View Full Version : Is anxiety itself a symptom of a brain tumour?
I feel like I think I'm dizzy not sure if I am or not, I haven't eaten yet though.
ServerError
06-08-16, 14:10
"Like a whirlpool, it never ends..."
I just had a burst of gagging, mom reckons it's anxiety because I'm thinking about it
ServerError
06-08-16, 14:47
Yep, I've been through that. It wasn't fun, but I survived.
I worry that my severe anxiety is a sign of a tumour :unsure:
---------- Post added at 14:53 ---------- Previous post was at 14:53 ----------
So phantom smells that may not be phantom smells, gagging while thinking about gagging and then some And anxiety.
---------- Post added at 14:57 ---------- Previous post was at 14:53 ----------
I honestly think I'm too insane for my trip. I've been here before I've been so scared of menlanoma and aneurysm. I've had this fear before.
MyNameIsTerry
06-08-16, 15:04
"Like a whirlpool, it never ends..."
Like a record baby, right round round round. :D
Listen to your mum, Reb. You are trying to attach symptoms to the subject you fear. Gagging is very common as a symptom in anxiety and often discussed. The same with dizziness. And headaches will probably be another your mind will throw at you.
What if my anxiety is in-fact a tumour?
Personality change?
I've had GAD for a few years, OCD as a child and beat that somehow. I have had blood tests done since my anxiety has Been high and it came back normal. Hmm.
MyNameIsTerry
06-08-16, 15:20
Personality change? Only when drunk. It went after that so where is the change?
If you took a drug that gave you hallucinations would you worry you were schizophrenic?
Drink is famous for changing us at the time when we have too much of it. Prison cells are full of such people after fights or public order offences.
My cousin had a personality change due to brain damage. At it's worst he was acting profoundly different and the consultant explained it was due to his fitting whilst he was in intensive care in Birmingham Children's Hospital. It was nothing like what you described in your drunken state, not out of anger it was anger out of nothing & for the sake of it in his case.
I've seen many a person change when drunk. I've acted out of character myself when hammered. Let that go, it's well explained as emotion and drink in your event.
I honestly think I'm too insane for my trip.
This IMO, after following your mental ordeal the last 8-9 months, is the holy grail of triggers and the key to what's taking place. Perhaps the spiral you've been in since January is all based on the huge life change that's coming and subconsciously you're looking for a way out. It's been getting worse and worse as the time approaches for you to leave.
Maybe you need to really look at this aspect and address that as opposed to imaginary physical symptoms.
Positive thoughts
Shazamataz
06-08-16, 22:22
You can't 'imagine' being dizzy. Either you are dizzy or you are not.
I agree with Fishman, I'd say you need to rethink this trip and instead focus on getting better before making any drastic life changes.
Terry I questioned whether the anxiety is a symptom?
Shazamataz
06-08-16, 23:07
Anxiety is not the symptom Reb. All the things you are experiencing are symptoms of anxiety. You've been diagnosed with GAD and OCD in the past and clearly both of these are spinning out of control right now. The more you obsess over physical symptoms and keep reading about them the more you will experience.
Still on the brain tumour worry, sorry.
This has me worried as this thought crossed my mind. But then how many people in this forum are or have been severely anxious. It doesn't stop me doing things or working or being social.
MyNameIsTerry
07-08-16, 12:03
Reb,
Is anxiety a symptom of schizophrenia? Is anxiety a symptom of bipolar? Is anxiety a symptom of psychosis? Is anxiety a symptom of diabetes? Is anxiety a symptom I'm getting dementia or Alzheimer's? Is anxiety a symptom of a women having her period?
I've heard all of those and plenty more. The point is - doctors don't look a symptom that could be indicative over tons of conditions. They look at ALL your symptoms. And then they do a hypothesis test to determine whether your symptoms point away from what they were considering.
Is being shit scared a symptom of a brain tumour? Maybe it is, it certainly will be the minute the doctor tells you if you ever have one! BUT the point is, anxiety is a symptom of many things so why would it be a brain tumour? Why would it be something so extreme when it could be anything from a list of other things? And why aren't you worried about them?
That's classic HA mind-set - tunnel vision.
And something you have missed. You were ALREADY anxious before the phantom smells came along, before the dead legs came along - over your freckles. So, are you suggesting that your anxiety disorder has suddenly disappeared and been replaced with a brain tumour that is doing exactly the same and pretty much nothing else?
Think about it. If you had a brain tumour that was affecting your conscious functioning, don't you think you would be seeing something more extreme? Would there be confusion? Memory issues? Personality issues? Wouldn't there be deterioration if it was affecting your conscious functioning? I don't know (I suspect so), I will leave GadGirl & Mojo to fill us in on that as they've sadly had to go through all that.
venusbluejeans
07-08-16, 18:32
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Emmz
Terry I guess so. It's one of those situations where I worry it's a symptom. When I read how depression and anxiety is a symptom it's usually where people are left bed ridden and too sad to leave their houses. I doubt it'd come and go like this and usually when I'm scared of a symptom. I don't just change when I'm not anxious.
Is it normal to act how I've done when I'm scared. Josh123 is telling me it's a symptom of a brain Tumor. I hope he's trolling me, he has a tendency to be like that on my posts.
I haven't read all of your threads...there are too many.
But
Why aren't you going to the dr or hospital? ?
The only thing that is going to get you off this brain tumor obsession is either a CT scan or MRI.
Go already and put yourself out of misery.
No. One. Here. Can. Diagnose. You.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:04
The only person who should send her for an MRI or CT scan is a doctor. She needs to see a doctor about her anxiety. If that doctor sees any signs at all of a brain tumour, she'll be sent for a scan. There is no point taking up valuable NHS resources getting tests she doesn't need. It wouldn't do any good anyway. She'd just be on here asking about the likelihood of scans being incorrect. It's help with her anxiety she needs, but she won't seek it, sadly.
Josh1234 isn't trolling you, Reb (yes, I had a look on Anxiety Zone). He's telling you what you 'want' to hear. It's the only answer you haven't had. Think about it - if we all started telling you that we suspected the possibility of a brain tumour, what would you do? Post more threads? Feel relieved? See a doctor?
At this point, I'm certainly out of ideas as to how I can be of any help.
I can't just go here in the UK. From what I've said would you say I need one?
I haven't read all of your threads...there are too many.
But
Why aren't you going to the dr or hospital? ?
The only thing that is going to get you off this brain tumor obsession is either a CT scan or MRI.
Go already and put yourself out of misery.
No. One. Here. Can. Diagnose. You.
You can't just go to the hospital and request an MRI in the UK. That's probably a good thing though otherwise many people on here will have had one, myself probably included as I've had the brain tumour worry before.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:08
I can't just go here in the UK. From what I've said would you say I need one?
When people say you need therapy, you ignore it.
If someone said you need an MRI scan, would you listen to them?
You really do need to start dealing with this.
I only worry because when I'm anxious, I'm anxious. Surely a sign would be feeling this way with no actual reasoning (when I'm worrying about a sign of an illness) id be this way 24/7 wouldn't I and in different situations
---------- Post added at 19:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:09 ----------
At your worst have you been similar to this? Excusing the several posts but the fear etc.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:12
I only worry because when I'm anxious, I'm anxious. Surely a sign would be feeling this way with no actual reasoning (when I'm worrying about a sign of an illness) id be this way 24/7 wouldn't I and in different situations
I'm not sure I fully understand the sentence, but if you have anxiety, you'll worry even when there's nothing to worry about. I certainly did.
How long are you going to dodge the real issue? Do you want to wake up at 30, 35, 40 years of age having worried every single day? What opportunities might you miss because you were too focused on worry? There are people out there who can help you. You either engage with them, or carry on ruining your own life. It's a stark choice, but it's the one we're all faced with on this site.
If you want to know how bad I was, Reb, take ten minutes to read my most recent thread. You'll see how bad I was.
I can't just go here in the UK. From what I've said would you say I need one?
Yes.
Do what you need to do to get it done.
Josh1234 isn't trolling you, Reb (yes, I had a look on Anxiety Zone). He's telling you what you 'want' to hear. It's the only answer you haven't had.
I've just had a neb and I think he is trolling her.
Regardless of how 'over the top' a member is being I don't think his comment is necessary. It could make matters worse, anxiety forums are there to help people, not to take the mick. If I was desperate and received comments like some of the ones helenhoo has received, I would have closed my account. Some have been patronising and outright childish.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:14
Yes.
Do what you need to do to get it done.
She'd have to spend about £1,500 and get a referral for a private scan.
Or fake symptoms in order to get one on the NHS.
Reb print off any of your threads and get to your GP to get therapy for your health anxiety.
Seriously hun you are not listening to anyone here and in all honesty there is little we can do for you.
You need proper therapy and perhaps meds (I know you don't want this).
What we can do is offer you support but only if you make the effort to help yourself.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:15
I've just had a neb and I think he is trolling her.
Regardless of how 'over the top' a member is being I don't think his comment is necessary. It could make matters worse, anxiety forums are there to help people, not to take the mick. If I was desperate and received comments like some of the ones helenhoo has received, I would have closed my account. Some have been patronising and outright childish.
I guess only he can say what his intentions were. You could be right, though.
PS, what's a 'neb'? It sounds Scottish?
She'd have to spend about £1,500 and get a referral for a private scan.
Or fake symptoms in order to get one on the NHS.
I certainly hope she doesn't fake symptoms to get an NHS scan. Those scans are reserved for people who are truly unwell and in need of urgent treatment. Taking up time and vital resources by requesting unnecessary treatment is deplorable, someone could be dying whilst waiting for Reb to be scanned for her imaginary "brain tumour" :curse::curse::curse:
---------- Post added at 19:32 ---------- Previous post was at 19:30 ----------
Sorry but it pisses me off. My husband died from a brain tumour and reading all this crap about imaginary symptoms and requesting NHS scans is making me very angry indeed. Reb needs to move on, this topic is done to death now (pun intended)
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:34
I certainly hope she doesn't fake symptoms to get an NHS scan. Those scans are reserved for people who are truly unwell and in need of urgent treatment. Taking up time and vital resources by requesting unnecessary treatment is deplorable, someone could be dying whilst waiting for Reb to be scanned for her imaginary "brain tumour" :curse::curse::curse:
---------- Post added at 19:32 ---------- Previous post was at 19:30 ----------
Sorry but it pisses me off. My husband died from a brain tumour and reading all this crap about imaginary symptoms and requesting NHS scans is making me very angry indeed. Reb needs to move on, this topic is done to death now (pun intended)
I was making a point to somebody not from the UK about how hard it is to get an MRI scan if you don't need one.
Even if she faked it, the doctor would probably see through it. If you were to look at my posts in this thread, you'd see what way forward I have been encouraging her to take.
I wasn't suggesting an actual way forward.
I guess only he can say what his intentions were. You could be right, though.
PS, what's a 'neb'? It sounds Scottish?
It basically means be nosey ha! It could be Scottish, although I'm from the North East. We use the phrase Nebby Nose for people who are overly intrusive in ones business.
Funny how you take absolutely no notice of anyone who offers you reassurance, but one person tells you that this is a symptom of a brain tumour and you latch on to it.
You are not here for help, you're here for confirmation of your worries. The answer will never ever change. You don't have a brain tumour and your desperation to tell yourself that you have has now reached disturbing levels.
