Are people reassured by test results?

[damianjmcgrath]

I've posted elsewhere about my supposed heart issue. I get pains, tightness, heaviness, fast pulse, and a general feeling that something is about to burst. However, this thread isn't specifically about that - it's about test results in general.

I've had ECGs done and a echocardiogram. All was normal. I had a full blood count and a thyroid check and a 24hr urine test for an adrenal tumour. All fine.

However, my brain says that the ECGs were done when I was feeling fine so wouldn't show anything. The echo shows structural problems but maybe I don't have structural problems, maybe I have a blocked artery or something.

Apart from ridiculously invasive tests like an angiogram which they won't give me, I think I've had all available tests so why can't that reassure my brain? I'd have thought that it would be unusual to pass all tests and still have a problem - what are people's thoughts or experiences of that?

Has any test reassured you or does your anxiety always take over again?

[tmckenzie-orr]

Anxiety and your mind is makin you worry and asking yourself the WHAT IF question WHAT IF THEY DIDNT FIND SOMETHING, WHAT IF THEY MISS SOMETHING AND I DIE. WHAT IF I ETC ETC, CHILL RELAX AND GET SOME CBT HELP FROMY YOUR DOCTOR

[damianjmcgrath]

I guess it is a bit of that. I've had CBT which has helped a bit. Not completely. I think I'm thinking not what if they didn't find anything but more that the tests I had done don't cover every scenario and perhaps my problem doesn't show up on those tests.

Or I've somehow developed a problem since those tests.

Or even scarier, perhaps the anxiety and stress have caused actual heart problems. People say anxiety won't kill you but I've heard of stress being a contributing factor to heart attacks. Maybe I'm weakening it every day through anxiety.

I was just wondering whether this was normal or whether other people tend to get reassurance from results?

[Ughanxiety]

Hey Damian,

Personally I'm not entirely reassured by test results, here's a little recent example:

I woke up one morning with crippling shoulder pain, couldn't move it at all without being almost brought to tears, the pain was just completely unbearable. It lasted for about 6-8 weeks and then finally went away, but afterwards I noticed my shoulder was incredibly weak, I couldn't lift things above shoulder height and I found it odd, I thought maybe it would just go away on it's own, but no. One day I was looking in the mirror and found that my shoulder looked.. different, I inspected it more and compared it to the right and low and behold, my entire shoulder had atrophied! It was just all bone.

I went to the doctors, they said it wasn't right, long story short I had multiple tests, first of all I had an ultrasound and MRI on the shoulder, the ultrasound confirmed the atrophy and they found nothing inside my shoulder (cyst) that could be pressing on the nerve to cause atrophy, shoulder surgeon thought it might be Parsonage Turner Syndrome, very rare neurological disorder, so obviously I came home and read up about it and it sounded about right.

I was then sent for more tests "just in case", had an EMG/nerve conduction study, something where they stick needles into your muscles or whatever and an MRI. Now this is where the health anxiety came back to bite me. After I had the tests done I was immediately referred to a neurologist, I began to google lots of stuff and was CONVINCED I had ALS, I freaked out like crazy for weeks on end until the neurologist appointment finally came..

Guess what? No ALS, all the results suggested it wasn't and that my shoulder surgeon probably guessed right in that it was Parsonage Turner Syndrome or as my neurologist likes to call it Neuralgic Amyotrophy. After that I was immediately discharged and told that I won't never regain full strength in my left shoulder, but it could heal up to 90% and I would regain most of it, but it was a waiting game and it usually takes 12-18 months to heal.

Fast forward to now, the thought of ALS or a serious neurological problem continues to creep into my head.. I continiously look in the mirror at my right shoulder, it feels weak, I look at it and keep telling myself that it's atrophying and it's seriously crippling my day to day activities, I just can't keep my mind off of it one bit. I've been trying to keep my mind on track but to no avail.

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I thought it would give you a little bit of insight into how another thinks!

[Fishmanpa]

Historically on the HA boards, no. Perhaps for a short time but in most cases, the fear returns or is replaced by another.

How many post about getting clear tests and exams from medical professionals and then come here for more reassurance? That should answer your question.

Positive thoughts

[spacebunnyx]

I agree. I go to the doctors and feel reassured for around 24 hours and then the anxiety creeps back... the "what if they got in wrong?"

It's horrible.

[Hypo84]

I will be the black sheep here and say that tests actually doreasure me always. The problem is that after a while , day, week ot a month new symptoms with new diseases come up :)

[damianjmcgrath]

I think test results do generally reassure me as well. However, what I'd really like is more information about what the tests actually check for. For example, I'd like the doctors to say "if you have a healthy ECG and echo, it's pretty much impossible to have a heart problem". I'd like to get some context around what the results mean for me. Perhaps that's expecting too much.

[Fishmanpa]

I think test results do generally reassure me as well. However, what I'd really like is more information about what the tests actually check for. For example, I'd like the doctors to say "if you have a healthy ECG and echo, it's pretty much impossible to have a heart problem". I'd like to get some context around what the results mean for me. Perhaps that's expecting too much.

But that's what it means! You could always ask the obvious question if you want.

Positive thoughts

[Sam123]

I think test results do generally reassure me as well. However, what I'd really like is more information about what the tests actually check for. For example, I'd like the doctors to say "if you have a healthy ECG and echo, it's pretty much impossible to have a heart problem". I'd like to get some context around what the results mean for me. Perhaps that's expecting too much.

I completely understand this. Almost as if i want them to spell it out for me, like a child some what and say this test result means you have NOT got this and DEFINITELY haven't got that :roflmao:

The thing is they're not to know what we're thinking, and if they were to say these things it could cause anxiety where it wasn't.

[its1111]

The tests reassure me for a bit, until something else starts to magically hurt. But I guess for me, it has been because they have found some issues in the past, so I constantly worry and wonder what they will find next...

[damianjmcgrath]

But that's what it means! You could always ask the obvious question if you want.
I guess I could ask, but I don't think it does mean it's practically impossible to have a problem. I don't want him to say "it rules out problem x, y and z, but you could still have this thing". If he says that, it'll give me anxiety fuel!

I wish someone could explain a ECG and echo to me though. How good are they?

[Gary A]

An ECG records the rythym and electrical activity of your heart. It's a simple but effective test to check for irregularities in your heart rythym. Most ECG's are carried out in a doctors surgery or in hospital and the results are given then, but you can also get a 24 hour and even a 7 day ECG. Not sure which one you had.

An echo works by firing sound waves at your heart and the resulting "echo" delivers a picture of the structure of the heart and valves. Again, it's a very useful and effective test.

You can probably be sure that you have no heart arythmias and there is no evidence of any structural damage to your heart or it's valves.

Of course, there are far more invasive tests that can record very very fine details of the heart, but I think you should trust that your doctor would send you for these if they felt it necessary, which they obviously don't.

[Davit]

I got to watch my echo and listen to my heart. I have a murmur. I could watch the valves as the computer put it together. I could here it pump. I found it very interesting in a scary way.