Please help I'm so frightened

[Ceri78]

Hi all,I've been having daily stomach pain,nausea,very loose stools3x a day and very hot flushes lasting hours every day...long story short I stupidly googled and have found carcinoid tumors/stomach cancer.went to gp about this and had following bloods done,lft,renal,thyroid,glucose and full blood count and a hormone for menopause not sure name of it,anyway they were normal,still concerned on my symptoms I went to see another gp today and explained I googled and what came up ,he said with my symptoms I can't say no you haven't got a tumor and I will send you for an ultrasound and take it from there! I cried all the way home with my baby daughter in the pram worrying I won't be around for her much longer.I feel paralyzed with fear and can't concentrate,I guess I was hoping the doctor would just laugh me off and say don't be so stupid.
Any words of wisdom truly grateful here,
Thank you,
Ceri xx

[jaynespain3105]

I have been here many times before where a doctor refers me after I have not accepted his initial prognosis only to suddenly feel 'oh no. He's referred me! He must think i am dying!'

I think one thing we all share is the issue of dealing with uncertainty. The doctor is giving you the 'gift' of a step closer to 'certainty' that your symptoms are innocent (which they will be I am sure) but, in doing so, has given you this period of worry and uncertainty leading up to the results.

Sometimes looking for reassurance (even from a doctor) doesn't give us the outcome that we desired but your doc appears to only be offering you further reassurance. Hugs to you. I know exactly how you feel.

[swag91]

Hi Ceri78,

I have gone through the post that you made. To be honest you are going through a tough phase of life (which you think) but it not the case.Dont let fear grab you. You are living with panic. May be due to over thinking about some issues like "what would happen if something happens to me?".
Last year in March I had a panic attack for the first time. But in my case I was more concerned about my blood pressure. Why? what caused me to think about my blood pressure which has not at all bothered me ever? The cause was I had seen severe problem of high blood pressure of my uncle and from that incident my subconcious mind took the snapshot of the very incident and it made the incident large by itself and O was left with panic attacks. Repeatedly.... I thought what would happen if I get blood pressure high at this age (26).
Similarly, I am pretty sure you have heard/witnessed something about cancer patients and it ended up to the thought you are now having. Well I know its pretty difficult to understand the symptoms of panic. But with a one year research of my health O have understood it only troubles you when you give importance to your negative thoughts. If you need any help you can contact me further like with what phases I have gone through.

[Mindprison]

Hey there

This is classic health anxiety and it also classes as a sort of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for the doctor.

The question to ask yourself is this: "if the doctor laughed me off and said I don't need testing, would I have believed him?"

It sounds like your doctor is sending you for your own peace of mind, not that he expects anything to be wrong. There are hundreds if not thousands of reasons for the symptoms you have and anxiety is one of the biggest causes. Stomach problems are one of the most common symptoms and there is a clear link between the mind and digestive system.

All us health anxiety sufferers have been guilty of this at some point but it's important to remember that worrying about your symptoms will make you hypersensitive to the point you feel worse, which causes more anxiety, which causes more symptoms. Vicious cycle.

When you go for the test and it comes back clear (I'm positive it will) it might be worth discussing your anxiety with the doctor. It's best to get a handle on it sooner rather than later.

Best of luck and hoping you feel better soon.

[Ceri78]

Thankyou thankyou all so very much for your quick replies I'm crying reading all your lovely kind words of wisdom.Its so hard with anxiety to deal with as my symptoms are all very real and the stomach pain is really getting to me and along with my appointment today my brain is screaming cancer .I'm trying so hard to ignore it but it always wins I just hope this ultrasound won't take too long ..my thoughts keep going over my symptoms which ticked every single box on Google. I'm on paroxetine but I don't think it's working to be honest I've been on it too long roughly 14 years for panic attacks...if there was anything sinister going on would my full blood count still be normal do you think?
Thankyou so much xx

[Mindprison]

There are markers from blood results that indicate when there might be a problem, if they came back clear and your ultrasound wasn't done the same day then I'm 99.9% certain that you have nothing to worry about.

You might find that your symptoms get worse while you're awaiting your appointment, don't be fooled by it, it's your anxiety making it worse, not a physical problem.

---------------

Sorry I thought I'd add as well, there are other types of anti depressants or anxiety meds you can try if the paroxetine aren't doing much for you. What works for one person might not work for another and sometimes meds that worked before suddenly stop working. Don't be afraid to try something different, your doctor can advise you on what might be best.

Good luck!

[ScaredLizard]

Also it might be hormones. Hormones change as you age and it doesn't necessarily mean menopause. It might be perimenopause which sucks but is 100% normal. I am in perimenopause and someone am convinced I'm about to spontaneously combust and it will last up to 4 horus. It's awful but my endocrinologist says it's normal.