Stop this nonsense.
Mojo I'm so sorry I really don't mean to offend. May I ask your reason for being here? I can assume what you husband went through triggered it for you? Please accept my deepest apologises. I want to stop. Now.
Calm clinic out this is black and white: Anxiety Causes Neurological Symptoms. Everyone's greatest fear is that their anxiety isn't anxiety. They fear that the doctors are missing something, and that they are actually suffering from a dangerous and possibly even fatal position that is having an effect on their heart or brain.
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:38
It basically means be nosey ha! It could be Scottish, although I'm from the North East. We use the phrase Nebby Nose for people who are overly intrusive in ones business.
I have a friend from Whitley Bay. Will keep an eye out for him saying it. Although he is about to move to Australia. God, they'll never understand him.
I have a friend from Whitley Bay. Will keep an eye out for him saying it. Although he is about to move to Australia. God, they'll never understand him.
Haha. I wonder of Whitley Bay people speak more 'Mackem' or more 'Geordie'. It's very near to me but I've never been before.
:noangel:
I was making a point to somebody not from the UK about how hard it is to get an MRI scan if you don't need one.
Even if she faked it, the doctor would probably see through it. If you were to look at my posts in this thread, you'd see what way forward I have been encouraging her to take.
I wasn't suggesting an actual way forward.
Apologies ServerError, I didn't mean to imply that's what I thought. I have read your posts and I agree with you completely, I just saw red there for a moment as I've been on the receiving end of someone with a real brain tumour and believe you me, a walk in the park it certainly was not.
Sorry if I inadvertantly offended you, it wasn't intentional :blush:
ServerError
07-08-16, 19:54
:noangel:
Apologies ServerError, I didn't mean to imply that's what I thought. I have read your posts and I agree with you completely, I just saw red there for a moment as I've been on the receiving end of someone with a real brain tumour and believe you me, a walk in the park it certainly was not.
Sorry if I inadvertantly offended you, it wasn't intentional :blush:
I don't offend that easily. :D
Just wouldn't want anyone to think I would suggest deliberately wasting a doctor's time.
We're good.:yesyes:
Mojo, I am sincerely sorry.
Mojo, I am sincerely sorry.
There really is no need to apologise Helen, but please, please, please get some professional help because you are going to make yourself extremely ill otherwise. Listen to what the members on here say, and for goodness sakes stop googling!
You can't just go to the hospital and request an MRI in the UK. That's probably a good thing though otherwise many people on here will have had one, myself probably included as I've had the brain tumour worry before.
We can't walk in to the hospital and request an MRI, CT scan or any other test either.
Normal progression is ..
Patient has worrisome symptoms
Patient makes an appointment with their dr
Patient describes symptoms
Dr prescribes proper testing.
Patient and Dr wait for test results
Dr diagnoses patient is either reassured that all is well or treatment is discussed.
How different could it be in the UK?
My point was NO ONE here can diagnose her.
She NEEDS to get to her Dr.
Helen/Reb - WHY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO THE DR ????
The only way she's going to stop with this brain tumor thing is to have CONCRETE information that there is NO tumor in her head.
Until then, we go on and on and on and on and on and on.
ServerError
07-08-16, 20:21
Unless she actually did display worrying symptoms, she'd fall at the first hurdle.
My point was NO ONE here can diagnose her.
She NEEDS to get to her Dr.
Helen/Reb - WHY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO THE DR ????
The only way she's going to stop with this brain tumor thing is to have CONCRETE information that there is NO tumor in her head.
Until then, we go on and on and on and on and on and on.
And once concrete proof is given the doubts start, Did they miss it on the scan, perhaps it has developed since the scan? Or we move back to the skin cancer fear or move onto bowl, colon, cervical you name it.
The issue here is health anxiety and that is the disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated.
Reb yet again you have totally ignored my post.
Here in the UK our GP's are the gatekeepers to further investigative tests or consultant appointments on the NHS. If they feel further testing is not warranted then they will not refer on.
And once concrete proof is given the doubts start, Did they miss it on the scan, perhaps it has developed since the scan? Or we move back to the skin cancer fear or move onto bowl, colon, cervical you name it.
The issue here is health anxiety and that is the disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated.
Reb yet again you have totally ignored my post.
Understood Elen
My question remains .. Helen/Reb - why aren't you going to the dr ??
We can't walk in to the hospital and request an MRI, CT scan or any other test either.
Normal progression is ..
Patient has worrisome symptoms
Patient makes an appointment with their dr
Patient describes symptoms
Dr prescribes proper testing.
Patient and Dr wait for test results
Dr diagnoses patient is either reassured that all is well or treatment is discussed.
How different could it be in the UK?
My point was NO ONE here can diagnose her.
She NEEDS to get to her Dr.
Helen/Reb - WHY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO THE DR ????
The only way she's going to stop with this brain tumor thing is to have CONCRETE information that there is NO tumor in her head.
Until then, we go on and on and on and on and on and on.
I can't speak for helenhoo, but time and time again health anxiety sufferers are told NOT to seek reassurance.
You say she needs concrete information but that may not be possible as I've already mentioned in the UK we can't request tests and if the GP doesn't think an MRI etc is needed, she won't get one.
Time and time again on this very website I see people posting saying not to go seek reassurance as it just feeds the anxiety. If she did get a test and it came back clear it's quite possible another worry will replace it and so it all begins again.
Incidentally if I was absolutely convinced I had something, I'd go to the GP regardless of what posters or CBT therapists say as we aren't exempt from health issues. But the key is to learn true worrisome symptoms from perceived worrisome symptoms.
Of course nobody here can diagnose her, but that goes for every post on the health anxiety board. Yet people still post with their worries.
I have absolutely no idea how helenhoo can overcome this. I find reassurance from others on here to be very, very helpful so I've never been in such a rut myself.
Anyone who is suggesting going to the GP, as I and many others did -to talk about her concerns as this merry go round is clearly not helping - was met with a contradictory story about an appt that was/wasn't as her sister didn't make it/mum stopped her from going.
She is supposed to be going to S. Korea in less than two months, and has stated that she doesn't want/ it would be pointless going to start therapy.
So what reassurance exactly are people supposed to give? Is it seriously helping her feel better? I'm directing my question to whoever feels reassurance is the answer.
The fact of the matter is nobody can tell whether they will get cancer at a later date, so even an MRI scan today would not be a cast iron guarantee that a tumour may not develop at a later date, all it will do is show that no tumour is present AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT IN TIME. Nobody can see into the future or know for sure that they will not be affected at some point in their lives and that's what we all have to live with. You would drive yourself insane if you thought about all the things that could possibly befall you in life, and every day you are consumed with those worries is one day less you have to live on this planet. And that goes for every human being in existence today. Stop wasting your life worrying about "what it's" because that question cannot be answered. Instead get some CBT to help you understand why you are having the unhelpful thoughts, and what you can do to manage them so that you can begin living your life again.
I have absolutely no idea how helenhoo can overcome this. I find reassurance from others on here to be very, very helpful so I've never been in such a rut myself.
Clearly posting on anxiety message boards is not helping.
What helps me is finding another person who had the issue I'm worrying about and the outcome was good. The more of those I can find, the better I feel.
Nothing said here has helped Helen/Reb one bit .. not all the threads she started, not on multiple message boards.
At some point, we've got to help ourselves, and if that means getting your butt into the drs office then do it already.
What helps me is finding another person who had the issue I'm worrying about and the outcome was good. The more of those I can find, the better I feel.
I completely agree and this is exactly what I love about this board. There is nearly always somebody who is or has experienced what you are going through and it helps immensely.
---------- Post added at 20:50 ---------- Previous post was at 20:48 ----------
...for some
Peeps... please read this! This is NOT about brain tumors or melanoma or any of the other things Reb has brought up! ALL OF THIS is due to her pending life changing trip to S Korea. Everything else is just a smoke screen of the real issue! I may be playing armchair psychiatrist but this is not about HA IMO. When I asked how she felt about going to S Korea and why she has barely spoken about it, I got the answer below and you'll see my response. Perhaps instead of urging her to see her doctor or get tested, we should be urging her to face the real issue and speak openly and honestly with herself and her boyfriend concerning this life changing move.
My boyfriend has said I'm on my last warning. Said he loves me to bits but he's put up with me worrying about everything the last year.
It's sounding more and more like you're trying (consciously or subconsciously) to get out of going to S Korea. As I stated in a previous post, this latest spiral is getting worse and worse the closer you get to your departure date. My gut is telling me you really don't want to go and you don't know how to tell him so you're self sabotaging yourself so you won't be the one that has to tell him. If you were truly excited about it, you would be talking about it and you barely mention it.
Deep down you know as we ALL know, you don't have any of the deadly illnesses you're worrying about. Perhaps it's time to look in the mirror and have a reality check with what's in your heart.
Positive thoughts
I am not not excited, I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm worried I'll fail.
I want to go. I need it I think, I've barely seen the world and I'm nearly the closer side to 30. I've said this myself to be honest and Dan has agreed.
Thank you for being honest with your answer. I believe if you go, it will be good for you and in retrospect, you'll be glad you did.
So, this isn't about any disease is it Reb? This is about the fear of failing. It's a real fear. We all have doubts when making a major life changing decision. Unfortunately, what's happening is you're doing everything you can to self sabotage yourself. Coming from someone old enough to be your father... The biggest regrets we have in our lives are not the things we did and failed at, they're the things we didn't do for fear of failing.
From what you're saying and from what I'm seeing in your plethora of posts, things are at the breaking point. I can only imagine what a hot mess you are in real life based on what we're seeing on the anxiety forums! :scared15:
Again, perhaps it's time to have a heart to heart with yourself and your boyfriend. You need to make a decision as well as stop this nonsense. You know it as well as everyone else.
Positive thoughts
...for some
Clearly not Helen/Reb, do you agree?
We are all caught in her web, I for one have not read any other thread on this board in the last 2 days.
What happens to others who need a reassuring word? What happens to those that ARE helped by us sharing a good outcome? We're all busy on Helenhoo's threads, spinning our wheels and getting nowhere.
Not fair to the others here.
The OP has told lies about phantom GP appointments. The OP has said that therapy would be pointless because of some trip to South Korea. The OP has stated that she does not want to take medication.
This person is not here for help. She does not want help. She wants someone to tell her that she should be worried. She is not interested in fighting this, she simply wants to justify it.
Offering reassurance, requesting she visits her doctor, advice on coping skills, these will be ignored. If you want her attention, tell her you think she's ill.
This person has a severe case of the "wish I was sicks".
MyNameIsTerry
07-08-16, 21:11
Clearly not Helen/Reb, do you agree?
We are all caught in her web, I for one have not read any other thread on this board in the last 2 days.
What happens to others who need a reassuring word? What happens to those that ARE helped by us sharing a good outcome? We're all busy on Helenhoo's threads, spinning our wheels and getting nowhere.
Not fair to the others here.
:shrug:
Then why not read & comment on other threads? That's what others are doing, including those of us choosing to comment on Reb's threads.
Clearly not Helen/Reb, do you agree?
We are all caught in her web, I for one have not read any other thread on this board in the last 2 days.
