Having a really bad day

[tashbarnes87]

Hello, i realise this is really stupid but i have a horrible fear that i have lung cancer as i have some of the symptoms etc. Doc prescribed Acid Reflux but i have never been able to forget about it, if any thing i just want the doctor to send me for an xray but he wont. Any way last night i was watching house ( this is silly) and a woman was in there because she had a slight cough turns out she had terminal lung cancer and had 6 months to live, now this is my absolute biggest fear and since watching it i have been so much worse i just can't stop crying.

Does anyone know in the Uk if you can demand an xray or pay for one. I'm at the stage now that i have to know i just cant carry on like this

xx

[jannnne]

Hello, poor you. I think we have been reassuring each other over the last few days. I have acid reflux too.

I had awful acid reflux when I was pregnant with my last baby, she was very high up and her head stayed up (breech) her head kept pressing on my stomach causing all sorts of symptoms.

An Xray while pregnant would really not be good for baby, and I don't know who would do one.

I really do know how you are feeling, it is horrible. Sending you and your bump lots of love and hugs. I am sure it is nothing serious but please don't stay home and worry go back to doctors and keep going back until you feel reassured.

Your Doc will know all about Lung Cancer and will be able to put your mind at rest.
Let me know how you get on.

Janexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[kittykat]

Hi there,

I was just reading your post and i just want to say hang in there. Health anxiety is horrible all sorts of things go through your mind. Being pregnant as well will probably heighten it , I know it did with mine although that was a few years back now.
Does your doctor know how anxious you are , i'm sure if you go back and explain your worries , and how scared your feeling he/she will be able to put your mind at rest. If they thought there was any chance of you having lung cancer they would have had you in for xrays , tests ets. Acid reflux is horrid it can really pull you down as lots of folks here suffer from it.
And please don't watch these programmes like ' House ' they just exaggerate things so much and for people like us that's not good, when I used to watch them i had every symptom and illness under the sun even ones i didn't know existed..........lol.
Anyway i'm sending you hugs :hugs: and remember there is always someone here to listen to your worries and concerns, and it will get better, it can take a while but we can beat this.

take care xx

[judipat]

hi
Just read your post and started freaking out myself!!
My anxiety is really bad at present and although I have suffered for years, i am going through a very bad period with family probs etc
Six weeks ago, i had a really bad cold which went to a chest infection - had anti biotics and that is a lot better although I still have a cough. Prior to that, Dr sent me for an endoscopy which showed a hiatus hernia and esophogitis (wrong spelling??) - I take ranitadine for this.
Anyway, I just feel so ill at the moment and the cough is freaking me out (lung cancer is my worst fear). I smoke and I want to give up, but tend to smoke more when my anxiety is bad!! i feel sick and bloated, weak, shakey - you name it, i feel it.
In my more positive moments - i know it is my anxiety, but (theres always a but!!!!) what if its not.
Oh God!!! I hatttttttttte this anxiety.

[Janieb]

Heya

My grandmother died of Lung cancer and trust me she has more than a cough. She had such a bad cough and following a couple of investigations they actually though she had TB. Lets bare in mind that she smoked A LOT for 50 odd years. She got progressively visibly worse over a period of time

I never watch House or ER or anything like that because it can set me off I only watch positive things because the series never tell it like it is, it would be so boring people would stop watching.

Hope your reflux goes soon, a lot of things can cause reflux even anx I get serious indigestion during bad times of anx suffering.

[tashbarnes87]

Hello everyone, one again thank you for your kind words. I did a bad thing today and googled private lung cancer screening turns out its not wise to have x rays done any way because of the radiation and i certainly shouldnt have one done right now as im pregnant ( with out reason) although i feel slightly better i click on the stats page and scared myself silly with the fact that 1 in 3650 get lung cancer at my age. Although i know this is low my anxiety is making me go insane worrying that i am that 1. Im at work at the moment and this is the only place i have access to internet and my fiance banned me from using it at home due to the excessive googling i do. I just really want to be normal and enjoy the fact that i am 5 months pregnant with a little boy. If i didnt have any symptoms of lung cancer i wouldnt be freaking out as much but me being me have convinced myself that my itchy throat, heavy chest and cough is lung cancer i just wish i could beleive it was acid reflux. I was thinking earlier today that 8 months ago i have the worlds worst cough for 3 ish months it was so chesty and i didnt care, it didnt even occur to me it could be lung cancer and i was finally persuaded to go to the doctor as it was keeping my partner up at night. I want to be that person again not someone who doesnt care about their health but someone who just thinks ' its probably a chest infection' as apposed to its definitly lung cancer, and im probably going to die next year. God its so horrible :(

its weird how i cannot talk to any one about these problems not even my best mates but i can get every thing down on here and it feels good to get it off my chest

xx

[Janieb]

Tash, don't look at the stats seriously it can be scary. Stats are just numbers they can't show you the information backing the result.

just relax and enjoy your pregnancy, my anx got bad during my pregnancy and afterwards because I was suddenly responable for something other than me that I couldn't bare to leave. Ignore google and maybe read some information about the baby..not bad things just interesting things.

try take your mind off things although it is hard.

[LeeBee]

Hi there, I know what it's like to get an idea in your head about a certain disease and not be able to get rid of it. Just be reassured that it is SO incredibly unlikely that you have lung cancer, or anything other than the acid reflux diagnosed by your doctor.

I totally agree with previous posters' comments about TV shows like House and ER - they have an hour or half-hour story arc in which to squeeze some exciting medical problems, and there are only so many times you can show the type of medical problems that usually present in a very short time, like stroke in elderly people with high risk factors, injury as the result of car accidents, stuff like that. So they emphasise the incredibly unusual and rare, the sort of thing that the majority of doctors won't see once in their entire career, like a young lung cancer patient who just presents with a cough.

I hope you enjoy your pregnancy. janieb's idea of maybe reading something positive and informative about the development of your wee boy sounds good, rather than scary stuff that worries you unncessarily :)