Itching, weight loss, cough and cancer worries :(

[singing_rabbit]

Hello everyone!

I need some help, I've never been this anxious about my health before. :weep:

I have the following symptoms:

- Sudden, weird weight loss (from 43 kg to 41 kg, I don't know how to convert it to the units you might use, I'm sorry about that!). I'm already a walking stick, so any weight I lose is a big deal. I don't have a good appetite, however.
- Itchy skin with no rash that keeps moving around (but it's the worst on my scalp). Sometimes when I get out of the shower, my feet itch (but it doesn't happen every day).
- General fatigue
- Cronic cough, sore throat and post-nasal drip that keeps flaring up

I had blood works done half a year ago, and it was fine. Also, I don't feel any swollen nodes (but I also have no idea how to look for them).

I'm afraid I have lymphoma or some other kind of cancer, I'm terrified! I've been an anxious mess since last year (who hasn't been), could it be behind my symptoms? I will go to the doctor if necessary, but it also triggers my health anxiety hard.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you for any advice you might have!

[ankietyjoe]

If you have no appetite, are you eating?

How tall are you, how old are you, are you male or female? 41kg is very light, perhaps you have some problems with eating in general?

[singing_rabbit]

I'm a 25 year old woman, I've always been on the lighter side, and I have no known history of eating disorders. I'm 156 cm tall. I tend to skip meals when I'm nervous even when I'm hungry, but when I eat, I generally enjoy it.

[NoraB]

- Sudden, weird weight loss (from 43 kg to 41 kg, I don't know how to convert it to the units you might use, I'm sorry about that!). I'm already a walking stick, so any weight I lose is a big deal. I don't have a good appetite, however.

Unless I'm being thick (maths not my forte) there are just over 2 lbs to a kilogram? So you've lost a few pounds?

That's nothing - especially when you don't have a great appetite because you will naturally eat less.


- Itchy skin with no rash that keeps moving around (but it's the worst on my scalp). Sometimes when I get out of the shower, my feet itch (but it doesn't happen every day).

I get this with my fibromyalgia. It's also a common anxiety symptom.


- General fatigue

Also common with anxiety and can also be as simple as a vitamin deficiency. How are your Vit B 12 levels?

I also see that you skip meals? (even more significant with fatigue) Why do you do that even when you're hungry?


- Cronic cough, sore throat and post-nasal drip that keeps flaring up

How long have you had the cough for?


I will go to the doctor if necessary, but it also triggers my health anxiety hard.

Why struggle with HA when your doctor can (or try to) put your mind at rest that there's nothing untoward going on? That's what they're they for.

[singing_rabbit]

Unless I'm being thick (maths not my forte) there are just over 2 lbs to a kilogram? So you've lost a few pounds?

That's nothing - especially when you don't have a great appetite because you will naturally eat less.

I know, but I've read that if a person loses 5% of their body weight in a month, or 10% in 6 months, that needs to be investigated. I'm not great with maths either, but according to this, I've lost approximately 5% of my original weight (which was 43 kg). I don't know how rapid the loss was - I don't usually measure my weight, I did it for fun (was a big mistake, lol).


I get this with my fibromyalgia. It's also a common anxiety symptom.

My itching is worse when I focus on it, and it kinda goes away when I do something else, but I can still feel it when I remember it. It doesn't interfere with my sleep, which is hopefully a good sign. Also, my scalp seems to itch the most, and that is a symptom that I noticed before reading about lymphomas and such, so it's not just my imagination. I've read on some forums that they only had an itchy scalp, and then got diagnosed with lymphoma, which made me worry more.

I don't have fibromyalgia as far as I know (I hope it will get better for you!), but I have loooots of anxiety, I hope it's just that and not something sinister!


Also common with anxiety and can also be as simple as a vitamin deficiency. How are your Vit B 12 levels?


I also see that you skip meals? (even more significant with fatigue) Why do you do that even when you're hungry?

I don't know anything about my vitamin levels, the doctor didn't check for those. I eat plenty of meat though, so it shouldn't be a problem, I think. I skip meals because I have depression, and sometimes I'm not motivated to prepare food even when I'm hungry. :( Now that I think about it, my depression could be the reason behind my fatigue.


How long have you had the cough for?

It started in November, it lasted a few weeks, then it got better for a while only for it to return even stronger (it was a dry cough). It completely went away around Christmas, and now I feel the urge to cough again, but only when I sit in a certain position (I hope it's not lung cancer though??). It ebbs and flows. I don't know if I had covid, my mom had a coworker who had it, and I met my mum frequently around that time, but her antibody test at work was negative, and I haven't had it checked yet (it's a bit of a hassle to get one where I live, so I haven't had the chance, unfortunately).


Why struggle with HA when your doctor can (or try to) put your mind at rest that there's nothing untoward going on? That's what they're they for.


I'm afraid of catching the 'rona. :( Plus last year, I had some bad lab results which made me panic for months (high cholesterol which cleared up with following a diet), and now whenever I go to the doctor, I'm sure he will diagnose me with something horrible. I know it's completely irrational, and I'm trying to work up the courage to talk to him about my problems, but I also don't want him to think badly of me (which I know is silly, but I can't help it). :(

[ankietyjoe]

I'm a 25 year old woman, I've always been on the lighter side, and I have no known history of eating disorders. I'm 156 cm tall. I tend to skip meals when I'm nervous even when I'm hungry, but when I eat, I generally enjoy it.

Do you track your calories? Do you write down and weight what you eat?

You are small, just over 5 feet tall. Assuming you're Asian (the flag on your profile) this might be a relatively normal weight for you.

Just for reference, I had a period of stress (severe) over Christmas where I lost 6kg in just over a week. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me, it's just that not eating enough food equates to losing weight. I regularly track what I eat anyway so I knew exactly what was causing it, perhaps you need to do the same?

Unless you know exactly what you're eating (what kind of food it is, when you're eating AND how many calories are in it) it's going to be impossible to know for sure.

My guess is that you're just not eating enough.

[singing_rabbit]

Do you track your calories? Do you write down and weight what you eat?

You are small, just over 5 feet tall. Assuming you're Asian (the flag on your profile) this might be a relatively normal weight for you.

Just for reference, I had a period of stress (severe) over Christmas where I lost 6kg in just over a week. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me, it's just that not eating enough food equates to losing weight. I regularly track what I eat anyway so I knew exactly what was causing it, perhaps you need to do the same?

Unless you know exactly what you're eating (what kind of food it is, when you're eating AND how many calories are in it) it's going to be impossible to know for sure.

My guess is that you're just not eating enough.

That's actually a great idea, I will buy a kitchen scale, and start tracking my calorie intake. I'm not Asian, I'm Hungarian (we're a small, small country in Eastern Europe), but everyone is around my size in my family, so probably it's normal for us. :D I'm working up the courage to go to a dermatologist with the itching skin too, they'll know whether it's serious or not. *tries not to freak out too much*

Thank you everyone for all the good advice, I'm feeling a little bit better. :)

[ankietyjoe]

Ah sorry, the flag looks orange/white/green on my phone so looked like the Indian flag.

So yes, without knowing exactly what you eat, it's impossible to make assumptions about the cause of weight loss.

If you ARE undereating it's entirely possible you could be suffering from mild malnourishment which could easily explain numerous other symptoms too. It could even be something like a food intolerance/allergy too.