What happens to others who need a reassuring word? What happens to those that ARE helped by us sharing a good outcome? We're all busy on Helenhoo's threads, spinning our wheels and getting nowhere.
Not fair to the others here.
It certainly seems like it isn't helping.
I don't think it's fair to others either as you say, but that isn't her fault. We are all capable of leaving this thread behind and focusing on another. We are probably posting more than her.
---------- Post added at 21:16 ---------- Previous post was at 21:12 ----------
The OP has told lies about phantom GP appointments. The OP has said that therapy would be pointless because of some trip to South Korea. The OP has stated that she does not want to take medication.
This person is not here for help. She does not want help. She wants someone to tell her that she should be worried. She is not interested in fighting this, she simply wants to justify it.
Offering reassurance, requesting she visits her doctor, advice on coping skills, these will be ignored. If you want her attention, tell her you think she's ill.
This person has a severe case of the "wish I was sicks".
Gary I know I disagree with a lot of your posts and I swear it isn't on purpose (I've read lots of your responses to others, many of which I find very valuable) but I can't stand it when people imply others wish they were ill.
This is exactly what my Mam said to me when my health anxiety was at its peak and it was entirely fictional. I did not under any circumstances wish I had something and it made me feel 2 inches tall.
I know that is your opinion as this is mine and neither of us know whether that is the case, but what my Mam said to me has stuck in my head and it still hurts to think that somebody could say that to me.
I have a child and a long term partner, I most certainly did not want to be diagnosed with something.
:shrug:
Then why not read & comment on other threads? That's what others are doing, including those of us choosing to comment on Reb's threads.
I have a job, husband, children, and household to run, the little bit of time I have to sit down and read has been spent on Helen/Reb's posts.
Gary I know I disagree with a lot of your posts and I swear it isn't on purpose (I've read lots of your responses to others, many of which I find very valuable) but I can't stand it when people imply others wish they were ill.
This is exactly what my Mam said to me when my health anxiety was at its peak and it was entirely fictional. I did not under any circumstances wish I had something and it made me feel 2 inches tall.
I know that is your opinion as this is mine and neither of us know whether that is the case, but what my Mam said to me has stuck in my head and it still hurts to think that somebody could say that to me.
I have a child and a long term partner, I most certainly did not want to be diagnosed with something.
I don't mind anyone disagreeing with me so don't worry about that.
Does she want to have a brain tumour? No, of course not. Does she want someone to give her a reason to believe she has a brain tumour? Yes, absolutely.
Perhaps "wishing she was sick" is the wrong way to put it, but it does seem very strange, to me at least, how determined this person is to utterly ignore anything and anyone who is genuinely trying to help her, but one person agrees that her symptoms are a sign of a tumour (sarcastically of course), and she was out the traps like a bolt of lightning.
Her posts are nothing more than a request for confirmation. She wants to be told she's sick. I honestly have no idea why, and the notion is utterly absurd to me, but yes, she is absolutely itching for someone to tell her she is seriously ill.
I don't mind anyone disagreeing with me so don't worry about that.
Does she want to have a brain tumour? No, of course not. Does she want someone to give her a reason to believe she has a brain tumour? Yes, absolutely.
Perhaps "wishing she was sick" is the wrong way to put it, but it does seem very strange, to me at least, how determined this person is to utterly ignore anything and anyone who is genuinely trying to help her, but one person agrees that her symptoms are a sign of a tumour (sarcastically of course), and she was out the traps like a bolt of lightning.
Her posts are nothing more than a request for confirmation. She wants to be told she's sick. I honestly have no idea why, and the notion is utterly absurd to me, but yes, she is absolutely itching for someone to tell her she is seriously ill.
I understand what you are saying.
I can't stand it when people imply others wish they were ill.
This is exactly what my Mam said to me when my health anxiety was at its peak and it was entirely fictional. I did not under any circumstances wish I had something and it made me feel 2 inches tall.
KeeKee... in many ways, it appears some severe sufferers would actually want to realize their worst fears by the way they defend their irrational thoughts. I recall a member, after being told countless times they didn't have cancer that said, "You'll be sorry when I'm diagnosed". She was actually looking forward to be able to say "I told you so!".
It's certainly appears easier to blame their symptoms on a real physical problem than it is to accept it's a mental issue.
Positive thoughts
Helen/Reb.... if what fishman is saying is at the bottom of all of this, why not just...SAY NO?
If just the thought of going is so frightening that it's manifested itself in this horrible pit, is it worth it?
You wouldn't be the first or the last person to back out of something because they were afraid.
Will you ever regret it if you don't go? Maybe, but so what? Then again maybe you'll feel such relief that it will outshine any regret you might have.
If you don't want to go, it's ok, don't.
KeeKee... in many ways, it appears some severe sufferers would actually want to realize their worst fears by the way they defend their irrational thoughts. I recall a member, after being told countless times they didn't have cancer that said, "You'll be sorry when I'm diagnosed". She was actually looking forward to be able to say "I told you so!".
It's certainly appears easier to blame their symptoms on a real physical problem than it is to accept it's a mental issue.
Positive thoughts
I think I recall those posts.
I'm not saying some people don't think that way, but I think saying that to a HA sufferer, is like saying "you want to be miserable" to somebody suffering with depression.
Those are the types of things that can prevent people from telling others how they feel. I tell my family nothing now.
Helen/Reb.... if what fishman is saying is at the bottom of all of this, why not just...SAY NO?
If just the thought of going is so frightening that it's manifested itself in this horrible pit, is it worth it?
You wouldn't be the first or the last person to back out of something because they were afraid.
Will you ever regret it if you don't go? Maybe, but so what? Then again maybe you'll feel such relief that it will outshine any regret you might have.
If you don't want to go, it's ok, don't.
My point exactly. All of this coincides with the decision to make the move which was first mentioned the beginning of the year. Look at the post history and you'll see a large spike in posts at that time that has only escalated.
Prediction: If Reb decides not to go, miraculously her symptoms will wane as well as post frequency.
Positive thoughts
---------- Post added at 17:03 ---------- Previous post was at 17:00 ----------
I think I recall those posts.
I'm not saying some people don't think that way, but I think saying that to a HA sufferer, is like saying "you want to be miserable" to somebody suffering with depression.
Those are the types of things that can prevent people from telling others how they feel. I tell my family nothing now.
Interestingly though, of all the tens of thousands of posts I've read, I know of two people that actually realized their fear and guess what? They handled it. In fact, their anxiety took a back seat as they focused on the battle at hand. And now, after the fact, their anxiety has remained in the back seat.
Positive thoughts
I'm not saying some people don't think that way, but I think saying that to a HA sufferer, is like saying "you want to be miserable" to somebody suffering with depression.
Those are the types of things that can prevent people from telling others how they feel. I tell my family nothing now.
Sometimes it's best to just tell it as you see it, though. How else do you explain the OP's insistence on asking the same questions over and over despite many many many responses telling her that's she's fine? Clearly she is reading the replies, but choosing to ignore them. Then along comes one post telling her that these are symptoms of a brain tumour, and she's all over it like a rash.
Sorry, but that in no way sounds like someone who wants to get over their anxiety. That sounds like someone who wants to be told she's unwell.
You make a fair point about the comparisons with a depressive, but it's not like this has been said straight off the bat. This has been said after literally months of this type of thing.
It has now gotten to a point that the OP is even making up lies in order to dupe people into thinking she is doing the right thing. You've got to wonder, why the OP would do such a thing. Clearly she's aware that going to her GP would be a step in the right direction, otherwise she wouldn't feel the need to lie to people about it.
I'm expected to believe that this person wants help when she is doing nothing but fabricate and contort the truth in order to actually remain anxious? I'm expected to trust that she doesn't want to be ill despite her posts almost goading people into telling her that she is?
At a certain point this just looks like someone taking the piss. I do believe this is a person who is suffering, but I'm wondering more each day if this is anxiety, or perhaps some other form of attention seeking or something.
It has now gotten to a point that the OP is even making up lies in order to dupe people into thinking she is doing the right thing.
The above is evidenced in the differences in the posts on two different forums. It's as if the OP manipulates the story to gain attention and reassurance by changing the details of her story. There is a pattern of going back and forth between forums. When one turns, she goes to the other and visa versa.
Whatever it is, and I truly believe this is 100% about the move to S Korea, it's affected Reb in a highly negative way. I hope the issues get resolved.
Positive thoughts
Whatever it is, and I truly believe this is 100% about the move to S Korea, it's affected Reb in a highly negative way. I hope the issues get resolved.
Positive thoughts
I agree with you, it makes complete sense.
MyNameIsTerry
08-08-16, 03:37
I have a job, husband, children, and household to run, the little bit of time I have to sit down and read has been spent on Helen/Reb's posts.
But you are choosing to do this. There are plenty of other threads to help people with, the fact you only have certain amount of time and you choose to spend it in this thread is no concern of Reb's.
You're arguing it's taking away support from other member's threads in the post I replied to. It's not, we all have a choice here.
But you are choosing to do this. There are plenty of other threads to help people with, the fact you only have certain amount of time and you choose to spend it in this thread is no concern of Reb's.
You're arguing it's taking away support from other member's threads in the post I replied to. It's not, we all have a choice here.
Obviously we all have a choice Terry, but I, just like many others got sucked into Helen/Reb's drama.
MyNameIsTerry
08-08-16, 05:43
Obviously we all have a choice Terry, but I, just like many others got sucked into Helen/Reb's drama.
Yes, but lets not make it an excuse that the forum isn't getting the support it could. Forum members have the ability to choose. If you choose to commit your energies to certain people, you made that choice at the cost of the forum too by that logic because you could have not got involved - no one is sucking anyone in, people are choosing to involve themselves.
(obviously I don't mean anyone is negatively impacting the forum, I disagree with the argument that a poster is taking over)
---------- Post added at 04:32 ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 ----------
The OP has said that therapy would be pointless because of some trip to South Korea. The OP has stated that she does not want to take medication.
I think there are practicalities involved here. With 2 months to go, you've got literally no chance of therapy unless you go private and even then, 8 weeks won't see the end of the course if they stick to the 12-15 GAD guidelines or similar for the OCD guidelines. Any GP is going to tell her that too.
As for meds, again there are practicalities here. Two months is nothing to gauge a med. Some people have to switch several times to find something that works and you can quite easier kiss goodbye to 6 months of your life due to side effects with that. Of course, there is every chance she also drops on the magic formula straight away and responds, but the reality can be far from this. With 2 months left, I would be quite wary myself with what I know now about meds although I agree that we need to be open to this treatment avenue. Some people just don't like meds though, that's another issue and NICE are quite clear on how they handle this through patient choice...sadly our GP's have a habit of going by the old "dose 'em up & boot 'em out" methods of the past.
If this had been months ago, these practicalities would be far less of an issue. Sadly, Reb's just left it too late to even try in my opinion.
---------- Post added at 05:43 ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 ----------
Is it normal to act how I've done when I'm scared. Josh123 is telling me it's a symptom of a brain Tumor. I hope he's trolling me, he has a tendency to be like that on my posts.
Reb,
Josh has been making inflammatory remarks to you on here for some time and Admin have had to intervene on several occasions. It's pretty obvious why. I suggest you just ignore him.
I realise a few people have suggested he may have been telling you that to get you to accept it and move on, a technique that can be used, but his posting history just doesn't scan for that and neither did his response to you on there.
