bludobie
24-08-18, 15:24
Hi everyone! New to the forum and feeling comforted that I am not alone. After reading through some of threads. I have realized that I am a near professional health anxiety sufferer. It all started in my childhood, (I recall thinking a mole on my arm was melanoma, at like age 10) and has continued on and off most of my life with rather dire imagined outcomes from pancreatic cancer to melanoma, to ALS that, well, just have not come true. I am healthy, with one disease - anxiety
Anyway, my latest HA-flareup has been caused by a chance discovery on a trip to my Gastroenterologist to explore whether I have GERD. It all started when I developed a bitter taste in my mouth a few months back that lasted for two weeks and then developed into an ongoing "acid" taste in my mouth and scratchy throat. No abdominal pain or heartburn, but my visits to Dr. Google began. Throat, stomach, or esophageal cancer are the trio of spectres that have been haunting me.
Prior to my appt, I had a CBC and Metabolic panel done with ferritin and that showed that my ferritin was low and hemoglobin and hematocrit were just below "normal" which has given me a diagnosis of iron deficient anemia and put me on a track to explore the possibility of internal bleeding. B12, folate, and associated markers were checked and all good. My symptoms have been a scratchy throat, sore tongue/mouth, intermittentnt pins and needles in hands and feet, and common signs of low iron, i.e., some breathlessness after exerting myself, headaches, and light fatigue. I am on my 2+ week of supplemental iron (Vitron-C, 65mg elemental iron), and I have noticed some improvement in the breathlessness, and headaches but I am not myself when it comes to exertion. I have lost a few pounds (like 2), and am toggling between outright terror to more secure lucid moments where I also know that this could be due to perimenopausal menses, malabsoprtion due to celiac which runs in my family (I was off gluten for like 2 years (not due to tests, but to help manage an autoimmune response) and am on a 2-week gluten challenge leading up to an endoscopy. Today I had an abdominal ultrasound and ice was running through my veins during the whole procedure. Of course, the technician couldn't tell me anything and every facial expression and question she asked me I was interpreting as bad news. I am going crazy with terror until I find out the results and don't think I can make it to the endo appt in 10 days. At least they will knock me out for that one. I just want results NOW.
Any thoughts on this whole set of symptoms and how to manage the rampant anxiety I am experiencing? Thanks in advance for your suppport.
p.s. I have been on Lexapro 5 mg for many years
Anyway, my latest HA-flareup has been caused by a chance discovery on a trip to my Gastroenterologist to explore whether I have GERD. It all started when I developed a bitter taste in my mouth a few months back that lasted for two weeks and then developed into an ongoing "acid" taste in my mouth and scratchy throat. No abdominal pain or heartburn, but my visits to Dr. Google began. Throat, stomach, or esophageal cancer are the trio of spectres that have been haunting me.
Prior to my appt, I had a CBC and Metabolic panel done with ferritin and that showed that my ferritin was low and hemoglobin and hematocrit were just below "normal" which has given me a diagnosis of iron deficient anemia and put me on a track to explore the possibility of internal bleeding. B12, folate, and associated markers were checked and all good. My symptoms have been a scratchy throat, sore tongue/mouth, intermittentnt pins and needles in hands and feet, and common signs of low iron, i.e., some breathlessness after exerting myself, headaches, and light fatigue. I am on my 2+ week of supplemental iron (Vitron-C, 65mg elemental iron), and I have noticed some improvement in the breathlessness, and headaches but I am not myself when it comes to exertion. I have lost a few pounds (like 2), and am toggling between outright terror to more secure lucid moments where I also know that this could be due to perimenopausal menses, malabsoprtion due to celiac which runs in my family (I was off gluten for like 2 years (not due to tests, but to help manage an autoimmune response) and am on a 2-week gluten challenge leading up to an endoscopy. Today I had an abdominal ultrasound and ice was running through my veins during the whole procedure. Of course, the technician couldn't tell me anything and every facial expression and question she asked me I was interpreting as bad news. I am going crazy with terror until I find out the results and don't think I can make it to the endo appt in 10 days. At least they will knock me out for that one. I just want results NOW.
Any thoughts on this whole set of symptoms and how to manage the rampant anxiety I am experiencing? Thanks in advance for your suppport.
p.s. I have been on Lexapro 5 mg for many years