View Full Version : arm aches....freaking out that i have bone cancer!!?
My arm has been aching for two days, and honestly the first thing that comes up when I look it up is cancer. there aren't many other reasons why your arm would ache, and so i'm really worried. freaking out.
Breathe, stop looking things up and think rationally about this. You shouldn't be searching, but the only way I can possibly think of that bone cancer was the first thing you found when you looked for arm pain was that you searched on "arm pain cancer" or something similar.
We've all done this at our low points, but take a moment to recognise that as an anxiety sufferer, by definition, you have the tendency to think the worst and ignore less worrying possibilities.
it just it seems like a dull ache like growing pains, and i've looked up and it says it's usually cancer or something like that
It could be anything, but after two days it's vanishingly unlikely to be cancer. Not sure how old you are, but once you get to a certain age things tend to just start aching anyway.
Bone cancer is relatively rare, and aching is an incredibly vague symptom.
it feels like a dull ache rather than specific muscle pain, which is why i'm worried
If dull aches were often bone cancer, there'd be awareness campaigns in the press and on the popular websites telling you to seek medical advice the minute they started.
There aren't, though, so if the pain itself isn't stopping you functioning you're probably safe to leave it a while.
nomorepanic
11-03-19, 14:15
My arm aches and I don't have cancer!
So, the food poisoning with the bread didn't happen? (would be nice to see a thread update)
Sacredpt, its now just about three years on the forum, three whole years with a massive huge long list of serious illnesses you have had. This won't be cancer, just like all the others weren't. Why are you still, after three years, looking up symptoms and presuming cancer ?
I'm struggling to understand how on earth you can assume every single ache and pain is cancer.....
this is because i read about a famous chef (she was 29) who had bone pain in her arm and died a year later of cancer.
This is a single story. What about all the people with dull aches in their arm who turned out not to have cancer?
nomorepanic
11-03-19, 14:33
What are you doing to treat the HA though?
I might listen to a meditation podcast, those help me. I guess i just read somewhere bone pain is very serious. I took a vitamin and feel a bit better i think, but that is probably a placebo.
nomorepanic
11-03-19, 14:46
A vitamin pill would not stop the pain - that is just your skewed perception
You need more help than just listening to a podcast though.
utrocket09
11-03-19, 14:46
I might listen to a meditation podcast, those help me. I guess i just read somewhere bone pain is very serious. I took a vitamin and feel a bit better i think, but that is probably a placebo.
I have told this story over and over, but I'll
tell it again. My aunt had blood cancer, myeloma to be exact. One of her symptoms was bone pain. Believe me, bone pain is unmistakable. My aunt had to where she could not walk or move.
I don't think you're taking the right message away from this.
Your problem isn't cancer, it's anxiety. Can you recognise this after all the recent scares you've had that haven't turned into anything?
utrocket09
11-03-19, 14:54
oh no! so it is common
No it is not common...the type of cancer my aunt had ate away at her blood plasma cells and caused her bones to break causing bone pain.
Please try to think logically...would you be able to type on a forum with arm bone pain ?
it could just be the start of it from what i've read
Bone pain isn't muscle/soft tissue pain....it apparently feels entirely different. I say 'apparently' as you don't know what it feels like and fortunately neither do I.
3 years scaredpt. 3 years and you are still here alive and well.
Do you know why it strikes me as so interesting that I keep mentioning three years.....(and I'd appreciate acknowledgement on this one). In the same month and year you started posting on NMP about illnesses you've never had, with deep HA at a level that is affecting your everyday functioning.....I was diagnosed with cancer. I had surgery, went through active treatment, had counselling, tried a medication which was disastrous that was meant to stop cancer recurrence but couldn't continue with it, had follow-up scans for 2 years, waited to see if any recurrence or secondaries occured, was finally discharged from clinic last year and am moving on with life. You have no cancer, and yet haven't moved on with life. This is the irony. I don't need congratulations, attention or sympathy, I don't generally mention it and certainly don't to people IRL, I say this to show you how desperately entrenched you are that you are unable to move on with life, and even people with cancer can.
108 threads have been started by you, each one with a new illness......108 serious illnesses you have believed you have had! The only thing you've actually had in those three years is....FLU, which you survived and got over just fine, but you still start flu fear threads.
