Help me cancer anxiety

[Anon123]

If you read my past posts , I have been struggling with anxiety over luekemia. I'm currently feeling achey and my bones hurt. Being stupid I looked on Google and it says that seeing eye floaters are uncommon in teens and are a sign of luekemia. I am so scared and am having panic attacks all the time . I'm so scared and I don't know what to do?

[TheHusband]

Without wishing to sound flippant, I have never heard such a load of rubbish. We can all get eye floaters! Everyone.

In an ideal world, a health anxiety sufferer would kick the habit of googling their symptoms. I'd urge you to do this as a matter of urgency. Until that day though...

Please do not pay any attention to medical information on the web unless it is corroborated on several different (respected) websites. In other words, check what the NHS says, then check a big-name US medical website like WebMD, and find one more which says the same thing. Only then do you believe it. Never ever follow a link to a newspaper/magazine website.

If you feel achey I am afraid that can mean one of a hundred different things, and most likely cause is you are tired from constant worry and need a rest. Anxiety can physically wear you down, and sometimes even cause weird symptoms like muscle twinges and belly aches. Panic attacks will cause racing heart and tingling fingers. You have got to train yourself to ignore them.

[UKmamainUS]

I often get floaters when I don't get enough sleep. Have done for as long as I can remember - even in my teens. I also used to get achy bones in my teens - crazy achy - couldn't sleep cos I was in so much pain achy. Turns out it was going pains all the way up until I was about 20 (probably made worse by gluten sensitivity I didn't know I had). I also find my bones in my legs hurt like crazy when I am getting my period.

So, based on my own personal experience, I'd guess you do not have leukemia. But if you are really worried, you could tell from a simple blood test.