Is it possible to smell smoke on someone after they've finished a cig? Like in a train station I couldn't see anyone smoking but got a whiff of it (and perfumes). Hypersensitive again?
You literally spend 24/7 posting or thinking about "imaginary" symptoms. There has been a ton of posts from people since yesterday and you haven't acknowledged or replied to anyone you just come on first thing in the morning and say oh I can smell things, your in a train station for goodness sake of course your going to smell things, use your brain!! There's hundreds of people walking around of course your going to get wiffs of things, I'm an ex smoker and I can tell if someone has just had a smoke cause I can smell it!! You need to stop this and stop it now!! Like mojo it's really puddles me off as I have dealt with cared for and watched someone die from a Brain tumour and had none of the symptoms you describe ever!! When you have a woman screaming at you that your the devil and trying to stab you with a ruler that's the most horrendous thing I have ever had to deal with ever!! So you saying all this stuff to try and convince yourself there's a tumour in your Brain (why on earth you would I don't know) is really getting on my nerves.. Grow up, get help and stop being stupid. We all say it, your boyfriend is ready to leave you and your mum is sick of it!!
MyNameIsTerry
08-08-16, 08:11
Lets remember that HA is a fictional name. We have to look at the true disorders that fit under that umbrella, and they fall outside of what people call HA too. HA is the bit in the middle of the Ven diagram, although it does fully encircle Somatoform Disorders.
There is an interesting behaviour in OCD, known as testing.
When OCDers are testing they are looking to provoke the expected reaction. This reaction should be fear/anxiety/disgust/guilt, etc. This test is like a compulsion but it's really only triggering the rest of the cycle.
I've done testing myself and spoke to many OCDers on NMP about theirs.
I can remember a guy who I spoke to over a period of months about his POCD. To those less aware of the Pure O end of OCD, that's Paedophilia OCD. It's NOT paedophilia, although people can struggle to understand the difference since POCD can include some rather graphic imagery & physical sexual responses.
This member was saying all the usual things about intrusive thoughts at first like anyone else. The only thing that stood out was his trigger for OCD - reading about Jimmy Saville.
Eventually he started moving into the typical testing that Pure O people do (HA's OCD fits into Pure O) I should point out though that like HA, Pure O is a non medical term used by sufferers to cover the intrusive thoughts orientated themes of OCD. OCD isn't classified like that.
What he would do to test himself would be to look at children in the age ranges that his POCD manifested (it can be selective based on sex, age groups, or more general, etc). He did this because he wanted to "check" he was still suffering from POCD. He was afraid of turning into a paedophile, which he was worrying about.
Initially this responded in fear, anxiety, shame, disgust, guilt, etc. All the usual expected responses. After a while this changed to not always happen. Bingo - I'm becoming a paedophile. This again triggered those same reactions but for different reasons. The result was increased intensity, he would start to fear going out because of running into those children and how it would then be a confirmation that a lack of the expected reaction meant he was becoming the monster her feared. He couldn't even predict the reaction but it became another avoidance.
This has happened to me in my OCD. I've spoken about it a fair bit and why it happens. It's well known and other members on here have spoke about how reactions change or differ than the expected.
I can see in Reb's threads that she has a behaviour like this. She looks for symptoms and then comes the anxiety. The moles were a good indicator of this since resolving one meant trying to find another blemish. The phantom smells are a good indicator too since she can clearly be seen to be trying to recreate things. Plus we know she has OCD.
So, it's not necessarily a matter of "I want to be ill" but a matter of applying a testing behaviour. It's just part of the obsessive element, basically trying to preserve itself and reinforce the need for it to exist. The more she engages in this damaging behaviour, the more it will not only keep triggering her further but also reinforce those fears to be valid.
In the guy with POCD there was always fear. He didn't want to change (into the monster), he hated what was happening. That's a very good indicator of his OCD, and his therapist had him down as POCD too. I see fear & anxiety in Reb's threads.
Going to South Korea is obviously a major change and a big stressor leading to all this spiralling. She said she isn't sold on going, which will make it worse. This could be anticipatory anxiety and that can go once you get on the other side of what is causing it BUT it's a gamble as it doesn't always go like that. She needs to think very carefully about this.
I worry if I have true phantom smells. Most people say they last for minutes/hours/days. I get whiffs. I'm sat next to and behind smokers worrying why I can smell smoke. I'm bound to smell it st train station because people DO smoke.
---------- Post added at 08:33 ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 ----------
If i walk away and it's not there that's not phantom is it, that's just a smell.
---------- Post added at 08:35 ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 ----------
Gadgirl, if you google it though it says they can be signs of a tumor. I'm just curious as to whether I'm actually smelling them or not. Two guys near me smoke and as I've come to toilet I can't smell it.
Shazamataz
08-08-16, 08:42
Ok this is getting ridiculous. Reb/helen, please read comments made by other members offering advice. You are just going over and over the same thing and asking for the same reassurance.
Please stop and get some help!
:curse: I really couldn't care if you googled it and it said you grow horns if you have a brain Tumour, you don't have 1!!! If you type phantom smells anxiety into google it will show you anxiety and phantom smells, if you have moved away from the person or area that had the smell then obviously your not gonna blooming smell it!! Doesn't mean it's a phantom smell it's a smell.. A normal scent of many scents that you can smell.
I worry if I have true phantom smells. Most people say they last for minutes/hours/days. I get whiffs. I'm sat next to and behind smokers worrying why I can smell smoke. I'm bound to smell it st train station because people DO smoke.
---------- Post added at 08:33 ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 ----------
If i walk away and it's not there that's not phantom is it, that's just a smell.
---------- Post added at 08:35 ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 ----------
Gadgirl, if you google it though it says they can be signs of a tumor. I'm just curious as to whether I'm actually smelling them or not. Two guys near me smoke and as I've come to toilet I can't smell it.
You've been told repeatedly that these things are not "phantom smells", but you take no notice.
In any case, why do you even need to ask? You're sat next to two smokers and worrying why you can smell smoke. I'm sorry, but are you an idiot? Are you really that stupid?
Of course you aren't, you don't believe for a single second that these are phantom smells. You're just acting dumb.
It appears that patience for you is running out on this board, I suggest you make wise use of the little patience that's left.
I have to say....even for someone who had/has severe health anxiety about the most ridiculous things this is on a new level.
Read the words you're typing and think logically about them? If you can smell smoke and someone is or has been smoking around you then you'd expect to smell it wouldn't you? Seriously?
If you can smell paint and a room has been painted then its likely to be the painted room? Even at the height of my anxiety, also about a brain tumour, I retained a semblance of logic.
It had been painted months back.
Time to let her work on it herself people? Respectfully think it's time to call a halt before it gets nasty.
I think admin.. Should lock this thread from anymore comments being made and any post that Helen puts up should be locked for comments but have an automatic post put up with a link for helpful links and information.
I don't see this happening but it is just a suggestion. Admin??
I was going to post earlier but another member summed it up, thank you Mercime.
We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves.
If threads are causing anxiety or frustration it is up to us to not get involved, something I have to keep reminding myself off.
There is also the function on the forum to ignore a specific poster if people wish to use it.
Suggesting that we treat Reb/Helen differently to any other member on NMP strikes me personally as a bit unfair and against the ethos of NMP.
Sorry if this offends everyone but we do have to be fair to everyone.
Elen
Suggesting that we treat Reb/Helen differently to any other member on NMP strikes me personally as a bit unfair and against the ethos of NMP
I entirely agree. Who are we to dictate whether somebody should be allowed to post or not.
I don't disagree when people are saying only she can help herself etc. I also know it's quite frustrating when our responses are being completely ignored. Blocking her posts from comments in my opinion would be malicious.
I entirely agree. Who are we to dictate whether somebody should be allowed to post or not.
I don't disagree when people are saying only she can help herself etc. I also know it's quite frustrating when our responses are being completely ignored. Blocking her posts from comments in my opinion would be malicious.
I don't agree with blocking of posts, but at the same time you have to remember that there is potential damage being caused by the OP to observers.
There will be people reading this who have to fight the urge to go to Dr Google everyday. The OP is doing these people a great disservice by constantly bringing Dr Google here.
Her persistence will have, undoubtedly, dragged certain people back to an anxious state. This nonsense about "phantom smells" is just total and utter misinformation from the get go, but I'd bet my life savings that there are now people freaking out about random smells and worrying about the potential of the cause being a brain tumour.
Same with this "personality change" stuff. The OP has now stated that she's worried that her anxiety could actually be a symptom of a brain tumour. I mean seriously, what's that going to do to people who have the brain tumour worry?
Essentially, this person is undoing a lot of good work by firing a "yeah but I read on Google" to everything said.
I would urge people to simply put this person on ignore for the time being, but in the event that this behaviour continues at this level, I would strongly urge admin to take some kind of action.
There's nothing malicious about protecting potentially hundreds of people just to spare the feelings of someone who's ignoring us anyway.
Amen Gary.
I have been revisiting some of my own vague symptoms recently, I did not think about this.
I agree, Gary. The argument will be just to ignore the thread/s but some of us are drawn to things we shouldn't be and compulsion to intervene/comment is strong. I believe these threads are dynamite to those suffering from HA and that whether she is aware of it or not there is manipulation going on here to the detriment of vulnerable members. I shudder to think how Mojo and GADgirl must feel when they read some of the material on here. It is not easy to ignore such subject matter when they must surely feel so strongly about it
Hey pulisa, I'm removing myself from the thread or any further postings by Helen/reb as I fear that I might say something and end up getting my account suspended. One of the worst things I have ever watched was my mother in law passing away and battling a brain tumour.
Hey pulisa, I'm removing myself from the thread or any further postings by Helen/reb as I fear that I might say something and end up getting my account suspended. One of the worst things I have ever watched was my mother in law passing away and battling a brain tumour.
It must have been horrendous for you and your family. I fully understand your anger re these threads
Thanks pulisa it was horrendous.
I have health anxiety also, I have convinced my self I was going to die thousands of times. Cancer itself is fairly rare if you look at the whole population compared to how many get it. It does exsist of course but the vast majority of people of people don't get cancer. The media almost always focuses on the negative, that coupled with anxiety can convince you horrible things are happening. :)
What's the chances of having a tumour after having a clean bill of eye health?
---------- Post added at 23:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:13 ----------
Anyone?
Hi,
Sorry you are suffering from HA.
I am not sure I understand the question though, are you asking what the chances are for having a tumor after the doctor has performed an eye exam and said you were fine?
If he said my eyes were healthy.
This question has been answered numerous times, nothing has changed.
Can cigarette smoke travel? My sister smoked in the living room and now I have faint whiff in my bedroom.
Sounds like you are suffering from deep HA at the moment.
If you have seen a doctor and you have been told that you are fine, then thats it you ARE fine.
As HA sufferers we ask a huge amount of questions to try and reassure us, guess what? That only makes it worse and even if every single question you ask had a positive answer then it'll only cause even more questions to manifest. Why? Because HA has you convinced that you are sick and you will suffer and possibly die so any questions we answer will not stop HA from attacking you because its not logical, there is no logic when it comes to HA like how you are experiencing.
I was so convinced I had colon cancer that I had every symptom, its now a year later and I am completely 100% fine.
