Scaring myself -skin cancer

[Shortkasper]

Hello, I'm new here. I've been having some severe health anxiety lately. First I was convinced that I had cervical cancer, after a pap and checkup my fears were temporarily relieved. Now I'm stuck on skin cancer. I have many moles and freckles which I haven't had checked out since they've never changed, well, with the exception of one. I had a freckle in my wrist that has gotten bigger and slightly raised. Now I'm scrutinizing every mole, freckle, pimple, ingrown hair, etc. I'm convinced that my aches are due to melanoma that has spread to my lymph nodes. I have a slight sore throat and I keep telling myself it's because I have cancer that is spreading. I have an appointment with my dermatologist this Wednesday but it's making me anxious and very nervous. My poor husband can hardly stand being around me right now with all of my negative health chatter. I just need a little reassurance and some advice on how to get past this obsession. I'm afraid I'll just keep jumping to new health issues and never feel normal again. I'm driving myself crazy because I know I'm overreacting but my brain is nagging me to keep googling and poking at my skin.

[WorryIsMyMiddleName]

Hi. I wish I could offer you some advice but if I knew how to get over these obsessions then I wouldn't be here myself. All I can offer you is some reassurance that you aren't alone in feeling this way. I've suffered with health anxiety for the past 2 - 3 years, and it's tearing my life apart. Although I've recently been diagnosed with MS, my fears are all centered around getting cancer, and as soon as I get over one concern, I move straight onto the next. I also want to feel "normal" again. I've done the skin cancer worry a couple of times, as well as breast, ovarian, oesophageal, oral, throat, bladder etc. My current concern is Paget's, as I have one itching, weeping, crusting nipple. I also have enlarged nodes in my neck and underarm, one side only, and breast lumps, as well as many other "suspicious" symptoms. What I'm saying is, there are always symptoms which could be attributed to cancer, if we want to find them. And find them we do!

I doubt very much that your wrist freckle is going to be anything nasty (I freaked out twice about freckles that became tiny blood blisters, but both turned out to be nothing), but at least you have an appointment to see the dermatologist this week. You're doing all you can, and worrying in the meantime isn't going to achieve anything, so just try to keep yourself busy and your mind distracted - and DO NOT GOOGLE!!! Good luck with your appointment.

[Wuboo]

I too have this anxiety at the moment, I've had a small 2mm lesion on my leg (actually it was more like bubble blister until I picked it!) for about 2 months and it didn't bother me then all of the sudden something clicked and panicked and saw two doctors who both said it was a benign mole, but it doesn't stop the worry.

My doc said to basically ignore it but I opted to have it taken off, much to my docs "What? for that thing?" look.

Any way, since Googling stuff on it and the docs asking me questions not long after I started itching my leg and getting aches in my leg. I do think that with HA we do almost want to convince ourselves we are ill and lose logical thinking and begin to ignore professionals and research issues our self looking for some reassurance, but of course the research we do on Google makes it worse and in my experience if I find something that makes me feel better it's not long before irrational thoughts come back.

When I'm doing something that involves me thinking I tend to forget about the itching until my mind suddenly says "whoops, you stopped worrying for a second, better start worrying again".

The only thing you can do is try and ignore it and keep yourself busy and engage your mind. The Internet is great unless your an HA sufferer! I would say good luck but clearly your not gonna need it!

[Tomatoes]

Hi there, I have the exact same problem. I am new to posting on here too. Since the beginning of this year I have been suffering from health anxiety. I have good weeks and bad weeks and each week I move on to a new illness/cancer. From bowel cancer, cervical cancer, bone cancer and now I'm currently on skin cancer. I was never really aware of all my moles until a friend told me about hers - now I'm obsessing over mine and have three that need to be checked out by a dermatologist on Tuesday. I can't stop thinking about them and I'm really worried. I spend nearly everyday feeling nervous and anxious about them and examining them. My husband is totally fed up of my obsessing and I'm driving myself crazy.

I've just re read all of your above posts and I can relate to everyone of them. None of my friends and family understand and get so fed up with me!

I hope you're managing to keep your anxieties at bay and hope the appointments go well.

[fac163]

Hi shortkasper, I just joined this site last week and one of my HA is due to my worry over the number (not really the size) of new moles I am seeing. Very tiny brown dots. From what I've googled, it's like lentigo. I've had 3 semi-annual skin checks so far here in Tucson at a dermatologist (probably a good place to be seen, due to the amount of sun people here get) and she's taken one off my toe but it was atypical benign, so I'm ok there. I just worry that I'm nearly 30 and they say you shouldn't be getting new moles at this point.

My HA has latched on to the worry/guilt over working as an engineer around chemicals in general. I say "guilt" because it does feel like that would be a big part of my personality that I'd be less able to cope with a health issue if it was something I've done to deserve it. Then the worries begin about it spreading, like you have said to lymphs, explaining a sore neck or back (which is likely just due to my stress choosing new areas to store the tension.)

I suppose I should add that this HA is balled-up with the other scary symptoms: pins and needles, twitching, creeping feeling. (which came on quickly in the past month at the peak of what I've realized is anxiety, and have subsided as I've learned from this site and Claire Weekes, so for that reason I am encouraged that it's just anxiety…if it came on fast and faded fast due according to my anxiety levels, then it really shouldn't be cancer etc.)

[firecracker777]

Hello,

I am new here as well. For the same exact reason. I am getting married this Saturday and starting a few weeks ago I started worrying myself about breast cancer because I thought I felt a lump. That sent me into a panic and thought I am finally getting married and now I am dying. This wouldn't be the first time I have diagnosed myself like this. I went to the ER because I had some blood in my stool. I assumed I had anal cancer that spread and also was causing my ovarian cancer since I was also having back pain.

So after being checked by my ob/gyn the lump was just normal tissue, but I then noticed a large mole on my leg and thought immediately it was melanoma. I've had this mole for as long as I can remember and actually have many moles. The mole looks a little odd to me but I can't remember if this is what it has always looked like or not. I have a dermatologist appt scheduled for the end of the month but I am not sure if I can wait that long without sending myself into a full blow panic attack. It also doesn't help that one of our clients at work is a melanoma foundation :-/

Shortskaper how did your appt turn out?