Can't stop picking nose scab I myself created! Cancer anxiety!

[Double_Rainbow]

A couple weeks back I was sick with a head cold and my nose was stuffed. I got anxious about nasopharyngeal cancer and was pressing and rubbing on inside of one of my nostrils all day long. The next day it swell and hurt so much I could hardly blow my nose. The swelling since has gone down but there is a sore. The first week I was picking on the scab nonstop and it bled all the time. The last week I didn't pick that much but was applying OTC cortisone cream many times a day to keep it moist. Naturally keeping it moist doesn't help healing, so I stopped that. I am still picking on it, I just can't seem to keep my hands off of it! Anyway, it's been 2 weeks at this point, it seems to be healing but slowly. I got anxious that it could be cancer. The more I get anxious, the more I check and pick, the more it bleeds and more anxious I get... How do I stop it? I KNOW this sore is from me rubbing and pressing, but my magical thinking makes me believe that maybe it was already cancerous before I did that? Please help. Any advice would be appreciated!

---------- Post added at 14:00 ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 ----------

Geez, the scab is so dry and I keep picking at it and it bleeds! It looks so fugly! I know for a fact that it is self inflicted, when I did it I made a mental note to remind myself later on that I caused it. But it hasn't healed in 2 weeks and I worry. I know sores don't usually transform into cancer just like that, but I can't suppress the magical thinking! Ugh! It is so frustrating.

[nomorepanic]

You know what the answer is here - LEAVE IT ALONE or it will never heal.

[RadioGaGa]

DoubleRainbow

Why would you put a topical steroid on an open wound? It won't moisturise it, and steroid creams should not (generally), be applied to open wounds.

If this is a scab in your nose, stop picking it. It will go away on its own. And no more hydrocortisone.

Good luck

[Double_Rainbow]

DoubleRainbow

Why would you put a topical steroid on an open wound? It won't moisturise it, and steroid creams should not (generally), be applied to open wounds.

If this is a scab in your nose, stop picking it. It will go away on its own. And no more hydrocortisone.

Good luck

Thanks, I won't. But the darn scab is so dry, I feel as if something was stuck in my nose. It is almost instinctive to try and get it out.

How long does it usually take to heal a nose wound/scab?

I [vaguely] recall that I had a wound from blowing my nose in a similar spot awhile back. I recall it took a long time to heal but I don't remember how long exactly.

---------- Post added at 14:17 ---------- Previous post was at 14:10 ----------

I am reading it can take up to 4 weeks to heal a relatively minor wound. I can already see that the edges sort of pull inwards, so I guess I just need to be patient and keep those intrusive thoughts about cancer away.

[RadioGaGa]

If you left it completely alone and didn't pick it, it should heal a LOT sooner than 4 weeks (I can't give you an exact figure, as everyone is different)

Now, try this: don't touch it again from this point forward. Report back in a week, and I'm sure you'll have been cleared of it :-)

[Double_Rainbow]

If you left it completely alone and didn't pick it, it should heal a LOT sooner than 4 weeks (I can't give you an exact figure, as everyone is different)
My previous wound in the same spot also took at least 3 weeks to heal, but I also picked on it. So I guess you are right. And this time I put steroids on it multiple times a day for like 5 days, which is a big no-no. My rationale was that steroids reduce inflammation so should help it heal faster, but it is the opposite effect. So I bet that also didn't help me. :weep:


Now, try this: don't touch it again from this point forward. Report back in a week, and I'm sure you'll have been cleared of it :-)
This is some significant challenge, lol :D But I must do it. I will report back in a week! :yesyes:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Carys put some detail in here about the healing process:

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=225511

I'm a skin picker, some of mine will be there for months at a time. They slowly heal, can take weeks. Disturb them and they take longer, which is obvious.

Do you have a compulsion to pick in general? I'm asking because whilst stopping it is obvious, it's as difficult as breaking other compulsions to those who struggle with it (like me).

As it heals it will get dry and it will itch. Then you will want to scratch at it. This is when applying moisturising solutions does help. It will calm the itch and restore moisture to a very dry area.

[Double_Rainbow]

Carys put some detail in here about the healing process:

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=225511

I'm a skin picker, some of mine will be there for months at a time. They slowly heal, can take weeks. Disturb them and they take longer, which is obvious.

Do you have a compulsion to pick in general? I'm asking because whilst stopping it is obvious, it's as difficult as breaking other compulsions to those who struggle with it (like me).

As it heals it will get dry and it will itch. Then you will want to scratch at it. This is when applying moisturising solutions does help. It will calm the itch and restore moisture to a very dry area.

Yes I am a terrible skin picker. It is a definite compulsion. I also bite my nails. It sucks I know and it's only getting worse. I used to only pick on stuff like pimples etc, but now it gets to the point that if I don't like a bump or whatnot on my skin, I will pick at it until there is a huge open wound which takes weeks to heal. I know one day it will get infected and I will end up in a hospital with a big inflammation. So compulsion is one thing but I cannot let it create more problems for me than I already have. Easier said than done though.

