Reassurance Chasing Symptoms

[coxwit]

Hello,

Does anyone else experience symptoims in one area and hypothesise that it is a certain illness only to find out that is not where it presents and then wake up the next morning and the pain has moved to where you found out the presupposed illness does present?

By way of example two years ago I thought I was dying of pancreatic Cancer (self-diagnosed of course) because I had sharp pains under my bottom rib on my right side. They sent me for upper abdominal ultra-sound and everything came back clear except they did not get readable images of the tail of the pancreas. Now, unfortunately I knew the tail of the pancreas was on the left side. Next day the pain started on my left side same place. I am still alive by the way and those particular pains are no londer persisting.

Another far more recent example. I had been experiencing weight loss and then started right low back, right side, and abdo pain to the right of my naval. This was going on for a few weeks. I was figuring I had colon cancer for sure. Then I read in a recent thread here that colon cancer pain normally presents on the left side of the abdoman. Sure, enough starting the next day since I read that the pain has been in the same places however all on the left side now rather than the right.

The pain is real and is not made up. Does my mind want me to beleive I am dying to such an extent it defies rerassurance by moving the symptoms? Have others experienced this?

Andy

[beckyboo]

I experience this sometimes, for example i get shooting pains over my heart and sometimes a stinging or strained sensation i convinced myself i was having a heart attack, then went on the internet to read that problems with your heart are felt from the centre of your chest and not on the left side above the heart, these sensations are actually the muscles under your chest. After i had read this i started feeling slight pain in the centre of my chest, it was weird. Its horrible when you start thinking of something happening and your mind convinces you its really there, the pain is so real as well. Sorry to hear you feel like this but i do think this is quite a common symptom of anxiety.
xx becky

[Alisonj]

OMG, I could haev written your post exactly!!!! Mine is the pain on the right and had a scan that should my pancreas was okay but now I think its my liver or sometimes I still think they missed something on the scan.
I know the pain is there and it is frustrating to not have an answer or cause!
YOu are defintely not alone

[coxwit]

Thanks folks. It's good to know that I am not alone in beleiveing that once I am free of one deadly illness so that then the pain and other symptoms move somewhere else and hang about there until I obsess over it elsewhere. The pain is so real no wonder we are convinced we are really sick.

Andy