View Full Version : fear of hpv related cancers - hypochondria?
back in late august i noticed i had anal warts around my anus. i saw a proctologist as soon as i could (almost a month later) and he gave me a cream to use to help shrink the warts and took a biopsy of the warts themselves to see what type of hpv it is (low or high risk for cancers, etc.) the biopsy came back as low-risk hpv. a few weeks later i was having chest pain, really bad back pain, and was feeling really fatigue, was really worried and scared i was dying, i made my parents take me to the er. they did an ekg, some xrays of my chest and back and everything came back fine. i was told that these could be side effects of the cream i was on for the warts, which i was told to stop however the back pain still proceeded and was still really bad, so i made an appointment with an orthopedic. the appointment wasn't for a few days but everyday i would take a hot bath to try to ease the pain as well as take ibuprofen. along w/ that i started getting groin pain and had difficulty urinating and later constipation and heavy strain to have bowel movements which came out as nothing. i saw the orthopedic, he took some xrays of my back and spine and sent me out to get an mri. i then went online to research my symptoms which matched up nearly perfect to cauda equina syndrome, which leaves you paralyzed if not acted upon quickly. i begged had my father take me to the orthopedic and ask them to go over the mri with me before my appointment, 2 days later because i couldn't wait. i was very scared. i came to the office nearly 10 minutes before it closed and had another doctor take me last minute and told me that i had a slight herniated disk and some pinched nerves, nothing to worry about. she did say however she was concerned about the groin pain and difficulty erinating. still i had these symptoms and the back pain and was still convinced i had cauda equina syndrome. i then saw my general practitioner a few days later and told him i was worried about cauda equina he did a physical exam on me and said my mri would be a lot worse if i had cauda equina and i would have difficulty even walking if that was the case. he also checked my sphincter muscle and said because i had complete control over it i was fine. he did recommend i see a urologist and a neurologist. the urologist gave me a medication for what what he believes to be prostatitis, and i don't have much groin pain anymore and my urine stream is pretty normal. for now over a week, however, i've still been having difficulty having a bowel movement having little to no bowel movements, constant strain and well as "pencil thin" stools which i read to be a sign of colon cancer. when i wiped it was very mucusy, or sometimes it was "grainy" which i read could be dried blood. i was so scared. i was crying for days. i had an appointment with my proctologist in a few days to discuss other treatment options for the warts. when i went in i told him about my bowel movements and how i was very scared of it being colon cancer. he didn't seem to be all too concerned. i told him maybe it was chron's disease or colon cancer. he said if it was any cancer it would more likely be anal cancer. i asked what he thinks could be causing this he says he doesn't think i have anything to worry about but set up an appointment for a colonoscopy to keep me at ease. the appointment wouldn't be for a little over 2 weeks. i begged for something sooner but that was all they had. when i got home i looked up anal cancer and got myself even more scared. the survival rates were even lower than colon cancer. during this whole thing (a little over a week so far) i lost my appetite, lost nearly 10 lbs could barely eat, felt bloated all the time. couldn't stop crying. i called the proctologist's office and told them i was dissatisfied with my visit because the doctor didn't even check me despite having really concerning symptoms. the receptionist transferred me to another dr. who works under the one i was seeing, i told her all my symptoms and concerns and she told me i should take miralax every single day until my bowel movements get better as well as soak in the tub or a sitz bath after every attempted bowel movement. i asked her what she thinks it could be that caused this she told me it could be from nerves. she also told me to call her the next day and ask for an appointment to see her if i still felt nervous and wanted to talk face to face. i saw her and she did a digital rectal exam as well as a camera up the rectum, she told me everything looked fine and she couldn't see any blockage, she also assured me my prostate was fine. i asked again what she thought would change my bowel movements for over a week straight, she said it's probably from nerves and nothing serious. she's also the doctor that's going to do my colonoscopy. i've been taking the miralax every day as well as the sitz baths after every bowel movement and my bowel movements have become a bit easier to make, less strain. still not making a lot nor are they all "pencil" stools but when i wipe it's still mucusy and sometimes grainy which still has me worried. i also have been feeling my head and noticed what may be a lump on the back of my head, as i don't remember feeling it there before as well as really bad headaches which i read could be from hypochondria. i've been reading into hpv and cancer and what could case the possible lump i felt on the back of my head. i also felt a small thing on my back near my neck i wasn't sure was a lump or a pimple. i read something about head and neck cancer being a really common cancer related to hpv, the survival rates for this were even lower than anal cancer. i got so scared. i read a common symptom of this was a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. i started paying a lot more attention to how i was swallowing and felt like i could possibly be having symptoms. today i woke up and my throat was actually kind of sore and i had a little difficulty swallowing. i know hypochondria can make you think you have a disease you may not have and make you think you have symptoms you don't but a sore throat? i went to urgent care today and told the doctor i saw about the lump i felt on the back of my head as well as my throat. she said maybe i noticed the "lump" because i had lost a significant amount of weight and that could make my head feel different. i asked her about the smaller lump and she said it was a pimple, i asked if she was sure and she squeezed it hard and puss came out. she took a culture of my throat for strep and said everything seems to be fine. my blood pressure was fine. she said if i wanted a better look at my throat i would have to see an ENT, which i plan on seeing this week along with a gastroenterologist and a neurologist to see if the lump i feel on my head is a tumor or cancer related at all. a gastroenterologist for my fullness and bloatedness. i'm still very scared i have colon cancer and even more scared that the cancer could have spread elsewhere. has anyone else read about a symptom like a sore throat and later on developed one? i have my colonoscopy in a little under 2 weeks now and i'm very scared. i want to go back to being healthy and living my life the way i did.