With this nose scab, I realized today that due to so much anxiety the last 4 days I was picking and pushing at it pretty much nonstop. Whatever healing was accomplished was undone and more damage created. No wonder it bleeds like crazy. I haven't touched it at all since this afternoon, and there is a big scab I feel it. I'm so anxious about it and want to check and pick but I stop myself. Hopefully it will heal within the next week and I will get it over with.

---------- Post added at 21:34 ---------- Previous post was at 21:32 ----------

MyNameIsTerry have you tried anything to stop the picking? I know when I was on zoloft at 150mcg I didn't pick as much. Probably because of the reduced anxiety level in general. But it never really goes away.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks for clarifying, we now know it's more than compulsion within a HA context as skin picking is a disorder all of it's own and the medical community are divided on it. The US APA have changed their thinking to see it as an OCD Spectrum Disorder but WHO still see it as an Impulse Disorder hence different to anxiety disorders.

I have done it since childhood yet my anxiety only came in my thirties due to a breakdown at work. Prior to this is was occasional, mild. Add anxiety on top and it became a whole new animal.

I do know there are some studies that have shown a supplement called NAC can be successful in helping with it. NAC has no interactions with some antidepressants I have checked in the past but obviously check that if you ever planned to try it. I've not tried it yet.

I've found anxiety reduction does help. The more anxious, if you have obsessive elements to your anxiety, the more intensity you get in your cycles. This means more checking, more overthinking and activity of the mind, etc. And this can mean more scratching & picking. It can feel quite automatic.

Work on calming your overall anxiety levels down. This will help your HA anyway. You might find methods such as meditation, breathing exercises, relaxation or visualisation help for this.

But at some point there will be itching and this is when it will feel more that you need to do it too. It's a trigger. Moisturise to calm itching. Also, rougher patches may be more tempting to pick at so smoothing them out with cream can help you think they aren't ready for plucking! Certain fabrics or conditions may worsen skin itching too.

Boredom. Certain routines in the day where you would do it or even places you sit. In these situations it is worth having a strategy to do something else just as we may do when we try to stop acting out a compulsion. Get up, do something. Have an activity. Give your mind something else to be doing. This is about adding a waiting period in so you move beyond those feelings. It's like when I was constantly phone checking, my therapist had me break this by shoving the phone in a hard to access place. The same with my watch. Make it harder to get too. The easier it is the more you will do it. Then you will learn not to need it as much and you can start to re-introduce an item or cut own on distractions from it as you don't feel the need to act anymore.

Of course, there may be emotional reasons too. I'm less familiar with these as it has never been a feature for me.

Lots of people do things like biting their nails, picking or pulling. But if it's got to the level of being a problem, it's very different and hard to deal with. Even if it's not a disorder it could just be a normal behaviour, like how many bite their nails, has collided with your HA and become a part of it.

It's still an issue for me but I have found ways to reduce it. My trouble is I have also had poor skin all my life so I have problems with irritation anyway. And this year I was put on BP meds, which carry intense itching side effects, so it's having a bit of an impact now as I am having to counteract the meds with things like antihistamine and creams (thanks doc!)

[Double_Rainbow]

MyNameIsTerry, PLEASE for the love of the universe, DO NOT try NAC! Save yourself a totally stomach churning experience. It stinks like the worst rotten eggs, as soon as I opened the bottle the stink has punched me in the face. But I did an assault on myself and took it for a couple of weeks. It did absolutely nothing other than gave me gas and I started developing nausea just from seeing the bottle. I threw it away. Now that's my experience but for what it's worth.

[Double_Rainbow]

While checking this stupid nose sore with the flash light, I noticed there is a growth further down in my nostril, that is not present in the other nostril. It feels hard and is not tender. I don't have any troubles breathing but it does look to take the majority of my nasal passage. I googled and nasal polyps are coming up which seems to sort of look lie it. Since I only have it in one nostril, I flipped out and made an appt with the ENT. Surprisingly they were able to see me later today so I will keep ya'll posted.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's a shame. I've not tried it, I knew someone on here who used it for other reasons. It's just one of those supplements I've come across in discussion of such disorders.

[Elen]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

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.

Elen

[Double_Rainbow]

I went to the ENT, he said that I have normal anatomy and no lump. He said this is just a normal variation and nobody is symmetrical. He also looked at my sore and said to stop picking at it. He said there was no cancer. I have hard time accepting this but what can I do. I need to learn to accept the diagnosis.

[nomorepanic]

I went to the ENT, he said that I have normal anatomy and no lump. He said this is just a normal variation and nobody is symmetrical. He also looked at my sore and said to stop picking at it. He said there was no cancer. I have hard time accepting this but what can I do. I need to learn to accept the diagnosis.

I told you as the first person to reply to stop picking it :whistles:

[Double_Rainbow]

I told you as the first person to reply to stop picking it :whistles:

Yes you are right! I wish it was easier done than said! 😂 I'm doing well though. Fingers crossed!

[Double_Rainbow]

UPDATE. It has been only 3 days since I stopped picking at it, but the scab has fallen off (by itself I swear) and the sore is pretty much 90% gone. I am AMAZED at how fast it's healed, as on Monday when I opened this thread it was a bleeding awful wound. Reminds me just how much damage we can do to our bodies. Thanks everyone for your help and support! Much appreciated!:flowers::bighug1: