Is this too silly to worry about?

[Savvy_Darling]

First of all let me say that i was laying in bed thinking about how much anxiety really sucks and that i wish i didn't ever get this way. I was thinking about how it works and for me i feel like most of us with anxiety have that 'fear of impending doom" feeling always at the back of our minds and when we see something or feel something on our bodies that most people would shrug off, our minds finally have a reason for that impending doom feeling so when something odd to us happens we automatically think the worst and know were dying this time. its like with anxiety our minds cant wait to find something new that's ultimately our death sentence. I HATE IT.
But anyways all these thoughts came from me starting to get worried about something really weird and something i know "normal" people wouldn't get worked up about. What i caught myself worried about is skin impressions. You know how if you have something tight on your skin or you sit or lay on something and it put the pattern on your skin? Or from socks?? Yeah.. that.
Firstly, i have sensitive skin, my skin is also pretty soft (at least that's what people have told me) so i think thats why my skin gets easily marked.
So, last night i took off these legging capris i have and they have a band at the bottom of the leg hole so on my lower calf area i had a band imprint. it took a few hours to go away completely.( is that normal?!) Also a line up my legs from the seams on the sides. (i also get this when i wear skinny jeans). I mean ill get an imprint on my wrist from my bead bracelet or if im sitting or laying on something with texture for awhile. I feel like ive always been like this but fo some reason i was feeling extra anxious and my mind decided to google if other people get this. (i know ive had friends who complained of skinny jeans leaving marks)... Well upon searching i came across something called Edema..also pitting edema. Apparently something to do with poor heart circulation or something like that--also something to do with kidney issues or failure. My head was churning with worries at that point. Theres this test where you press your finger in the ankle area on your leg and if it leaves a dent or pit then it could be symptom of those things i listed above. Of course i tried it, i didnt get the dent like i saw in the pictures.. my skin just whitened from the pressure and quickly faded back to skin color. In the pictures it looked like your skin was like clay and you actually had a dent. But im still worried and now im obsessing over looking at my skin for new imprints and seeing how long it takes to go away. I feel awful.I dont have pain or swollen feet or legs (my boyfriends grandma has heart failure and ive seen first hand of that type of swelling and pain and i definitely dont get that). I came here to see if anyone gets this from things easily like me and if its a normal thing? Im sure this sounds stupid to some as ive said to myself "youre fine..youre not dying" it does seem like such a stupid thing to start obsessing over but my anxiety couldnt wait to start on something new...even though i feel like this time im really reaching hear. i guess what worried me is how it took awhile for the band mark to go away..it was tight on my calf though.. i have some musclely big calves so..maybe thats why? Of course this has happended with high socks to me before but i shrugged it off and wasnt timing how long it took to go away so i dont remember.
just looking for opinions and like experiences? it would make me feel better if other people deal with this and dont have kidney failure or liver issues or heart problems. Also saw someones story about melanoma being the cause and her one leg swelled three times the size of the other..my leg isnt doing that but the whole melanoma thing ( or any cancer) is a big trigger for me so i panicked anyways. Google turned this into a nightmare for me. surprise surprise.
:weep: This really seems pathetic but like i said, i came here in hopes this really does happen maybe everyone or alot of people to at least constitute as normal!:unsure:
(side note, if it was kidney or heart issues wouldn't blood tests i got back in december picked up on this? Especially since ive dealt with this as long as i can remember and thought it was normal up until last night.)

[DrG00GLE]

So I was curious, looked up the edema thing, and unless your leg is swollen to the size of a tree I think you're fine. The pit you will see if you press down is always going to be there no matter what. Edema causes your skin to swell like a balloon after it gets water and that's exactly what your skin is doing. Collecting water. So, when you press down, you're going to see the mark. Also, the whole imprint from your things is completely normal and in fact I do too get weird shapes and patterns on my legs when laying down on things. Hope this helps.

[Fishmanpa]

If you have to ask that question then the answer is obvious.

Positive thoughts

[Noivous]

Hi - Yes that imprint stuff is totally normal and so are you...except for the HA of course....but that won't kill you. It'll just bug the crap out of you. But other than that you and your skin are fine.

N.

[Savvy_Darling]

Yes that does make me feel better , I just wanted to know if other people got this too and you said you did so yes you definitely helped me out. Thankyou Dr. Google! (first time I've said that in awhile lol :)
And yeah I don't think I have edema.. But I was really worried about it.. If it's what my boyfriends mom gets, I for sure doubt I have that. She has heart failure and her feet and ankles get so swollen and red and painful.. It's horrible to see.
I was worried about kidney problems too because it said something about that being a cause. Pretty sure my skin has been like this for ever too.. Anxiety just has a way of making you freak out and notice things more.

Oh and Thanks Noivous, good to hear this is normal!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Extremely common where pressure is applied. You will have had it many times in your life before.

This issue with "Edema" is worth considering a different way when this happens. Anxiety is fight or flight, built to protect us. This negative based process is extremely strong within us, which is why we can build a fear much quicker than eliminate one. The more it is constantly on with the volume turned up, the more it has a chance to find possible risks, threats to consider and forget or pass to your conscious mind as if to say "what about that?" React with fear and you basically say "yeah, that's a threat". React by pushing it away and you show it that it is triggering for you and it decides "that must be a threat then".

So, now think about this process seeing those indentations. It's saying "what's that? I can't find enough of a match in "stored data" so I need to work out what it could be and whether it is a threat". It thinks "I'll ask conscious mind, he's in-charge of decisions". You get "Edema", panic (obsess over it, etc) and you feedback "THREAT!!!" Subconscious mind starts ticking that box and makes associations over time that are reinforcing through such feedback. Associations can become more complex since these "neurons" that get associated to each other are connected by "synapses" and these synapses can link elsewhere too.

It's a bit like one of those old telephone exchanges.

See this "Edema" flashing into your mind as subconscious mind working through possibilities and asking you. Learn to observe it and say "whatever". This starves that process and over time the subconscious learns it's a waste of effort. Through this, associations change too. Core beliefs change. Those neurons become associated to more positive core beliefs and old thinking disappears.

[Savvy_Darling]

Thanks Terry! That really helped me and helped me to understand more of why things can freak me out so strongly all of a sudden . I was having a slow day I guess so that's why anxiwty had me worked up over something I've known I've always had happen. But in an instant anxiety can take away anything you thought you knew and make you feel unsure and vulnerable and that only causes my anxiety to get a bigger grip on me and had me worrying about Edema.. (Which I never even knew of until Google taught me..:lac:)
A couple times tonight when I caught myself slipping into the realm of 'what ifs" I told myself stop and let it go. Seemed to help a little and I wish I could prefect it.

[hanshan]

Soft skin on girls is mostly due to a few extra fat cells in the top layers under the outer skin. It's great on girls, not a sign of overweight, and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's not a sign of edema.

Marking by tight clothing worn all day is completely normal and also not a sign of edema. Feet that swell up, and pitting where you press for one or two seconds on the skin and the indent doesn't spring back are. Even then, it's not an emergency, but something to discuss with your doctor, as there are multiple causes.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well that's great that you are seeking that control to stop it advancing. It's like stopping a panic attack developing into a full one where it just has to follow through.

With those what if's, combat them with 3-5 positive what if's. It might add to that control.

For instance:

"What if the indentations on my legs are edema?"

"What if I don't have edema?"
"What if these indentations are normal?"
"What if everyone has them many times through their lives?"
"What if this is just pressure applied to my skin from tight fitting clothing?"
"What if I've had this many times and never been concerned?"

[dale12345]

Most women get some edema, alot of times it us because of hormones. Very normal.