down etc). My cousin's daughter also had it and was so ill that she was almost unconscious by the time they got her to hospital. She is fine now, but trust me if you had meningitis you really would know about it. Probably jeat rash from being in the bath.

[ballerina]

Thanks guys, I know it's anxiety now because I've been out with my friends and come back, if I had meningitis I'd have become unconscious and not been able to leave my house. In the moment though you just can't think rationally, while I was out I barely had symptoms because I was talking and not sitting alone concentrating on them, which obviously proves it was anxiety.

[Jojomarymoo]

It's an addiction. Everything points to the worse case scenario. I know I'm being irrational. It started with having a horrible kidney infection and at the same time being changed anti depressants..took 2 weeks to recover but now because I'm having weird symptoms, sharp muscle pain, anxiety, extreme tiredness, pain in my ovary area and groin...now I'm convinced I've got ovary cancer, where does that come from.. Dr Google. The thing is it's always an attempt to reassure, but it doesn't as all the symptoms always say cancer or other serious illnesses. All the other possibilities at at the bottom of the google list. I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one going through this awful health anxiety, it ruins your life. I never used to be like this before google :-(( x

[ballerina]

It's an addiction. Everything points to the worse case scenario. I know I'm being irrational. It started with having a horrible kidney infection and at the same time being changed anti depressants..took 2 weeks to recover but now because I'm having weird symptoms, sharp muscle pain, anxiety, extreme tiredness, pain in my ovary area and groin...now I'm convinced I've got ovary cancer, where does that come from.. Dr Google. The thing is it's always an attempt to reassure, but it doesn't as all the symptoms always say cancer or other serious illnesses. All the other possibilities at at the bottom of the google list. I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one going through this awful health anxiety, it ruins your life. I never used to be like this before google :-(( x

Mine started with an infected cut and viral throat infection I've always suffered with anxiety and depression (maybe bipolar II) but in the last few months my anxiety has manifested itself in health anxiety, I've become addicted to checking my body for symptoms. I also have sharp muscle pain, fatigue, and not groin pain but stomach pain, it's extremely difficult to persuade yourself it's your anxiety causing the symptoms, but it is, I may not believe it myself the majority of the time but it is. I go through phases between thinking it's serious illness and thinking rationally. Google really is the worst, google 'pain in throat' and the second result is throat cancer, people suffer from viral/bacterial throat infections/many other related minor health problems all the time but that's not the top result on google. Earlier today I thought I had meningitis and now I don't. Stay strong love, I bet you don't have ovary cancer, it's crazy what anxiety can do to us physically.