I'm so scared.. Need advice?

[Anxiouscow]

Well my HA came back recently. I had a throat infection and started worrying about lymphoma, then my anxiety came back and I had some indigestion. The indigestion then began triggering my anxiety massively, and I started googling. I don't know why I did it, but then started worrying I had oesophagus cancer. Then, as the anxiety got worse, I started feeling sick when I ate, and had little appetite, and then I started worrying about having stomach cancer.

I couldn't stop worrying so I went to see my GP, who examined me and felt my stomach. He also checked my throat and my lower abdomen, and he said that there's nothing to worry about. As a 17 year old, I'm probably unlikely to get any of these diseases but that doesn't deter me from worrying about it. So currently, the doctor has put me on Prozac, and has referred me for talking therapy, which I am very keen to try. But right now what is troubling me is the fact I don't feel like eating. I'm trying to eat little and often, but I can't convince myself that it's the anxiety, and not a serious illness. I'm going back to the doctor on the 19th, so I'm going to raise any concerns I have with him. Is there any advice anyone can give me on trusting my doctor more? And trying to get out of my mind that I'm going to die? And how I can eat more?

I know it's a lot of questions but I'm desperate, any help is really appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

[MrsDavies]

Sorry to hear your HA has come back :hugs:
You sound like me! The other day I convinced myself I had 3 different illnesses in one day!
None of what you have described sounds like anything serious. In fact, it all sounds like anxiety. Firstly, you had a throat infection and worried about it, then you had indigestion, probably from worrying so much and then you googled which is the worst thing you could of done which added even more to your already panicked body and mind which then made you feel sick and you lost your appetite. Do you see the link? It's a complete cycle of anxiety, one thing made the other worse and caused more symptoms and so on.... Try and break the cycle if you can. Focus on something you enjoy or like doing. Just to add, at 17 years old it's highly unlikely you'd have any kind of serious illness so try to bear that in mind although I know how hard it is to convince yourself. I'm only 20 and struggle myself.
As for trusting your doctor more, I don't have the answer to that one as when I go to the doctors I find relief for all of 20mins before the 'what if' thoughts are back, that's just your anxiety but bearing in mind that your doctor is medically trained and would not put his job and reputation at risk to tell you nothing was wrong if there was wrong can be of some help. As for getting the horrible thoughts out of your mind and your appetite back, that is all anxiety related so tackling the anxiety or lowering it is probably the only thing that will help with that. Hope you feel better soon :)

[Sam Winter]

i have recently gone through your trauma so i'm hoping i can give you some answers,
so to start off how to trust your doctor,
i've recently been there myself but i've learned to trust him especially as i frequently have to go however, he has only misdiagnosed me once and thats because i didn't explain all my symptoms, if you tell your gp extensively about what issues you are having they will diagnose you correctly,
as for getting out of your mind,
i can never stress enough about distractions positivity and support, if you find things you love doing it can really help whether its outside or you're stuck in both work,
i also find that if i have a day where i wake up early and go shopping i feel more positive, setting goals also help because you're more focused on doing something you want to do rather then what might happen, little goals still work look at me for instance, i'm terrified of talking to others and going out but i found shopping easier today as i woke up with a hankering to bake so i set a goal to get my cake box so i could one and it distracted me entirely, getting support really does help also, i used to think i was weak because i needed to get help but the truth is i just needed that extra push of encouragement, so get some support from a friend or a loved one,
lastly as for eating more you may get a better appetite when you calm down as it could be the anxiety causing it, i used to suffer with it really bad but it improved amazingly after i calmed down and got put on medication, i didn't have specific tips for eating i just eat what and how much i thought i could handle at the time, its better to not put enough on your plate as you can easily get more after rather then put too much on your plate and overwhelm yourself,
heres a little cancer tip also, theres hardly any chance you'll have throat cancer as specific things like acid reflux and stuff cause it, and trust me i suffered with chronic acid reflux all of last year until i got medication and i've suffered with mini spurts of it all my life if there was anyone who had a chance of developing it it would of been me lol x
i hope at least some of my advice helps and i'm sorry my reply is soo long lol
take care!

[IamM3]

I feel exactly like you do. I had the flu a couple of weeks ago and got really sick. After a couple of days it cleared but I felt weak. I started searching on Google which made the situation worse and made my anxiety worse and worse. I even went to the emergency room thinking I was bleeding internally. After they released me, with nothing wrong with me, I still felt weak and the nurse just told me I needed to sleep. But my anxiety just made things worse and I started taking supplements thinking I was really sick. Bad idea, please dont do that. I had to call poison control thinking I was going to die. My anxiety, panic, and mistrust in doctors could of really hurt me. I still feel anxious about my health but I find that breathing really helps and lay off the internet. I am so happy to have this forum because I thought I was alone in this. It brings tears to my eyes just to know I am not alone and other people are experiencing similar things. I know exactly the fear that you feel and the inability to control it. But maybe talking about it will help.