Get some distraction, listen to calming music on youtube, change your attitude to "I don't care if I have <insert illness>" Watch the HA slowly lose its voice.
You can sit there and ask question after question meanwhile HA wins, OR you can stop the questions and beat it, what side would you rather have? Even people WITH health problems can be HA free.
I am not replying any more.
You really are not thinking and simply posting the same things over and over. This question has also been answered many times over the past few days.
Go and get help.
Please note I suffer with health anxiety .
Since I've read about phatomsia ive become a bit obsessed and worried. Basically it all started when I could smell paint in my office but turned out the office next door was being decorated and the smell was all around the building. I then would get wafts and someone else would smell it. Every smell I have I worry is phantom. Lately I'm focusinf on cigarette smells are they mean tumour don't they?
99.8% of the time there's someone next I me smoking or ahead of me. Can smell linger in people who have just come back from smoking too & smell stale? My sister had one last night and I could smell it in my room half hour later.
I'm 25, no family history of brain tumour, recent eye exam was clear & healthy.
Sunflower2
09-08-16, 09:40
Could it not simply be you have a heightened sense of smell? I can small things that a lot of people don't notice. In my work I can smell what people are eating from the other end of the office and they are surprised that I can tell exactly what it is from so far away.
Isn't it a good thing you can smell well? It would he worse if you had no sense of smell, you'd miss out on so many lovely things like fresh baking and flowers etc! Why don't you try to think of all the nice things you can smell instead?
Helen I will merge with your previous thread as it is on the same subject.
I stark contrast to Kimberly's very pleasant thoughts of flowers and baked bread, I have a question.
Are SBD farts considered true phantom smells? (sorry... I have to ask).
The other night I was laying in bed as as I am often (much to my wife's dismay), was a bit gassy. We all know our own smell and it doesn't surprise me the intensity and obnoxiousness of my own said expulsions, but all of a sudden I smelled skunk! Now it's not surprising, based on the rural locale of our residence, to smell a skunk now and again. They've been known to be in the yards along with deer, bear, groundhogs etc.
Well there's no doubt, I'm smelling skunk! I asked my wife and she could smell it too! We surmised it must have been a skunk in our yard that was spooked and sprayed. I gotta tell ya... It was pretty strong! So I get up and go downstairs to the kitchen and look out the porch doors in an effort to see if the culprit was there. Nope... nothing and the smell wasn't downstairs. So I come back up to the room and as soon as I walk through the door, the smell is there! Holy *@#% was that me? I don't know?.... It must be either a phantom SBD smell or I have methane based bowel cancer!
Positive and phantom smelly thoughts :)
I feel nobody is taking me seriously anymore and in fact taking the Michael. I could smell stale cigarettes but colleagues near me smoke. Can a recently decorated room still smell fresh months later?
You do know that heightened anxiety causes the olfactory system to go into overdrive don't you? It is part of the fight or flight response, your body is on extremely high alert for any unusual sights, sounds or smells and magnifies everything tenfold because it believes you are in extreme danger.
All the time you are obsessing about these smells and constantly googling your symptoms you are sending yet another message to your exhausted brain and nervous system that there is mortal danger about and the body might need to run like hell or stand and fight. That's why you are picking up so much on certain odours - your nervous system is going haywire and the only way to stop it and calm things down is to stop googling and distract yourself with other things. Eventually the body will realise that the "danger" has passed and things will calm down.
I start conrast to Kimberly's very pleasant thoughts of flowers and baked bread, I have a question.
Are SBD farts considered true phantom smells? (sorry... I have to ask).
The other night I was laying in bed as as I am often (much to my wife's dismay), was a bit gassy. We all know our own smell and it doesn't surprise me the intensity and obnoxiousness of my own said expulsions, but all of a sudden I smelled skunk! Now it's not surprising, based on the rural locale of our residence, to smell a skunk now and again. They've been known to be in the yards along with deer, bear, groundhogs etc.
Well all of a sudden, I smelled skunk! I asked my wife and she could smell it too! We surmised it must have been a skunk in our yard that was spooked and sprayed. I gotta tell ya... It was pretty strong! So I get up and go downstairs to the kitchen and look out the porch doors in an effort to see if the culprit was there. Nope... nothing and the smell wasn't downstairs. So I come back up to the room and as soon as I walk through the door, the smell is there! Holy *@#% was that me? I don't know?.... It must be either a phantom SBD smell or I have methane based bowel cancer!
Positive and phantom smelly thoughts :)
:roflmao:
Good Shit FMP.
:roflmao:
Good Shit FMP.
That's debatable ~lol~ Brings new meaning to the phrase "there's something in the air" :) But hey, when all else fails, humor is blessed relief (as is air freshener!)
Positive thoughts
I feel nobody is taking me seriously anymore and in fact taking the Michael. I could smell stale cigarettes but colleagues near me smoke. Can a recently decorated room still smell fresh months later?
Don't you think that has anything to do with the fact that you're just repeating the same questions over and over and over despite many responses to those exact questions?
You are wasting people's time. If people think that it's worth responding, they will. If they think that you're just going to ignore the response and ask the same question again in a few hours, which, let's face it, is exactly what you're going to do, then they'll eventually become exasperated and simply not respond.
I gave a you a very detailed response describing olfactory hallucinations not 24 hours ago. As ever, you ignored it and have, yet again, asked the question.
Don't you think you'd be far better served just going to a bloody doctor and quit wasting yours, and everyone else's time with this inane questioning?
Sunflower2
09-08-16, 10:37
My heightened sense of smell does come with a toll when I'm driving through the country side.. Especially as I have to go past farms with big piles of manure! Pewwwieee!
Helenhoo, in my old car I could smell if someone in a car in front was smoking. Out their car vents, along to my car, into my car vents, and into my car and my nose!
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-16, 10:42
My heightened sense of smell does come with a toll when I'm driving through the country side.. Especially as I have to go past farms with big piles of manure! Pewwwieee!
Good job your BF isn't a farmer then!
That's debatable ~lol~ Brings new meaning to the phrase "there's something in the air" :) But hey, when all else fails, humor is blessed relief (as is air freshener!)
Positive thoughts
Gotta have a sense of humour, I would not be where I am today without it. :D.
Sunflower2
09-08-16, 11:48
Oh no I could not have a farmer boyfriend Terry!! Along with the smell there is just too much dirt! :roflmao:
When do I worry?
Go to a doctor. You are wasting yours and everyone's time on this board.
What about?
---------- Post added at 12:37 ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 ----------
I have people saying not to worry it's fine then people say see a doctor
Because nobody here is a doctor.
You haven't got a brain tumour but you are so convinced you do only a doctor will tell you otherwise?
I just don't understand what you aiming to achieve, you ask peoples opinions, then ignore them completely but keep coming back for more?
Carrie8484
09-08-16, 12:52
You have been given lots of detailed, patient responses by people such as Terry and others who will Support you until they are blue in the face. Others have had enough of the constant lack of acknowledgement when they answer you.
Why not show some appreciation for all the help they have given you and either back away from the boards which are doing you no good or actually see a medical professional who will help you with your anxiety.
What about?
---------- Post added at 12:37 ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 ----------
I have people saying not to worry it's fine then people say see a doctor
That's because nothing anyone here says manages to seep it's way into that Boulder that you call a brain. Perhaps a medical professional telling you that these symptoms are about as real as the tooth fairy riding a unicorn into hogwarts for a geography lesson on Atlantis might actually cut some mustard with you.
Or, and I'm just guessing here, they may actually do something positive with regards to treating your anxiety issues.
Make an appointment with your doctor, a real appointment this time, no excuses, no "my sister didn't make me an appointment and my mum didn't let me go" crap, make an actual appointment, ask them about these symptoms and for goodness sake stop repeating this utter drivel on a board full of people who absolutely cannot help you and who you have no interest in listening to anyway.
Is there a function that allows you to not see certain member's posts anymore?
Maybe if all who are in agreement could do that, then there would be less responses to these threads and free up more time for others. Just an idea from reading through all of this, it's difficult for me to quite understand that this poster is being genuine and that's not to say that they aren't, just that it seems so completely forced and the poster does not respond directly.
The poster shall not be offended, as these people who are only trying to help here have decided that they can no longer offer any new advice to this poster.
Maybe there is a deeper problem here and without knowing everything people are going around in circles. Either way the poster should be able to remain posting for re assurance like everyone else but for the other member's who share the same views, is there not anything that can be done, as like i have just done we are pushing the thread to the top each time.
To the poster i have known somebody with a brain tumour and they certainly were not on an anxiety website asking about being able to smell cigarette smoke when they've been near a smoker. I think you definitely know by now that your question has been answered, maybe a "Ok thank you for your replies" and taking some time off to think about how you reacted to a rather normal sense of smell? You need to also stop and ask yourself what it is you want before you post, and then address the people who have taken the time to reply. I understand how anxiety can be, but dismissing people's advice and not trying to change things for yourself is not going to get you much support here.
Sorry if it sounds blunt, but really there is nothing more to be said to this question.
Sadie
If you smell something walk out room, don't smell it in other room, Walk back in and smell it is it evident the smell is in the room. It's the stale cigarette smell. I smelt it on one of the guys today as he walked past me but just got a whiff again.
If you smell something walk out room, don't smell it in other room, Walk back in and smell it is it evident the smell is in the room. It's the stale cigarette smell. I smelt it on one of the guys today as he walked past me but just got a whiff again.
Oh. My. God.
Go to a doctor!!!!
I think earlier you said something about not being taken seriously. Well the only one that can take you seriously is a doctor.
They can perform a CT scan, check for anything and give you a clean bill of health.
Unfortunately all we can do is tell you what we can.
Phantom smells are indeed a symptom of anxiety, the 5 senses are easily decieved by your fear. I've seen several cases where touch, sight, sound, taste and SMELL are all affected.
We can't give you more than advice here though.
nomorepanic
09-08-16, 15:28
Helenhoo - nobody on here is qualified to give medical advice. It is a site for panic attacks and anxiety and not a medical forum that gives out diagnosis.
Gary is telling you to go to the doctor as you will not listen to any advice from anyone else on here and what else can we do?
I seriously would like you to take some time-out from posting on anxiety forums and concentrate on getting the help you so desperately need to get better and recover from HA.
There are some excellent books out there that will help as well - you just have to want to get better and put the work in.
The thing is....these aren't phantom smells. They are smells that have a genuine reason.
Stale cigarette wafting off smokers?
Stale cigarette wafting off smokers?
You're an absolute joke.
But why it appear randomly? Yea they are sat near me.
nomorepanic
09-08-16, 16:15
Helen - please read what I posted and act on it
Hi Nicola, it was happening upon an article about you that lead me here. May I ask how you eventually beat the anxiety? It's horrid. It's like a bully sometimes. I big myself up like yes it's just anxiety, these are just smells, look at what I've worried about in the past and been wrong about but then I smell the scent. Yes the guy near me smokes And yes I smelt the exact same smell after he'd come back and walked by me but I smelt it randomly. For a tiny second. Could he have been rolling a cigarette? He went out for once soon after.
I know I've become a joke on here and I don't want to be.