Blueiris is right, the only thing you should be looking up/reading about/treating is ANXIETY. Your mental health is your problem.
Oh wow Carys. So happy you are doing well and this does put things in perspective.
AMomentofClarity
11-03-19, 15:07
108 threads have been started by you, each one with a new illness......108 serious illnesses you have believed you have had! The only thing you've actually had in those three years is....FLU, which you survived and got over just fine, but you still start flu fear threads.
Blueiris is right, the only thing you should be looking up/reading about/treating is ANXIETY.
Even the flu case was once vs want, 4 or 5 threads about it??? So even on the common stuff we’re talking low success rate....
Oh wow Carys. So happy you are doing well and this does put things in perspective.
Thank you. Aren't you fed up, entirely fed up with living your life this way?
What is stopping you from once and for actually dealing with the real problem here? (and clue - its not aching arms, mold on bread or any other assorted symptoms that have appeared today or will tomorrow)
Whats it going to be; another unnecessary visit to your doctor, and some more invasive tests or scans for something that isn't anything, or go to your doctor and ask for the help you really need....
what help exactly are you guys suggesting? I'm seeing a therapist.
...and how is the therapist telling you to deal with your major HA? What strategies have they said you should follow ? Are you doing your 'homework' are you applying everything they give you to work on? Cos - you see - I don't think you can be, as I can't see anyone agreeing that posting 'I have bone cancer my arms are aching' shows any attempts to rectify your faulty thinking. If you are struggling to actually apply cbt techniques, or need help to rationalise, then yes we can attempt to assist, but you aren't even trying that yourself.....
Seconding Carys here. Unfortunately, with anxiety you have to play an active part in your own recovery.
what help exactly are you guys suggesting? I'm seeing a therapist.
You're engaging in self checking behaviors, feeding your fear with Dr. Google and then seeking reassurance on an anxiety forum. What does your therapist think of this?
Positive thoughts
well i'm having a hard time with self talk and cbt strategies, so i resort to looking stuff up
Well, yes it is hard, it takes effort over a long period of time.....but by giving up and 'resorting' to looking stuff up you are going backwards everytime.
Why not actually ask us to help with your self-talk and cbt strategies?
Do you understand this only reinforces your faulty thinking and makes it harder for you to recover?
ok, do you guys have any advice re cbt for this specific fear? i know i can tell myself i've been worried before and its never been anything, but i have always the mindset of "but this time its REALLY" something
You just need to keep on reminding yourself. It's tough - I'm on a self-checking jag myself and I'm really struggling to keep things in check - but you need to push through and not indulge in behaviours that will actively harm you. Searching online is the worst thing you can do, because all it will do is give you shreds of knowledge without context that will come back and haunt you when you need it least.
If you can't stay off the internet, read the resources here or look up other techniques for dealing with health anxiety.
Why not show us what CBT exercise/worksheet you've learned in therapy and how you would apply it? Show us the exercise then talk and write out the coping strategies you would use to quell the irrational fear.
Positive thoughts
AMomentofClarity
11-03-19, 16:00
ok, do you guys have any advice re cbt for this specific fear? i know i can tell myself i've been worried before and its never been anything, but i have always the mindset of "but this time its REALLY" something
#1A- STOP GOOGLING!!!! You know....You F’ing KNOW.....where that’s going to lead. You never come out of a Google search feeling better. By “researching”, you’re consciously and intentionally feeding your anxiety.
My therapist isn't CBT, he does humanistic therapy, so we don't have worksheets. He usually tells me to look at my bigger goals in life and then to see if my anxiety is fitting with achieving those goals.
I think that CBT would probably be really helpful for you, as it can be used to address these problems directly.
My therapist isn't CBT, he does humanistic therapy, so we don't have worksheets. He usually tells me to look at my bigger goals in life and then to see if my anxiety is fitting with achieving those goals.
So what are your bigger goals? Is your anxiety holding you back from reaching them?
You can click the link in my signature for FREE CBT worksheets and exercises. Download them, read a bit and let us know how you plan to use them.
