elizabethalice
31-07-23, 14:30
After having a scare about inflammatory breast cancer about 2 months ago (it was a bug bite that caused a rash...), I've gotten quite fixated on my breasts, feeling around for lumps, etc. I have lumpy breast tissue which never helps with examining.
I did discover that I'd been feeling them wrong, with my fingertips, and when I feel with the flat of my fingers I can't feel any lumps.
However, last few days I've been worrying myself silly about my ribs of all places - they feel a little tender when I push them and I keep checking to see if there's a lump on one, sometimes I think it's a little swollen but others I think it feels like the same. I have been working out which I know is most likely the answer.
I did decide to just book a doctor's appointment - I've never had one before about my breasts and thought at least they could show me how to check properly and hopefully reassure me that they're ok.
It's not until next Thursday though, so I'll need to try and keep calm until then - and then I go on holiday on Friday for a week. I've got visions of them finding something and wanting to urgently refer me to a clinic, but I'm trying to be calm and rational.
My partner also has an appointment next week to have all his moles checked - he has a lot of large moles on his back and it's been a few years since he saw the doctor about them. None of them have changed, but his mum has just been diagnosed with skin cancer (not melonoma fortunately and with a very good prognosis) so he thought it would be a good idea to get them checked and to see if he can see a dermatologist a bit more regularly.
I think all that going on and my own fear of cancer - my stepdad died of cancer 5 years ago and it was very traumatic - is causing me to get into this rabbit hole. I know we're all doing what we can, but if anyone has any tips for keeping calm that would be amazing.
I just did a course of therapy which ended at the start of this month, I did think it helped but feel a bit rubbish that this has all come on again. Unfortunately I can't pay for any more therapy but I could mention it to the dr to see if I could get it on the NHS.
I did discover that I'd been feeling them wrong, with my fingertips, and when I feel with the flat of my fingers I can't feel any lumps.
However, last few days I've been worrying myself silly about my ribs of all places - they feel a little tender when I push them and I keep checking to see if there's a lump on one, sometimes I think it's a little swollen but others I think it feels like the same. I have been working out which I know is most likely the answer.
I did decide to just book a doctor's appointment - I've never had one before about my breasts and thought at least they could show me how to check properly and hopefully reassure me that they're ok.
It's not until next Thursday though, so I'll need to try and keep calm until then - and then I go on holiday on Friday for a week. I've got visions of them finding something and wanting to urgently refer me to a clinic, but I'm trying to be calm and rational.
My partner also has an appointment next week to have all his moles checked - he has a lot of large moles on his back and it's been a few years since he saw the doctor about them. None of them have changed, but his mum has just been diagnosed with skin cancer (not melonoma fortunately and with a very good prognosis) so he thought it would be a good idea to get them checked and to see if he can see a dermatologist a bit more regularly.
I think all that going on and my own fear of cancer - my stepdad died of cancer 5 years ago and it was very traumatic - is causing me to get into this rabbit hole. I know we're all doing what we can, but if anyone has any tips for keeping calm that would be amazing.
I just did a course of therapy which ended at the start of this month, I did think it helped but feel a bit rubbish that this has all come on again. Unfortunately I can't pay for any more therapy but I could mention it to the dr to see if I could get it on the NHS.