Pain in neck and HA

[jcstan]

Hey everyone,

Little intro. Im a 22 year old kid. Im pretty healthy and have a normal weight for my height and just generally in good shape. About three weeks ago i started to get some weird pain in my throat and thought nothing of it for the first day. Next morning work up and it was worse, so naturally with health anxiety i started to panic. After that things got progessivley worse, i started to feel the lymph nodes under my chin swell (not hardly at all though) and i started to feel a lump in my throat and all kinds of weird things. I went to the first doctor and they told me it could be acid reflux, or my sinuses. Okay whatever guess ill just let it go and hope it gets better. It didnt get any better so went to another doctor and they told me could be sinuses and other things. So i trusted them... Until it started to get the worse. The pain started getting worse and while i went to the doctor, none of them did any tests on me. I started to fear the worst, im convinced i have either Thyroid cancer or Lymphoma. I have thyroid issues in my family, my mother had problems with hers and my grandma got hers removed. So start freaking out and think i need to see another doctor so i do. This time i get all kinds of tests done. Blood counts, throat swabs, thyroid tests, lyme disease tests blah blah blah. While doing that the doctor also said she checked my thyroid with her hands and there was no swelling and it felt good. So a few days pass and I get a call from the doctor they tell me that my blood counts looks great, thyroid levels were perfect, no lyme disease and no strep. At this point im thinking what in the hell is going on. I then get a call from them saying that a test came back that i had a beta hemolytic strep, still no idea what that means and i get prescribed penicillin. Ive since started taking it and nothing feels better. Im still petrified i have cancer. To the point where its not even im scared i have it anymore, but that i just know i have it. So i guess my questions are, after all these tests could the doctors really know if i have cancer or not in my thyroid or lymphoma? And how can i cope with all this anxiety. Im really struggling.

Thanks

[KeeKee]

Basically you have strep infection. I Googled the one you have and from what I've read on the NHS website that strain normally lives harmlessly in our digestive system.
That will explain your symptoms and the antibiotics need to be taken in full for it to be gone. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

[blackbroom]

If you had cancer or a serious problem with your thyroid or lymph nodes the tests would have found it. And the tests did show you have a throat infection - even with antibiotics, that will take time to clear up.

I know how distressing it is when the anxiety takes hold and your mind won't let you trust what the doctors are telling you. I try writing down a list of what I'm afraid of and allotting myself a finite "worrying period" sometimes helps, as does finding things to distract me (a good book, household chores, exercise), but I know when it's really bad, none of that works.

Hope you're feeling better soon.