Positive thoughts
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-19, 16:08
well i'm having a hard time with self talk and cbt strategies, so i resort to looking stuff up
I believe in learning to sit with your thoughts and I would encourage the meditation you mentioned earlier as this is one of it's important teachings. If meditation helps you calm down then apply that and see if you can then resist the compulsion to Google or make body scans.
But aside from this have a strategy to tackle compulsion. Forget Googling, that's a bit of red herring in some ways, it's about reaction to thoughts/feelings and the compulsions you resort to. You have ones like Googling, most likely body scanning, reassurance seeking as you are doing on here now, etc. So, an adaptive strategy. When you feel the pull to conduct compulsions you have something you do which takes you out of that situation, makes it harder to pursue the compulsion and inserts a period of waiting time where your anxiety is allowed to reduce.
humanistic therapy
...and how long have you been seeing this therapist?
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-19, 16:16
My therapist isn't CBT, he does humanistic therapy, so we don't have worksheets. He usually tells me to look at my bigger goals in life and then to see if my anxiety is fitting with achieving those goals.
Ok, then this might mean more Mindfulness so you can try meditation to help you sit with thoughts than react to them. I take it your therapist has introced the meditation so approves of it's use in your treatment?
Positive affirmation? Is that used in your therapy since this form of therapy is about seeing your positive traits, your greater self and encouraging building a better you?
How about statements of self directed compassion? Telling yourself it's ok to feel scared but it can't hurt you. That you have been through this may times and still ok and the only issue was how you felt about your situation.
Healthy behaviours are part if this therapy so what have you been encouraged to do?
Ah ha, someone who knows this therapy type in detail......hurrah.
See we are getting somewhere now scaredpt, rather than focusing on reassurance we are starting to get to the bottom of what will really help....go with us....
Yeah, when I get a break I will try listening to ameditation. there was one that really helped me, it was like "let it go", and just observing your thoughts, and going with the flow of your life. im also getting lunch with a friend and thinking about all the "fun" things I have planned for the week, which helps me.
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-19, 17:13
Right, so when you feel intense anxiety feelings and the urge to Google or any other compulsion can you insert a healthy behaviour here? Can you steer your thoughts into the fun things like what you will eat with your friend, where you go, what will you talk about, what will you enjoy about it, what do you like about your friend, how this friend makes you feel better about yourself, etc? You could write it all down in your worksheet.
And when these thoughts of panic come, most likely intrusive in nature from a trigger, can you insert a meditation?
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-19, 17:15
Ah ha, someone who knows this therapy type in detail......hurrah.
See we are getting somewhere now scaredpt, rather than focusing on reassurance we are starting to get to the bottom of what will really help....go with us....
Hah! Not in detail. Just a little from reading about different forms of therapy in the past.
One thing that I don't get with this type of therapy is it's focus on the bigger life goals. That's good as a longer term strategy but when in the moment with triggers I'm unsure how that works for people?
One thing that I don't get with this type of therapy is it's focus on the bigger life goals. That's good as a longer term strategy but when in the moment with triggers I'm unsure how that works for people?
Well, you see, thats whats I'm not understanding. I read a little on it in a couple of places, and there are some good long-term life skill things covered and its all very positive,mindful and holistic etc. However, I would question how it is helping scaredpt, as there seems to be no coping strategies offered for HA triggers.
AMomentofClarity
11-03-19, 17:30
To more or less echo Carys and Terry....
The important part of CBT is the B....adjusting your BEHAVIOR to help combat anxiety. Self talk, thought challenging, avoidance, etc. While discussing life goals and anxiety’s impact on them definitely has merit, it doesn’t seem that it is altering thinking and behavior in a way that directly contradicts anxiety.
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-19, 17:30
Well, you see, thats whats I'm not understanding. I read a little on it in a couple of places, and there are some good long-term life skill things covered and its all very positive,mindful and holistic etc. However, I would question how it is helping scaredpt, as there seems to be no coping strategies offered for HA triggers.
Yes, that was my concern. However, the references to Mindfulness and developing healthy behaviours could be applied to exercises performed at the point of reaction in the anxiety/panic cycle just as they are in forms like CBT. But without more reading, and looking at something more specific, it's hard to say and hopefully the OP can shed some light on what the therapist is saying to do in these circumstances.