Hi Nicola, it was happening upon an article about you that lead me here. May I ask how you eventually beat the anxiety? It's horrid. It's like a bully sometimes. I big myself up like yes it's just anxiety, these are just smells, look at what I've worried about in the past and been wrong about but then I smell the scent. Yes the guy near me smokes And yes I smelt the exact same smell after he'd come back and walked by me but I smelt it randomly. For a tiny second. Could he have been rolling a cigarette? He went out for once soon after.
I know I've become a joke on here and I don't want to be.
With respect, please read what you have been asked to do and then you won't feel that you have become a "joke".
I am so hypersensitive to smells. Freaks me out.
---------- Post added at 19:04 ---------- Previous post was at 19:00 ----------
How likely is it to be a tumour, statistically?
---------- Post added at 19:18 ---------- Previous post was at 19:04 ----------
9/10 times there's an obvious source. Does cigarette linger on people?
I am so hypersensitive to smells. Freaks me out.
---------- Post added at 19:04 ---------- Previous post was at 19:00 ----------
How likely is it to be a tumour, statistically?
It. Is. Not. A. Brain. Tumour. Go. To. A. Doctor.
I am so hypersensitive to smells. Freaks me out.
---------- Post added at 19:04 ---------- Previous post was at 19:00 ----------
How likely is it to be a tumour, statistically?
---------- Post added at 19:18 ---------- Previous post was at 19:04 ----------
9/10 times there's an obvious source. Does cigarette linger on people?
Very very very unlikely, the smells you are smelling always seem to have a source and categorically cannot be 'phantom' as they are real smells.
But the times I can't see a cigarette
But the times I can't see a cigarette
You say someone has just left the room or walked by or your near a window etc..... at least a quarter of the population smoke, I smell smoke just from walking through the town centre, you don't usually have to visually see a cigarette. I'm guessing you don't smoke? That means your even more susceptible to smelling it as people who don't smoke smell it more as we are not constantly breathing it in....
It is he same smell I smelt on him when I knew he'd been out for a cigarette.
---------- Post added at 19:56 ---------- Previous post was at 19:55 ----------
People smoke outside (we're a few floors up)
Helen - please read what I posted and act on it
Bump
It is he same smell I smelt on him when I knew he'd been out for a cigarette.
---------- Post added at 19:56 ---------- Previous post was at 19:55 ----------
People smoke outside (we're a few floors up)
Exactly, you've answered your own question, that is the source right there
Is this still going on? Dear God.
Cigarette smoke clings to clothing, it is one of the most distinctive smells on the planet.
Engage your brain, stop pissing about and get yourself to a bloody doctor!
People smoke outside (we're a few floors up)
The thing is if this person is genuine it's very sad. If they're not being genuine it's very sad. However it's going to be quite amusing to some readers, entertaining even probably more so than the soaps.
People smoke outside (we're a few floors up)
Smoke travels and lingers like crazy... think back to a time before your HA, did you ever smell smoke then or is this the first time you've ever smelt it in your life? I'm guessing the first so therefore what makes this time any different?
Shazamataz
09-08-16, 21:53
This thread is just going to keep going and going and going if people keep getting wound up and responding!
I just went out and had a cigarette. I smelled cigarette smoke. Is it a phantom smell?
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-16, 22:59
The thing is if this person is genuine it's very sad. If they're not being genuine it's very sad. However it's going to be quite amusing to some readers, entertaining even probably more so than the soaps.
God, I hope not on your last point. That would point to a deeply unpleasant person reading the threads. :ohmy:
God, I hope not on your last point. That would point to a deeply unpleasant person reading the threads. :ohmy:
I think many would find it entertaining, more so guests viewing the site as it does look very silly from the outside. One person repeating the same question, and many others getting frustrated with it and going around in circles. It's true people like to watch/read arguements/bickering.
I think many would find it entertaining, more so guests viewing the site as it does look very silly from the outside. One person repeating the same question, and many others getting frustrated with it and going around in circles. It's true people like to watch/read arguements/bickering.
The "Gawker" theory I presented in another thread. This thread is like a traffic accident and only one lane is getting buy in both directions. It's pretty smelly too... I think I smell skunk...no wait... that was me ;)
Positive thoughts
A bit like a Ghoul.
What do Skunks smell like FMP,do they smell of gas,..lol.
I could smell a sweet smell faintly and driver of car said he had a broken car freshener in floor in front. Was this it?
I do wish members would stop accusing the poster of being a troll or questioning the posts.
We have many people posting irrational fears on a daily basis but everyone is jumping onto this one person.
It is not helping her and I fail to see how it is helping others.
Once again I repeat NMP is a safe place for EVERYONE to allow them to post their fears and anxieties without fear of judgement.
If you can't say something nice or constructive, perhaps it is best to say nothing at all.
Helenhoo - nobody on here is qualified to give medical advice. It is a site for panic attacks and anxiety and not a medical forum that gives out diagnosis.
Gary is telling you to go to the doctor as you will not listen to any advice from anyone else on here and what else can we do?
I seriously would like you to take some time-out from posting on anxiety forums and concentrate on getting the help you so desperately need to get better and recover from HA.
There are some excellent books out there that will help as well - you just have to want to get better and put the work in.
Some very good advice here especially the bit about posting on anxiety forums
I could smell a sweet smell faintly and driver of car said he had a broken car freshener in floor in front. Was this it?
I'd say there's a pretty good chance of it, wouldn't you?
Look, I'm trying my hardest here, really trying. I don't want to be nasty or hostile, but come on. This isn't even anxiety anymore, it's just nonsense.
If you were suffering from "phantom smells" caused by a brain tumour, the odours would be completely overwhelming. The odours would be horrible, they would last for lengthy periods of time and they would utterly blot out any other sense.
Can you please tell me why you won't go to a doctor? If you're so scared about brain tumours, why don't you go and get yourself checked out properly? Why are you wasting our time, and yours, repeating the same questions over and over?
I honestly want to believe you're just a person in need of help, I really do. Please, can you just for once, do the right thing. See a doctor, tell them what you fear, tell them what you're experiencing and allow them to do what they were trained to do, which is to make you feel better.
I am asking you nicely.
I could smell a sweet smell faintly and driver of car said he had a broken car freshener in floor in front. Was this it?
I am sorry if this seems like i am taking the biscuit, but this reads like a really crappy riddle.
Answer: Car Freshener broken by the driver of the car.
I think this was the best advice
Helenhoo - nobody on here is qualified to give medical advice. It is a site for panic attacks and anxiety and not a medical forum that gives out diagnosis.
Gary is telling you to go to the doctor as you will not listen to any advice from anyone else on here and what else can we do?
I could smell a sweet smell faintly and driver of car said he had a broken car freshener in floor in front. Was this it?
It was the freshener
WHY 151 now,about nothing.
I certainly hope she doesn't fake symptoms to get an NHS scan. Those scans are reserved for people who are truly unwell and in need of urgent treatment. Taking up time and vital resources by requesting unnecessary treatment is deplorable, someone could be dying whilst waiting for Reb to be scanned for her imaginary "brain tumour" :curse::curse::curse:
---------- Post added at 19:32 ---------- Previous post was at 19:30 ----------
Sorry but it pisses me off. My husband died from a brain tumour and reading all this crap about imaginary symptoms and requesting NHS scans is making me very angry indeed. Reb needs to move on, this topic is done to death now (pun intended)
I couldn't agree more with you, Mojo.
Frankly, it amazes and appalls me in equal measures when I see on this forum just how many HA sufferers have somehow been able to cajole their way to getting an NHS MRI scan.
MRI scans are the HOLY GRAIL of scans. Being referred for one is supposed to be because it is an absolute need and necessity, and generally when all other screening is not appropriate.
It also angers me - though I don't verbalise it - when I see GP's have willy-nilly made a referral, as it demonstrates both their own frustration with a HA patient plus their total lack of responsibility in protecting NHS funds.
MRI scans cost AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE. This is why so few scans are carried out and so many GENUINE patients have to wait a long time for them. It irritates me when other members here flippantly say:
'Just go and ask your doctor for an MRI.'
It is an expensive scan, not a bloody hair appointment or a McDonalds Happy Meal.
I am so sorry for your loss, Mojo. You above anyone will know for certain just how sick genuine BT sufferers are, and what is real and what is imagined here.
I nursed a lovely boy who had a benign brain tumour, but a massive one. I was with him at the time of diagnosis, cared for him one-to-one after his op, but sadly - and it guts me to this day - I never got to see him eventually leave the hospital to go to rehab, as I had already left nursing by then.
When he came into A&E he was VERY, VERY ILL. He had excrutiating head pain, could hardly walk and had been vomiting consistently for days on end.
helenhoo - whether this falls on deaf ears or not - you have ANXIETY.
Severe anxiety.
You do not have anything except that.
MyNameIsTerry
10-08-16, 12:07
I couldn't agree more with you, Mojo.
Frankly, it amazes and appalls me in equal measures when I see on this forum just how many HA sufferers have somehow been able to cajole their way to getting an NHS MRI scan.
MRI scans are the HOLY GRAIL of scans. Being referred for one is supposed to be because it is an absolute need and necessity, and generally when all other screening is not appropriate.
It also angers me - though I don't verbalise it - when I see GP's have willy-nilly made a referral, as it demonstrates both their own frustration with a HA patient plus their total lack of responsibility in protecting NHS funds.
MRI scans cost AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE. This is why so few scans are carried out and so many GENUINE patients have to wait a long time for them. It irritates me when other members here flippantly say:
'Just go and ask your doctor for an MRI.'
It is an expensive scan, not a bloody hair appointment or a McDonalds Happy Meal.
I am so sorry for your loss, Mojo. You above anyone will now for certain just how sick genuine BT sufferers are, and what is real and what is imagined here.
I nursed a lovely boy who had a benign brain tumour, but a massive one. I was with him at the time of diagnosis, cared for him one-to-one after his op, but sadly - and it guts me to this day - I never got to see him eventually leave the hospital to go to rehab, as I had already left nursing by then.
When he came into A&E he was VERY, VERY ILL. He had excrutiating head pain, could hardly walk and had been vomiting consistently for days on end.
helenhoo - whether this falls on deaf ears or not - you have ANXIETY.
Severe anxiety.
You do not have anything except that.
+1 from me, Debs. You must have seen the frustration from the other side. That lad was very lucky to have to look after him, poor kid. :hugs:
Mojo & GadGirl have seen the reality of a brain tumour. It must have been a horrendous situation and they must have felt utterly helpless. They know what it's like to wait for crucial tests so I can understand anger & frustration at seeing this.
I've seen it said that GP's are afraid of being sued later. But I know GP's get monitored and penalised for excess testing by their trusts. I think it's a cop out it's about sticking to the 10 minute rule and keeping the patients flowing. Anyone with a chronic physical condition will paint the same picture of GP's being poor as we do.
Here we have a very expensive test. You only need one if you need one. Very very sick people are in this queue, think about them. In fairness, it was a US member so may be considering it on their terms by paying private. If private, does that get in the way of the NHS patients? If it does, then that's a real shame (a shame on the NHS too for bumping people).
I think it applies much further. Every test demanded or lazily used by a GP costs money. Those figures are out there and it's scary.
I've never doubted my symptoms of anxiety. But early on I had a mild asthma attack (because I afraid to take anything, it snowballed into my asthma meds) and I had to see one of the GP's at my surgery as an emergency appointment. He decided to send me off to test my heart. I thought this was strange so waited until my next regular follow up came with the GP who I first started seeing when the anxiety started. He shook his head and told me to rip it up.
