Well folks, the black dog is back

[worryguy9]

Hi everyone

Some of you may remember I was on here regarding testicular pain I had been having, leading to my crippling fear of testicular cancer. Well, thankfully that pain is all but gone now but I have found a number of new pains to kick my anxiety back into overdrive again.

Over the past month I have developed a stiff back with constant mild discomfort, mild constant pain in my chest on the left hand side and to top it off on off bouts of dizziness.

Part of me thinks, yes this is the anxiety but truthfully I havent been feeling anxious at all recently until these symptoms came up. I have seen a doc who has gave me antibiotics (Cipro anyone?) which I think I dont need and feel they are just worsening things.

Perhaps my pains are muscle related and I am all tense but I really dont feel like this is the case and my mind has been going into good old irrational mode where I feel I have some horrible spreading cancer making its way around all my vital organs.

Really fed up now, thought I had this thing conquered. Anyone with any advice or thoughts on what it might be is much appreciated :winks:

[LeeBee]

Know where you're coming from, worryguy. You get rid of one fear and another pops up somewhere else, like airbubbles when you're trying to hang wallpaper.

So the doctor thinks you have a bacterial infection, hence the antibiotics? Did he/she say where they thought the bacterial infection was? I must say that it doesn't sound much like a bacterial infection to me, but then I'm not a doctor and I haven't actually examined you... :) It sounds like it could be lots of things, and it could be that different symptoms are actually being caused by different things rather than everything having the same source. What it doesn't sound like is any kind of cancer.

I had a long, annoying viral infection recently (of which stiff, sore back and neck, and dizziness were symptoms), and I was very anxious at the same time. I think the viral and anxiety symptoms all got jumbled up together.

I know it's hard but... try to relax and maybe see how you feel in a few days. I'd keep on with the antibiotics if that's what the doctor prescribed. (unless you think you're getting bad side effects, in which go back to the docs now). If you don't feel any better in a few days then go back to the doctor. Is it just the back and chest pain, and the dizziness?

[vti2007]

Hi Worryguy,

I am in a similar place to you. Have the Testicular Pain, which has reduced to a mild annoyance now from full blown agony. Also had/still have the anxiety.

Firstly I am no Doctor but please be very careful with the Ciprofloxacin. This stuff made me really ill. It killed EVERYTHING in my digestive tract. I couldn't get out of the bathroom for a fortnight and it has left me with some nasty after effects. Some of the side effects from it took a while to go as well. The conclusion seems to be that it probably caused my gastritis as well. A consultant I spoke to called it Oral Domestos. I don't think it is all the quinolones cos I have taken Norfloxacin with no probs but Cipro seems to be the nasty one. As I say, I am no doctor and it is just advice but I would never take Cipro again.

As for the anxiety, I was fine for the last two weeks then went out yesterday and BANG it hit me again and have felt awful since. It can and does come out of nowhere so I don't think you have to be feeling anxious for it to hit you. A doctor told me even a certain smell can set it off!!

Do you have any Valium, a sure fire test for me is to take a valium, which is a muscle relaxant. If it stops the aches and pains then I know what is going on.

Having you been doing any more than usual recently - I get a sore back as soon as I start running around doing more and it can last for weeks - could it be indigestion? That it a very common cause of chest/back pain - again the Cipro can cause this.

:)

[worryguy9]

Sorry I should have explained it a bit better.

The doctor put me on Cipro because of my testicular pain to ensure it is all cleared up and doesnt come back, thats why im tempted to stop taking it, particularly in the light of what you've just said!

My back pain has been bothering me for a few months now on and off, seems to be worse in the morning and gets better with exercise. The chest pain ive been having has been around for about a week - no other symptoms apart from that. The pain is very mild and just very annoying and putting me up the wall with worry, thinking I might need to get some anxiety meds.

Also sometimes feel like im breathless but I think this is just my head cause it only seems to happen at certain times.

This thing is an absolute curse!

[LeeBee]

Ah, I see :).

If your back gets better with exercise then I would have said it's almost certainly muscular tension? Stretching is really good for tight, sore muscles. Don't know if you're a yoga fan but it really sorts out my back and neck tension, and has the bonus of including breathing exercises which are very relaxing and can loosen your chest muscles if you're holding them tight too.

[Dazza]

Hi mate,

Sorry to hear about what you are going through. You must feel quited drained with it all.

I've had testicular pain on an off for years. It tends to be in the left one normally - what happens is it swells and feels very uncomfortable / painful. I've been to A&E with it once (on the advice of my doctor) but they said that it was probably due to an infection. it was my epididymus was inflammed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epididymis). Very unpleasant (they gave me antibiotics, but this make my ball swell up and look like one of those nobbly left over potatoes that nobody wants that you find at the bottom of the potatos display in Tesco.) I get this a few times a years, and the severity varies. but they tell me it's benign. i don't normally bother going to a&E with it now, nor to my doctor. A hot bath normally really helps loosen it up.

I've had some new tescticular pain recently - like shooting pains from my groin area into the left testicle. but i'm not really worried as i'm getting sharp shooting pains in other parts of my body too, so i tell myself it's all due to the anxiety.

I've felt for lumps, but cannot find anything.