Anxiety and definitely cause extreme symptoms. If you have been extremely anxious it can upset your stomach (especially if you've lost your appetite and are feeling bunged up in your digestive system) which can lead to acid reflux, hence sore throat.
I'm sure you'll get all this sorted out fairly quickly. Once you've had your colonoscopy, it will put your mind at rest and I bet all your other symptoms will calm down.
Stop Googling!!! I've been down that path before and it never ever helps. If you looked up 'sore toe', health anxiety people will always go to the worst possible case scenario, never mind how unlikely it is. Drs can tell a lot from just looking at you, they have vast experience at dealing with all different issues and will know subtleties in how different diseases or conditions present that you don't really know from googling. There is a great mug that Drs can buy which says, 'It's great to know that your Googling is worth more than my medical degree!' Googling will never help someone with health anxiety for the forementioned reason and a) even if age related statistics point out that say 99% of people who have a certain type of cancer is say over 70 - you will convince yourself that you are in the 1% and b) when you Google a particular syndrome or condition it will give you a list of symptoms that sure enough you will start experiencing, $ even when you have not had them before. Hence your throat thing.
I hope you feel better soon
it just scares me because everything was fine, i was never a health worrier before and it really scares me and makes me think i'm going to die soon, i hope and pray it's all just in my head but nothing makes sense
Hi Andram. Well, I have hpv and apparently 85% of the population has it as well. I have actually one of the high risk strains and I am 41. So far I think I am fine. I definitely have worries and I freeaked when I found out that was what I had and pretty much the more I told people about my experiences other people that I know have had something related to hpv with the exception of my friends who got married just out of highschool. One thing, you are 22 years old. very young. Anal cancer is related from high risk strains that do not cause warts. Low risk cause warts. Plus anal cancer is something you develop later on in life like 50+
When I first found out it was like I was waiting like a ticking time bomb but once you get checked out to set your mind at ease you can relax a bit. Hpv has been around since forever and now they know more about this virus and they have a vaccine for the high risk strains which will probably erradicate hpv entirely. So you do have an option to go and get the vaccine. Low risk does not cause cancer.
I am telling you it all seems really scary once you get on these sites. There is a woman called Louise Hay that did a film you can probably youtube called- you can heal your life. She had high risk hpv and some issues at 50 she is now 90. But i have watched this film over and over and over again because I have health anxiety as well and she teaches you that you are in control and it's all the fear we are caught up in rather than living our lives fully. Oh and My mom's friends have had hpv and it was because they were smokers did the high risk strains affect them. Still they are alive and in their late 70's and healthy.
My advice is to seek out ways to take control of your life rather than to worry. I know it is easier said than done but I do it all of the time and I am better for it. Ted Talks motivation is another great thing to youtube. Low risk hpv is harmless. you will be fine. I believe that when these things come up they teach us we have to live our lives to the fullest.
Hi Andram. Well, I have hpv and apparently 85% of the population has it as well. I have actually one of the high risk strains and I am 41. So far I think I am fine. I definitely have worries and I freeaked when I found out that was what I had and pretty much the more I told people about my experiences other people that I know have had something related to hpv with the exception of my friends who got married just out of highschool. One thing, you are 22 years old. very young. Anal cancer is related from high risk strains that do not cause warts. Low risk cause warts. Plus anal cancer is something you develop later on in life like 50+
When I first found out it was like I was waiting like a ticking time bomb but once you get checked out to set your mind at ease you can relax a bit. Hpv has been around since forever and now they know more about this virus and they have a vaccine for the high risk strains which will probably erradicate hpv entirely. So you do have an option to go and get the vaccine. Low risk does not cause cancer.