I'm often critical of my GP's lack of knowledge of anxiety (and antidepressants) and be hasn't tested me for anything BUT I absolutely agree with what he did here. He knew it was a bog standard check to cover an arse and be knew it was wasting money.
---------- Post added at 12:07 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------
P.S. Don't you get a free toy with a happy meal? :biggrin:
Doctors don't even give you a little sweetie anymore. ..ruddy NHS cutbacks! :roflmao:
Sunflower2
10-08-16, 12:34
I had an MRI done (private health insurance) but at the recommendation of 2 health professionals and believe me they are expensive!! It's like £500-1000 just for the scan and it takes a lot of time and resources. They should NOT be used for reassurance for anxiety ever, as there are so many people critically unwell with physical conditions that need them in order for their treatment to go ahead.
Here we have a very expensive test. You only need one if you need one. Very very sick people are in this queue, think about them. In fairness, it was a US member so may be considering it on their terms by paying private. If private, does that get in the way of the NHS patients? If it does, then that's a real shame o:
CT and MRI scans are very common here, they are not held off for the sickest of the sick. They have their place in medical testing and are used when the information they give the dr is needed.
Drs are not penalized or repremanded for using them. We have no "queue" for any test or dr. Nor is there a limit on them, it almost sounds as if there are a limited number in the NHS.
An example: my son had a CT scan for suspected kidney stone.
My friend had an MRI on her brain and cervical spine for hand and arm pain.
Both served the purpose, properly diagnosed them and neither was gravely ill.
MRI is not on a pedestal here, it's simply another tool for drs and patients to get an accurate diagnosis.
Nancy you also don't have free healthcare though NHS is a free health service that's provided for us, The USA does not have free healthcare as far as I am aware you have to pay thousand of dollers in hospital fees dr fees etc and have to have insurance, for every scan you have they charge you for it. So maybe scans are a lot more available in the USA cause you actually have to pay for it. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the free healthcare as I don't know if there is actually free healthcare available?? Xx
CT and MRI scans are very common here, they are not held off for the sickest of the sick. They have their place in medical testing and are used when the information they give the dr is needed.
Drs are not penalized or repremanded for using them. We have no "queue" for any test or dr. Nor is there a limit on them, it almost sounds as if there are a limited number in the NHS.
An example: my son had a CT scan for suspected kidney stone.
My friend had an MRI on her brain and cervical spine for hand and arm pain.
Both served the purpose, properly diagnosed them and neither was gravely ill.
MRI is not on a pedestal here, it's simply another tool for drs and patients to get an accurate diagnosis.
Both of the examples you have given sound like perfect examples of when tests are needed and probably would be given in the UK.
I think with us having 'free' health care, doctors have a very difficult job of determining who should and who shouldn't get a test.
Last year I was called for a smear test unexpectedly. My results from my previous test had been lost and I was told it was best to get another (by my doctors surgery) so they had them on record. Upon going for my test the nurse asked if I'd ever had one before and I said yes and explained the situation to her. She ended up ringing about for my results and told me she'd 'get wrong' from the people at the labs if she had done the test.
Whilst I understand resources aren't unlimited and tests can't be given unnecessarily I don't think it's right people (as in nurses, doctors etc) fear 'getting wrong'.
MyNameIsTerry
10-08-16, 13:29
Both of the examples you have given sound like perfect examples of when tests are needed and probably would be given in the UK.
I think with us having 'free' health care, doctors have a very difficult job of determining who should and who shouldn't get a test.
Last year I was called for a smear test unexpectedly. My results from my previous test had been lost and I was told it was best to get another (by my doctors surgery) so they had them on record. Upon going for my test the nurse asked if I'd ever had one before and I said yes and explained the situation to her. She ended up ringing about for my results and told me she'd 'get wrong' from the people at the labs if she had done the test.
Whilst I understand resources aren't unlimited and tests can't be given unnecessarily I don't think it's right people (as in nurses, doctors etc) fear 'getting wrong'.
Sounds absolutely right to me. Why conduct a test if a little effort means the original can be found?
I've only ever worked private sector. A large part of my role was stopping people wasting money. I worked the utility sector. I can't tell you the millions wasted sending engineers out to look at something they already have done because the results never came back or were incorrectly inputted. Many times a phone call to those companies meant it was corrected. Each one of those extra visits could be approx £20-40 and whilst the customer had every visit free, it would be a cost that attributed to your energy bills spread across all customers.
The NHS is no different. Everything they do is costed and charged back to the correct ledger.
The NHS is only free at the point of service. The more they waste money, the more they want off the government and the more the government want us to pay somewhere. That may be tax or it may be services.
Sounds absolutely right to me. Why conduct a test if a little effort means the original can be found?
I've only ever worked private sector. A large part of my role was stopping people wasting money. I worked the utility sector. I can't tell you the millions wasted sending engineers out to look at something they already have done because the results never came back or were incorrectly inputted. Many times a phone call to those companies meant it was corrected. Each one of those extra visits could be approx £20-40 and whilst the customer had every visit free, it would be a cost that attributed to your energy bills spread across all customers.
The NHS is no different. Everything they do is costed and charged back to the correct ledger.
The NHS is only free at the point of service. The more they waste money, the more they want off the government and the more the government want us to pay somewhere. That may be tax or it may be services.
Me not getting the test didn't bother me in the slightest. I have BDD and smear tests are absolutely horrendous for me. It's the fact they fear getting a telling off. If the nurse had given me the test unnecessarily, she shouldn't be the one getting wrong anyway it should be the person arranging the test.
I personally feel that any doctor worth their weight in gold should quite easily be able to see who needs an MRI of the brain and who doesn't. Aside from the cost, there's the emotional trauma of the patient that must be taken into account.
Waiting for the scan, the scan itself, then awaiting the results of the scan often takes months. This can damage people emotionally, and if all of that is being carried out as a form of reassurance, that's poor.
As far as neurological conditions go, it really is amazing just how much can be determined by an office performed neuro exam. This exam has stood the test of time. Indeed, Micheal J Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, was diagnosed simply because he failed the finger to nose test.
There really is absolutely no need for further testing or imaging of the brain if you can easily pass a functional neurological exam. If a doctor feels the need to perform an MRI of the brain even after a clean exam, they're simply not confident in their ability to perform the exam correctly.
In the case of headaches, they throw up a grey area, but again there are ways that doctors can determine a cause of headaches in their own surgery.
CT and MRI scans are very common here, they are not held off for the sickest of the sick. They have their place in medical testing and are used when the information they give the dr is needed.
Drs are not penalized or repremanded for using them. We have no "queue" for any test or dr. Nor is there a limit on them, it almost sounds as if there are a limited number in the NHS.
An example: my son had a CT scan for suspected kidney stone.
My friend had an MRI on her brain and cervical spine for hand and arm pain.
Both served the purpose, properly diagnosed them and neither was gravely ill.
MRI is not on a pedestal here, it's simply another tool for drs and patients to get an accurate diagnosis.
The US is a totally different ballgame.
Of course it is just 'any other tool' because everyone pays for that tool, so there is no incentive for clinicians to be selective about who they refer for one.
MRI, like any other more complex form of screening IS on 'a pedestal here' or at least should be, as every one costs the NHS a lot of money....tax payers money, that needs to be directed at those really in need, not just to check out arm and hand pain, which may well be something as basic as Carpal Tunnel!
Here, we start at the basics when it comes to pain stuff, not immediately jump in with a scan (which would come way later if all other management/treatment had been exhausted) simply because we just cannot afford to.:shrug:
Aside from the cost, there's the emotional trauma of the patient that must be taken into account.
Waiting for the scan, the scan itself, then awaiting the results of the scan often takes months. This can damage people emotionally, and if all of that is being carried out as a form of reassurance, that's poor
Very good point.
MyNameIsTerry
10-08-16, 14:04
Me not getting the test didn't bother me in the slightest. I have BDD and smear tests are absolutely horrendous for me. It's the fact they fear getting a telling off. If the nurse had given me the test unnecessarily, she shouldn't be the one getting wrong anyway it should be the person arranging the test.
I agree. The surgery could have done that but instead wasted a nurses time and nearly cost them for testing too.
This is one of the big problems with the NHS, to coin an old term - it's like a cottage industry. No one seems to look at the process and where it could be improved. It's a dinosaur, modern private industry have been dealing with their issues for decades.
If we picked up on a dept/process causing problems further downstream, we raised it and sorted it out. The NHS just rumbles on. That's the way of public sector a lot of the time, no need to improve.
I think a lot is done at hospital level but local trusts don't seem to do the same with the GP service contracts. The same with the newer CCG's.
My whole pint was to work out if I had phantom smells or hypersensitive. Everything I smell now I'm asking my already possed off boyfriend if he can smell it too. I'm sat in a tent on holiday with an air bed and it smells funky but logic says it's probably the air bed. You can't blame me for going on a downward spiral when you read phantom smells are signs of tumourSz
The US is a totally different ballgame.
Of course it is just 'any other tool' because everyone pays for that tool, so there is no incentive for clinicians to be selective about who they refer for one.
MRI, like any other more complex form of screening IS on 'a pedestal here' or at least should be, as every one costs the NHS a lot of money....tax payers money, that needs to be directed at those really in need, not just to check out arm and hand pain, which may well be something as basic as Carpal Tunnel!
Here, we start at the basics when it comes to pain stuff, not immediately jump in with a scan (which would come way later if all other management/treatment had been exhausted) simply because we just cannot afford to.:shrug:
Exactly what I was thinking debs they will just do them anyway because at the end of the day the person is paying for it so it's not coming out of the hospitals pockets, the patient pays for the privilege so it doesn't really matter to them
Wasting NHS resources on scans for "peace of mind" is one of my bugbears I must confess.
Meanwhile a friend of mine is dying and the NHS have refused her expensive treatment due to lack of resources.
She has had to go outwith the UK to be able to pay for this herself.
Luckily a large group of people who know her have got together and are fund raising like mad to give this precious lady a chance of life.
My whole pint was to work out if I had phantom smells or hypersensitive. Everything I smell now I'm asking my already possed off boyfriend if he can smell it too. I'm sat in a tent on holiday with an air bed and it smells funky but logic says it's probably the air bed. You can't blame me for going on a downward spiral when you read phantom smells are signs of tumourSz
This took a long time lol!
You're not even close to addressing your health anxiety and that's the problem, you say 'you can't blame me for..' but it was you who read that and it's you who isn't trying to tackle this way of thinking nobody else.
You need to stop and flip your thinking, you have a great sense of smell be happy for that! Be happy that your senses are working and listen to people when they are all giving you the same advice, health anxiety is NOT easy I know that first hand but I think the problem here is you don't seem to be taking it as seriously as the people who are trying to help you. I don't mean to sound nasty but real help is available to you, it's only you who is holting your recovery.
My whole pint was to work out if I had phantom smells or hypersensitive. Everything I smell now I'm asking my already possed off boyfriend if he can smell it too. I'm sat in a tent on holiday with an air bed and it smells funky but logic says it's probably the air bed. You can't blame me for going on a downward spiral when you read phantom smells are signs of tumourSz
You can when you're thinking that literally everything you smell is a "phantom smell."