If the therapist is only advocating changing to be more positive, the long term goal, then I would question how effective that may be when all the reactions within the anxiety/panic cycle are just feeding negativity back in.
Thanks, that is an issue I have with my therapist, he seems to just tell em that if i harp on my anxiety, i won'tdo X thing i want. but yeah, it doesn't help me when i am spiralling.
AMomentofClarity
11-03-19, 19:00
Thanks, that is an issue I have with my therapist, he seems to just tell em that if i harp on my anxiety, i won'tdo X thing i want. but yeah, it doesn't help me when i am spiralling.
You would absolutely benefit from CBT then. CBT will teach you to challenge negative thoughts, to think your way out of emotional tailspins. So when your arm hurts and you think “it’s cancer”, you can make your way to more rational, well thought out conclusions as opposed to letting anxiety drive you into a spiral.
Well, yes, I think so too 'moment of clarity'. Maybe its time to consider if this type of therapist is what you need. I don't know how long you've been with them, or if you generally find it helpful, or even how you got to have this type of therapist......?
See, I thought it had been proven that cbt was the most effective for anxiety issues.
Or.... a combination of both. I had one on one therapy for depression and I actually used (and still use) some of the techniques from http://cbt4panic.org/. I originally downloaded it for my daughter but after discussing it with my therapist, he was all for it and it really did help. Not just with the depression and 'scanxeity' but also has come in very handy for everyday life and work stress. When you take 15 minutes and fill out a worksheet, it puts things in perspective.
One of the key components of humanistic therapy is to develop a greater sense of self. One of the common threads I see on the boards is a lack of self and self esteem which makes sense from much of what I read here and elsewhere. So again, a multi-pronged approach may be worth considering even if CBT is something you work at on your own in addition to therapy. IMO, it's worth the download and a discussion with your therapist.
Positive thoughts
I’m still struggling. I still have the pain so it’s hard for me to even recognize this as anxiety because the pain is real. It’s not like I’m making it up
Yes, the pain is real, nobody is doubting that. Its the reasons for the pain that we are questioning.
nomorepanic
12-03-19, 13:19
We are not saying the pain is caused by anxiety - we are saying you do not have bone cancer. There is a big difference.
Thank you...the pain went away all day yesterday, so I'm trying to rationally think that if it was actually cancer pain wouldn't just come and go.
AMomentofClarity
13-03-19, 15:20
Thank you...the pain went away all day yesterday, so I'm trying to rationally think that if it was actually cancer pain wouldn't just come and go.
Agreed 100%. Keep thinking that way!
Absolutely! AND.....next time you get an ache or a pain, RATIONALLY think of anything else it could be OTHER than cancer. Cancer should NEVER be your first mental port of call.
Please read the below message from Admin. You are posting about a lot of different things frequently. Perhaps start a thread where you can keep all of your worries in one place.
Can posters, especially those who are posting a lot about a variety of fears please confine their posts to one thread.
This helps others to build up a clear picture of what is happening and makes it easier to offer suitable advice.
You may not see the pattern but usually it is there, especially if you are posting frequently about different things.
Your co-operation with this would be greatly appreciated.
Elen
ps I think that this would be extremely beneficial to you scared
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
Midnight-mouse
13-03-19, 22:43
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
Uncomfortable, but not dangerous.
Positive vibes,
Mouse
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
https://media.giphy.com/media/qLg0KWGN4Q67S/giphy.gif
Positive thoughts
nomorepanic
13-03-19, 22:57
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
Come on - how can this be dangerous? Did you break the skin and start bleeding profusely?
You are not even trying to rationalise things yourself here.
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
I agree with the above, you really aren't even trying. So, you tell me.......give me a list of reasons why this can't be dangerous.....I'll start with number 1...
1. You are still alive and breathing and typing on the internet......
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
...Seriously?
whispershadow
14-03-19, 09:44
thanks. i do have a new fear. i accidentally poked myself in the throat putting on a necklace...is this dangeorus?
That's not dangerous I promise :hugs:
unsure_about_this
14-03-19, 12:44
I think if you had bone cancer you would know, I had aches and pains and thought I had bone cancer, and blood tests showed me I did not. We all get aches and pains.
Even though I have health anxiety, I am starting to understand more after 8 years, bone cancer is very rare
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