I am telling you it all seems really scary once you get on these sites. There is a woman called Louise Hay that did a film you can probably youtube called- you can heal your life. She had high risk hpv and some issues at 50 she is now 90. But i have watched this film over and over and over again because I have health anxiety as well and she teaches you that you are in control and it's all the fear we are caught up in rather than living our lives fully. Oh and My mom's friends have had hpv and it was because they were smokers did the high risk strains affect them. Still they are alive and in their late 70's and healthy.
My advice is to seek out ways to take control of your life rather than to worry. I know it is easier said than done but I do it all of the time and I am better for it. Ted Talks motivation is another great thing to youtube. Low risk hpv is harmless. you will be fine. I believe that when these things come up they teach us we have to live our lives to the fullest.
this helps me feel a bit at ease but i also forgot to mention that i read (i know i shouldn't "dr. google" as i've read from many people on this and like message boards for people suffering health anxiety) that it's possible to have more than one strain of hpv in your body, and the sore throat worries me along with this what i believe is a new "lump" on my head that, that i could possibly have a higher risk hpv strain relating to oral sex acts as well as the fact that i was a smoker for about a year up until 3 weeks ago, and may have some type of head and neck cancer.
yep you still would be way too young to develop those kinds of cancers. Hpv related cancers -High risk take ten years to develop. So maybe if you were sexually active for 10 years which would make you 12. I believe you will be absolutely fine. Oh did I say that I had a sore throat for months not long after I was told i had high risk(i think you can even check my threads). I was checked out. nothing. if you have been swabbed for which strains you do in fact have if they are all low risk go and get the vaccine.
today i woke up having lost even more weight, despite eating better than i've been eating these past 2 weeks, as well as with both my eyes red. i don't recall this happening and i'm really scared i'm going to die soon. i'm really scared that every health issue i've been running into lately is some type of sign from God
unsure_about_this
31-10-16, 15:48
Agree what people have said, and maybe I should take some of these things on board myself.
I fear a lot of different type of cancers by symptoms and should really cut back on Googling myself
Poppy hit the nail its head, about the mug thing and doctors can tell a lot by justing looking at you.
my stool has been getting a lot better today, but the lump i feel on my head has been scaring me a lot especially the headaches i've been getting, i'm not sure if health anxiety is giving me psychosomatic symptoms or if they're really there, my throat got a little better. tomorrow i see a neurologist for the bump, i'm hoping and praying it's nothing but i can't shake the thought of it being cancer or a brain aneurysm or something and i'm so scared, i know the neurologist will probably send me to get an mri or ct scan or something and waiting on those results is added stress and worry :(
Andram,
I will admit I didn't read your post as it's rather difficult to do so but that being said, I can address your thread title.
I'm a head and neck cancer survivor and my cancer tested positive for the HPV virus.
First off, at 22, the chances are virtually 0% that this should be a concern. Secondly, much of the population has HPV and it causes no health issues. Women can be tested but unfortunately men cannot so there's no way of knowing if the virus is present in you.
There are over 100 strains of the virus and only a few that can cause cancer. In men, the number narrows even more.
So... the bottom line is there's nothing to concern you. Practice safe sex and look into treating your anxiety.
Positive thoughts
today i went to a neurologist for the bump i feel on my skull, it just really scares me because i do not remember ever having felt it like that before, the neurologist did a physical exam and said i'm most likely fine, however sent me off to get an mri which i did a little earlier, not only do i feel this lump or bump but i've been having really bad headaches and sometimes it feels like they radiate from back there. i'm sorry if it seems like i'm dismissing everything that's been said to me however i'm very new to health anxiety being an issue of mine, i was never like this before. tomorrow morning i get the results of the mri and i'm so scared. i can't shake the feeling that not only do i have cancer, but i'm going to die young, young and soon. i feel like everything is a sign from the universe. i used to suffer from depression really bad and just this summer it was like i magically have gotten over it, something i've been dealing w/ my entire life. i graduated college, and i just feel like this is my send off. i really don't know. i hope this is all in my head. i hope this is all just health anxiety. i'm really not ready to go yet i just started enjoying my life.
Blue23Blent
10-09-18, 16:57
Andram,
I will admit I didn't read your post as it's rather difficult to do so but that being said, I can address your thread title.
I'm a head and neck cancer survivor and my cancer tested positive for the HPV virus.
First off, at 22, the chances are virtually 0% that this should be a concern. Secondly, much of the population has HPV and it causes no health issues. Women can be tested but unfortunately men cannot so there's no way of knowing if the virus is present in you.
There are over 100 strains of the virus and only a few that can cause cancer. In men, the number narrows even more.
So... the bottom line is there's nothing to concern you. Practice safe sex and look into treating your anxiety.
Positive thoughts
What's the chances for a 30 year old in Perfect health. Barely ever sick. Bloodwork is perfect. Blood pressure is perfect. etc.?
:)
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