Asking things like "does cigarette smoke linger" and "I smelt air freshener, was it an air freshener" is not even anxiety related, it's just stupid. You were told literally dozens of times that these so called "phantom smells" we're actually just smells, but you took no notice of anyone at all.
Just go to a doctor will you?
ServerError
10-08-16, 15:02
I couldn't agree more with you, Mojo.
Frankly, it amazes and appalls me in equal measures when I see on this forum just how many HA sufferers have somehow been able to cajole their way to getting an NHS MRI scan.
MRI scans are the HOLY GRAIL of scans. Being referred for one is supposed to be because it is an absolute need and necessity, and generally when all other screening is not appropriate.
It also angers me - though I don't verbalise it - when I see GP's have willy-nilly made a referral, as it demonstrates both their own frustration with a HA patient plus their total lack of responsibility in protecting NHS funds.
MRI scans cost AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE. This is why so few scans are carried out and so many GENUINE patients have to wait a long time for them. It irritates me when other members here flippantly say:
'Just go and ask your doctor for an MRI.'
It is an expensive scan, not a bloody hair appointment or a McDonalds Happy Meal.
I am so sorry for your loss, Mojo. You above anyone will know for certain just how sick genuine BT sufferers are, and what is real and what is imagined here.
I nursed a lovely boy who had a benign brain tumour, but a massive one. I was with him at the time of diagnosis, cared for him one-to-one after his op, but sadly - and it guts me to this day - I never got to see him eventually leave the hospital to go to rehab, as I had already left nursing by then.
When he came into A&E he was VERY, VERY ILL. He had excrutiating head pain, could hardly walk and had been vomiting consistently for days on end.
helenhoo - whether this falls on deaf ears or not - you have ANXIETY.
Severe anxiety.
You do not have anything except that.
As you've quoted Mojo's response to something I said, I feel the need to be clear again about what I was saying.
I was explaining to a non-UK member the difficulty of getting an MRI scan here. I suggested that 'faking symptoms', but this was a flippant remark designed to demonstrate how you won't get one unless you actually display symptoms that need diagnosing via an MRI.
I don't actually advocate wasting time and money when such a scan is not required. I never would.
Exactly what I was thinking debs they will just do them anyway because at the end of the day the person is paying for it so it's not coming out of the hospitals pockets, the patient pays for the privilege so it doesn't really matter to them
For my family and our health insurance....
Annual physical (exam, blood work, pap smear, mammogram, prostate check, colonoscopy, chest x ray (if needed), immunizations - no charge
Sick visit or any test, emergency, specialist- applies to deductible.
Our deductible is $2,500 per year. (not sure what that is in your money)
Once the deductible is met - everything is paid 100%.
Interesting conversation. :-)
Drs here do not jump to these test right away, my friend with the hand and arm pain suffered for several years, all the 'carpal tunnel' and minor reasons for her pain were exhausted. She was referred to a neurologist, he prescribed the MRI of her brain and neck, she has significant pressure on her spinal cord which required 2 disks and 1 vertebra to be replaced.
My son on the other hand, went to the emergency room in severe flank pain, they immediately did a CT scan and found his kidney enlarged and blocked by a stone.
Not sure who mentioned 'waiting for results for months' ... seriously? Why on earth would it take months to get a report? In the ER we get them immediately, outside of the ER it may take a few days.
ServerError
10-08-16, 15:09
Not sure who mentioned 'waiting for results for months' ... seriously? Why on earth would it take months to get a report? In the ER we get them immediately, outside of the ER it may take a few days.
When I had my MRI scan, I never actually got the results. I just took comfort that nobody was urgently trying to get me back to the hospital. They never sent me anything or sent anything to my GP.
In the end I rang up just to see what happened. I got bounced around several different people before someone found my results and told me it came back 'normal'.
Peeps... please read this! This is NOT about brain tumors or melanoma or any of the other things Reb has brought up! ALL OF THIS is due to her pending life changing trip to S Korea. Everything else is just a smoke screen of the real issue! I may be playing armchair psychiatrist but this is not about HA IMO. When I asked how she felt about going to S Korea and why she has barely spoken about it, I got the answer below and you'll see my response. Perhaps instead of urging her to see her doctor or get tested, we should be urging her to face the real issue and speak openly and honestly with herself and her boyfriend concerning this life changing move.
My boyfriend has said I'm on my last warning. Said he loves me to bits but he's put up with me worrying about everything the last year.
It's sounding more and more like you're trying (consciously or subconsciously) to get out of going to S Korea. As I stated in a previous post, this latest spiral is getting worse and worse the closer you get to your departure date. My gut is telling me you really don't want to go and you don't know how to tell him so you're self sabotaging yourself so you won't be the one that has to tell him. If you were truly excited about it, you would be talking about it and you barely mention it.
Deep down you know as we ALL know, you don't have any of the deadly illnesses you're worrying about. Perhaps it's time to look in the mirror and have a reality check with what's in your heart.
Positive thoughts
I am not not excited, I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm worried I'll fail.
I want to go. I need it I think, I've barely seen the world and I'm nearly the closer side to 30. I've said this myself to be honest and Dan has agreed.
Thank you for being honest with your answer. I believe if you go, it will be good for you and in retrospect, you'll be glad you did.
So, this isn't about any disease is it Reb? This is about the fear of failing. It's a real fear. We all have doubts when making a major life changing decision. Unfortunately, what's happening is you're doing everything you can to self sabotage yourself. Coming from someone old enough to be your father... The biggest regrets we have in our lives are not the things we did and failed at, they're the things we didn't do for fear of failing.
From what you're saying and from what I'm seeing in your plethora of posts, things are at the breaking point. I can only imagine what a hot mess you are in real life based on what we're seeing on the anxiety forums! :scared15:
Again, perhaps it's time to have a heart to heart with yourself and your boyfriend. You need to make a decision as well as stop this nonsense. You know it as well as everyone else.
Positive thoughts
As you've quoted Mojo's response to something I said, I feel the need to be clear again about what I was saying.
I was explaining to a non-UK member the difficulty of getting an MRI scan here. I suggested that 'faking symptoms', but this was a flippant remark designed to demonstrate how you won't get one unless you actually display symptoms that need diagnosing via an MRI.
I don't actually advocate wasting time and money when such a scan is not required. I never would.
Server, I didn't even see your post, only Mojo's. I wasn't directing this as a dig at you as I skimmed through and saw Mojo's post, which I felt empathy for, so replied.:shrug:
ServerError
10-08-16, 18:39
Server, I didn't even see your post, only Mojo's. I wasn't directing this as a dig at you as I skimmed through and saw Mojo's post, which I felt empathy for, so replied.:shrug:
I couldn't tell if you'd seen my post or not. I just wanted to make sure nobody thought I was advising anybody to waste NHS time and resources. Don't worry, I know you weren't having a go at me.
Nobody would ever think that you would advise anyone to waste the NHS' resources, Server.
I to obsess about my health when it is other things bothering me. It could money, family or just my depression, but when I am stressed my health anxiety gets so much worse.
MyNameIsTerry
10-08-16, 23:02
Nobody would ever think that you would advise anyone to waste the NHS' resources, Server.
Agreed.
SE and Mojo discussed it and understood what each were saying and why.
Mojo has a very valid point that Debs took further. I see so many GP's offering reassurance testing on here and they need to grow a backbone and stand firm as some doctors do. Getting an appointment at a hospital to see a specialist can take 6 months around my way, so the more GP's act more responsibly, the better for everyone - the anxiety sufferer too since they are not addressing the issue and are only feeding the cycle further.
I think we all know the issue is the life change. The context of the anxiety is just how that stress is manifesting. Being an OCD sufferer myself I have found this to be the case and have spoken to plenty of others who agree. Take away the stressor and your OCD decreases in intensity so that you gain more control over it BUT that's not the actual issue, the OCD is.
Agreed.
SE and Mojo discussed it and understood what each were saying and why.
Mojo has a very valid point that Debs took further. I see so many GP's offering reassurance testing on here and they need to grow a backbone and stand firm as some doctors do. Getting an appointment at a hospital to see a specialist can take 6 months around my way, so the more GP's act more responsibly, the better for everyone - the anxiety sufferer too since they are not addressing the issue and are only feeding the cycle further.
Sometimes I have a degree of sympathy for GP's. They may note that a person is suffering health anxiety and feel the need to refer them on to a specialist in that area, but those referrals often take many months. In the meantime, they're tending to a patient who has convinced themselves that they have some horrific illness.
They're charged with a duty of care, and I do feel that in that scenario, a GP will try to perform a few routine tests, like bloodwork. They may assume that clear bloodwork is something that will ease the patients fears. It's either that or prescribe medication, and of course, that has its own drawbacks at times, what with side effects etc.
However, MRI's, CT scans and things like that are, in my book, strictly off limits as a form of reassurance. There are just so many negative sides to such tests that justifying them with "I was trying to reassure him/her", is simply ridiculous.
Valid points about the health system and testing. I believe there was a thread a while back pertaining to this subject. That being said, after reading Venus's post in Announcements, it might be wise to start a discussion about it in a new thread as posting here will continue to keep this thread at the top of the page (yes, saying this is doing that I know).
Suffice it to say, regardless of your feelings of the OP, there is some attention seeking behavior at play that feeds the beast. If we can muster the inner fortitude, perhaps practicing self restraint, is in order. If one must reply, perhaps as I've posted, we can focus on what apparently is the real reason this behavior is manifesting itself and intensifying as Reb's move to Korea in October will be here before she knows it. We all know and I do believe deep down Reb knows as well, this is not about any of the physical symptoms. They are just a smokescreen to cover the fear of a major life change.
Positive thoughts
Sometimes I have a degree of sympathy for GP's. They may note that a person is suffering health anxiety and feel the need to refer them on to a specialist in that area, but those referrals often take many months. In the meantime, they're tending to a patient who has convinced themselves that they have some horrific illness.
They're charged with a duty of care, and I do feel that in that scenario, a GP will try to perform a few routine tests, like bloodwork. They may assume that clear bloodwork is something that will ease the patients fears. It's either that or prescribe medication, and of course, that has its own drawbacks at times, what with side effects etc.
However, MRI's, CT scans and things like that are, in my book, strictly off limits as a form of reassurance. There are just so many negative sides to such tests that justifying them with "I was trying to reassure him/her", is simply ridiculous.
I agree that sometimes it is a tough call for GP's. My issue really is the ones who simply placate a HA sufferer by referring them, when in their heart of hearts they really don't think the screening necessary. That is indefensible IMO.
For two reasons mainly - firstly, because it really doesn't help the health anxious person, as being sent for the test solidifies and validates in their mind that something MUST be wrong, as a doctor is referring me. Secondly, because not only does it waste NHS resources, but it is a cop out on their part, as they are not properly treating the person's more crucial issue, that being their anxiety disorder, just sort of shifting them elsewhere.
Coming back to it being a tough call though, I think the problem GP's have is that thought that 'what if they are NOT crying wolf here, and they have a genuine physical health problem, and not an imagined one?' and 'what if I am overlooking that and make an error in judgement?'
That is where you really rely on a doctors experience and ability to discern between the mentally unwell patient, the physically unwell patient or both!
HARD.
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