Health Anxiety flaring up again just as I was starting to beat it...

[Sazzy28]

Hello,
I'm pretty sure there are people on here who have experienced this. I have had quite a rocky past year with health anxiety and general anxiety which has affected everything from my relationship to my work. In the last year I've had multiple tests including blood tests, urine tests, stools tests, x2 pelvic examinations, a pelvic ultrasound and most recently a colonoscopy. All of which showed up nothing. Things got really bad between January and April but since then I have started pulling myself out of it through counselling, running, a low dose of anti anxiety meds and a change in work situation. I have been feeling a great deal better mentally for the last month.

Having got an all clear from my colonoscopy last week I've now started getting paranoid about cervical cancer, absolutely convincing myself this is what I have now. It has kicked off badly today for the first time in ages as I had a tiny bit of blood after having sex with my husband last night and this is the second time this has happened lately. Teamed up with some strange breakthrough bleeding at the start of the year and excess vaginal mucus on and off (which I think i've been mistaking for mucus with my stool) , I'm now totally convinced I have cervical cancer. My last PAP smear was clear and I think I'm due one very soon and like I mentioned before I have had a couple of 'normal' pelvic examinations where the GP took swabs which showed nothing. I'm trying really hard to rationalize and put everything into perspective and remembering what I've done with my counselling but I'm really struggling today.
I'm wondering whether to go back to my GP again about this stuff but I don't want to set the anxiety off again with more testing etc for cervical cancer now. However, I'm not sure I can just ignore this stuff as that creates crazy amounts of anxiety too.
Can anybody offer some advice?? It would be greatly appreciated as I've posted on forums before and nobody has replied to me.

Sarah.xx

[Jw123]

Hi Sarah, really feel for you, health anxiety is a terrible thing. Lots of ladies (me included) have breakthrough bleeding due to hormones etc so yours is almost certainly for the same reasons. To put your mind at rest though, you should see your GP for a check up and smear test.
Let me know how you get on.

I've been suffering for several days thinking I've got heart problems and that I'm going to keel over any minute! Trying to rationalise but really struggling today.... I feel your pain.

Julie x

[susan64]

Hi Sarah you don't mention how old you are? I've also had problems with the monthlys, although mine are age related ie menopausal or peri menopausal. I know when you see blood and you aren't expecting to it can be worrying but the majority of the time it's nothing sinister. I would take heart with the fact your Pap smear and pelvic exams were normal, try to see this as only a good thing. The excess mucus is probably just the fact you're ovulating! Hope some of this helps.

[Sazzy28]

Thank you for all the replies. It's incredibly reassuring having people to talk to who understand the pattern of the anxiety and how it can creep back up on you. Susan I'm 28, so at an age where all these sorts of things can occur. There is only one case of cancer within my family history which was my grandmother and that was endrometrical which spread to ovarian.
In terms of STD's etc I have had the same sexual partner my entire adult life and I'm now married to him. We have only ever been in a sexual relationship with one another so that pretty much rules out anything along those lines.
Isn't it funny how you go round in circles trying to reassure yourself with all these facts, tests etc and then you for some reason think it's a good idea to Dr Google. It's SO difficult not to when you are really wanting reassurance and it ALWAYS makes it so much worse.
A lot of my counselling has centered around trying to let go of controlling things and accepting that nobody is immune from illness and ultimately death. It's such a huge thing that all human beings spend their whole lives puzzling (some of us a great deal more than others!!) I have gained reassurance from being able to just accept that no amount of time spent worrying will change ANYTHING. Of course this is all so much easier said than done but I totally understand the pain of going through health anxiety; feeling like your not sure which symptoms are real indicators of something or not; what to ignore and what to pay attention to...etc etc. It's really tough but it definitely helps to share it with people who suffer the same battle. :)

[70sgirl]

You say you've only ever had sex with one partner. This is a good thing - my doc told me if you and your partner have only ever had sex with each other them the chances of getting cervical cancer is very very low - almost unheard of in fact. Bleeding after sex can be from the area getting sensitive - I've had this happen before as well.