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View Full Version : Wife's Petechiae and a reoccurrence of Health Anxiety



lofwyr
20-06-23, 16:01
So, out of the blue my wife has be look at this rash that has cropped up over the past week.

It definitely looks like petechiae, it doesn't blanche, and I know all about them thanks to my time with google in years past.

Over the past four or five days, they have slowly spread to cover more of her, down her midsection, her legs, her feet, etc. She has no other symptoms, just widespread petechia. No infections, no fever, no nigh sweats, no unusual pains (except a back injury, but you can literally feel the muscle that is the problem), no weight gain or loss etc.

I don't google anymore, but sadly, my years of googling have built up a physician's desk reference worth of worst case medical scenarios in my head, which when it is in regard to my own health, I am pretty good at dealing with, and pretty proud of that fact. I would say with regards to my own health concerns, about me, I am more or less a success story of HA recovery (with very minor relapses now and then).

However, when the symptoms manifest in someone I love, my HA comes roaring back like a lion. I am right back where I used to be.

I know--like everyone here does, I am sure--that petechia, especially widespread as it is on her, can be a sign of leukemia (also, a dozen other things, but you know, HA is what HA is).
The few medical symptoms she *does* have, which can also cause petechia, are those of connective tissue disorders.

She is going to get looked at, but we are in a pretty sub par place medically speaking, but I feel all those old, frightened feelings that come crawling back when you go to sleep at night, and worry about losing someone you love, and dealing with the anxiety that creates.

There have been several times over the years I have dealt with my wife's health scares as worst case scenarios, but as they say "this time, it feels like something real."

The truth is, as bad as leukemia *can* be, I know two people who beat it, both 20+ years ago, and they are doing fine. It isn't even the death sentence is used to be for many people. For some, it is a chronic condition.

And here I am assuming it is leukemia. You can see the pattern of HA in this post and throw out my mental word salad, and I am going to leave it all unedited, so the next time I (or anyone else) comes here to look up petechia, either for reassurance or to vent, they can see HA churning its way through a brain.

ErinKC
22-06-23, 18:07
Someone posted a great thread a few weeks ago about petechiae and how there is actually something called capillaritis, which is just various benign causes of petechiae that no one ever talks about because when you google petechiae it's only the scariest things.

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?201638-Petechia-petechiae-cherry-angiomas-red-dots-on-skin%97and-finally-some-peace-about-both

I think this is really one of the worst parts about googling. If you don't do the right search terms you'll never find normal answers. A few weeks ago my tongue was twitching. It was the most bizarre thing - the tip of my tongue was twitching like any other muscle spasm. I could see it in the mirror - just one spot would dip up and down. I googled and literally the results were - the only thing that causes tongue twitches is ALS. I knew this could not be true, so it didn't even really worry me. But, it shows how limited googling can be.

I think it's always a good idea to have a new symptom checked out by the doctor, but I think there are also a million benign reasons for something like that before worrying about cancer.