Could I have leukemia with no symptoms?

[scaredpt]

Went to doctor for swollen gland, he said it has mostly went down but then he ordered a blood test for mono, etc. I'm worried about him maybe discovering leukemia. I feel fine overall, the only thing is I sometimes get aches in my body, but they started happening after I read that was a symptom of leukemia. I've now convinced myself I will get the results back and have it be an uncurable form of leukemia. I'm a 22 year old girl, not sure how common it is at this stage.

The doctor told me in the blood tests he wasn't testing for anything serious or fatal, but I'm still worried he will find something

[Mindprison]

Classic health anxiety, if you had something seriously wrong with you then you would know. Aches and pains are a symptom of anxiety and I believe you've made yourself hypersensitive by reading up on symptoms of a serious illness and now your mind is on the lookout for the slightest ache or pain and linking it to something life threatening.

People get aches and pains every day, there are other presenting symptoms for what you're worried about and the doctor is requesting blood tests for completeness and for your peace of mind. Lymph node swelling is such a common complaint for health anxiety sufferers and sometimes there is no obvious reason for the swelling.

I am 99.9% sure that your blood work will not find anything wrong with you and that this is just health anxiety at work.

[scaredpt]

Blood work just makes me so so so nervous. Because in my head, I feel like they could find anything and it is a huge unknown. I know I need to trust the doctor and the probability that it is nothing, but I'm going crazy waiting.

[Mindprison]

There's always bound to be a rise in your anxiety levels when waiting for test results, the important thing to remember is that your doctor isn't expecting anything to come back.

The chances of it being anything sinister are so tiny it's not worth worrying about, doctors are good at gauging your health just by looking at how you present to them.

[adventurine]

From personal family experience, usually there are a lot of symptoms that prompt you to go to the doctor and can't really be ignored. It sounds like your health anxiety is ramping up is all, try not to worry too much :)

[scaredpt]

Yeah I am trying to tell myself I would know. Also, I had extensive blood tests twice around 7 months ago...what are the chances of something new coming up, or would those have picked up most things? Its been 3 days and I haven't heard anything

[scaredpt]

Update: had undiagnosed mono. Doctor said all other labs looked good but the mono would explain the tender lymph nodes

[Fishmanpa]

There ya go! And here's your "Told ya so!" ;)

Feel better soon! (and stop poking and prodding those nodes!)

Positive thoughts

[Mindprison]

Good to hear, hope you feel better soon!