17 year old friend diagnosed with AML...

[Masonn]

------------------Don't read if you're triggered by Leukaemia------------------



I've been doing well the past few days, and it's like the world won't let me get over my HA. Yesterday, I found out a good friend of mine, my age, 17, was diagnosed with AML. He had no symptoms, he was just going for a routine blood test. AML is extremely rare in general, and even when it does occur it's not typically in teenagers. He got a very very unusual and rare case and the fact that he had no symptoms scares me. I don't understand how my other friends don't seem to be that worried or scared about it. I'm freaking out about how this healthy 17 year old boy has such a rare leukaemia with no symptoms and scared about what that could mean for my health and all my friends are basically just like 'well, that sucks hope he gets better'.

This makes the second person I know my age with leukaemia. However, the other has ALL, the common one among teenagers and she had extreme symptoms.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm really sorry to here about your friend. :hugs:

Sometimes these things can take time to truly sink in and people react in different ways. Some people struggle, others go into productive modes to try to help. At some point, it will get felt and there will be a range of emotions.

Please talk on here about your worries, let people on here support you over your anxiety through this. Don't worry about triggering people, this place is full of triggers really anyway. You are completely entitled to support on here through the tough times to come as you support your friend.

On here everyone is always trying to steer people away from things like this because their anxiety focusses on the rare in an irrational manner, a symptom of their anxiety. However, rare things go on regardless and sometimes they touch on our lives too. My GF's mother has recently been diagnosed with something common in one group but completely rare in her circumstances so I know how that feels, but at 17 it is an even bigger blow. She had symptoms that could have been other things and even testing didn't reveal it at first until she went on to have more advanced tests. All the stuff no one on the HA board ever wants to hear really.

I don't have HA and so my reaction to her telling me wasn't fear or anxiety, I went more into a productive mode and it was simply because that's how I am and this doesn't touch my anxiety, hence I'm not afraid of it. There are still emotional issues in there, but not fear, I don't fear death or serious disease at all so I wouldn't react more than anyone without an anxiety disorder.

So, trust me, they will feel things, but being scared by something rare means something different to people without HA because we don't think the same. Your Cognitive Distortions differ in mine in the context of what they focus on.

Have you discussed this with them?

[Blonde123]

Masonn that's sad news. 17 is no age to be affected by any illness. All you can do is be there for her and be as supportive as you can. I don't know much about leukaemia so I'm not sure what lies ahead. Sometimes unexpected things happen in life and I think when you suffer from HA it hits home hard. Rest assured that as you said it's rare, it's not by its very nature common. I think that your friends aren't as affected as you because they don't have HA. When I was young I though I was invincible and now I worry over every little thing! Take care xx

[Masonn]

@Terry. Thanks for the reply :) Sorry about your GF's mother. I spoke to him generally about it and I just asked him if he'll be okay and he said 'I don't know.'. I don't think I'm close enough to him to really talk to him indepth about it and he has closer friends and family for that, but I will definitely visit him every now and then despite the whole situation triggering me greatly. His reaction is very shocking too, he doesn't seem very scared though I'm sure he is hiding it.

@Blond. Yeah, while Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer, cancer in childhood overall is rare. But he didn't even get the childhood leukaemia, he got the one that adults over 60 usually get which is very very very rare, only about 900 people in the UK get it yearly and people are usually over 60. His case is very rare, and unfortunately he has a worse outlook than the more generic leukaemia. I used to think I was invincible too, I haven't for years and I'm still young. :(

[Leslie735]

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend! Many prayers going to them and their family. *hugs*

[countrygirl]

I totally understand your fears. the hardest thing to come to terms with with health anxiety is that bad things happen and you really really have no control over it at all. The other way of looking at it is to be a bit fatalistic. NO one knows whats round the corner so why don't we just get on and enjoy our lives while we can.
I have a close friend who has never ever smoked and lived a very healthy life ( lots of exercise, good food and nice and thin) and she was recently diagnosed with metastatic/terminal lung cancer. She had no symptoms either it was picked up on a routine chest x ray for another matter.
Yes it freaked me out, if she can have this with her lifestyle:scared15::scared15: but I am trying very hard to get on with life and enjoy it.

You can have the best lifestyle you can for health but you can never ever have complete control, hard to read but sadly thats life.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks Masonn, I really appreciate your thoughts.

It must be hard to come to terms with at such a young age. Perhaps it's a bit of shock or maybe even some denial at this stage as it must feel unreal.

Aside from your anxiety around this I think you would react differently anyway because you are used to thinking about your health in a different way to them like Blonde says you feel invincible at that age but you don't feel like that and know a lot more I'll bet than they do.

Just being there is all we can do most of the time. The rest we have to place in the hands of the doctors but they will be giving the best care they can and we need to remember these are fast moving areas of medicine with a lot of cash behind them so it's not like our many battles to get help.

---------- Post added at 05:02 ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 ----------


I totally understand your fears. the hardest thing to come to terms with with health anxiety is that bad things happen and you really really have no control over it at all. The other way of looking at it is to be a bit fatalistic. NO one knows whats round the corner so why don't we just get on and enjoy our lives while we can.
I have a close friend who has never ever smoked and lived a very healthy life ( lots of exercise, good food and nice and thin) and she was recently diagnosed with metastatic/terminal lung cancer. She had no symptoms either it was picked up on a routine chest x ray for another matter.
Yes it freaked me out, if she can have this with her lifestyle:scared15::scared15: but I am trying very hard to get on with life and enjoy it.

You can have the best lifestyle you can for health but you can never ever have complete control, hard to read but sadly thats life.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, countrygirl. :hugs:

What you describe sounds a lot like my GF's mum as she never smoked and has a form common for smokers so she has been told it is rare. They are testing her for genetic markers as that may give her more treatment options. She did have some problems with her breathing but had only been ill for about a month and had been referred for tests but was kept in due to how much her breathing was affected. A few weeks later she diagnosed stage IV.

Some people might reads this thread and worry at 2 of us knowing people in this rare situation but I think we have to remember it's just coincidence and not let anxiety join up the dots to make something else.

It does make you think though. I don't have HA so it's different for me but I hope you will seek any support you need on this forum and don't be afraid to talk about. I'm not the only one, Pepperpot has a thread on the GAD board about her mum who is going through the same scenario. You need & deserve support.

[swgrl09]

I am so sorry to read this thread to both Masonn and Countrygirl. These illnesses that seem to come out of nowhere really can shake us up. I hope you both are getting support from family, friends, or people here. I am sending you both positive thoughts and hugs in this really hard time. :hugs::hugs::hugs: