New here, scared all the time :(

[ep10]

Hi everyone. I'm a 25 year old female who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately in general, but particularly with my health. I'm going through a LOT of changes in my life and I know that this is probably the cause of everything..

I have a fluid filled simple ovarian cyst. The doctor wants to check it in 3 months and says that 95% of them go away. I've read until my eyes burn and everything tells me that women my age rarely have cancer of the ovaries, and even more rarely is a cancer a fluid cyst.. it's usually a solid.. still stressing though.

I've also had a lymph node (about a pea size) that I can feel in the right side of my neck for several years. I've never brought it up to doctors but they feel my glands and never say anything. It is pea sized and firm but still moves and only hurts when I mess with it a lot, like I have been lately. It's never bothered me in terms of being afraid of it until these issues with my overy have come up. I've made an appointment with the doctor tomorrow and I'm terrified.. I know from reading I probably have nothing to worry about but I feel like there are two parts to me.. the logical part and the anxious part.. and right now the anxious part is winning out.

Any thoughts or reassurance are appreciated.

[Sarah Louise]

Evening,

I had a ovarian cyst when i was 14 it was the size of an orange and twisted all my ovary and that was filled with a lot of fluid, they tested it but it wasn't cancer because cyst that are full with fluid never are.

I also have a lump in my neck seperate to my glands and it just lymph nodes the doctor did a blood test and i was really worried but it come back fine he said they can flare up if you have a throat infection and just never went back down. My friends little boy has one his is big though in his neck he also fine.

Anxiety is a horrible thing try not to let it consume you thats what i did and im in a bit of pickle right now. Deep breathing is good if you feel like you are going into a panic and try googling self help tips for thought relaxation.

My advice is DON'T google its the route to all evil it gives the worst possible outcome or at least we look at the worst possible out come which feeds the anxiety and makes it 10 times worse.

Hope you feel better soon and everything goes well x

[ep10]

Sarah, thank you for replying to me. Like I said.. I know somewhere in my head that I'm likely ok, but then the panic sets in.. I get dissociative sometimes. I have a history of self injury to deal with this and I hope I don't begin again.

Your story set my mind at ease a bit. I'll go ahead and keep my appointment tomorrow but mainly to address my anxiety and see if he can give me something to take the edge off. Thanks again.

[StoneMonkey]

High EP10I Had skin cancer high on the chest. The treatment is removal and two years of check ups.My neck was felt everytime and everything was going well until this march.The doctor was very concerned when feeling my neck which made me concerned.I was sent for an ultrasound scan on the neck. All it was was an oversized artery which is of no concern. I am back on track and will be hopefully cleared in September.You could push for a scan to put your mind at rest.Best wishes Simon.

[ep10]

I'm glad you're doing ok, siram! Going to the doc today and I hope he just says "oh, it's nothing", etc... I keep telling myself that he MAY do blood work just in case and also because it's been a long time since I had blood work and not to panic if he orders blood work... sigh!

It's all soo much worse because my medical insurance is done June 30 and I'm leaving the country.. if I want to keep US health insurance it's over 400 a month and I can't get it in the country I'm going to for several months, unless it's for an emergency... I can't handle this stress and anxiety!

[ep10]

I also can't stop touching the damn thing! And I know it makes it worse!

[StoneMonkey]

Sorry EP,
I didn't realize you had financial implications. We do take it for granted in this country. I was just trying to get across that something that I was worrying about a lot turned out to be nothing of any concern.
Simon.

[pd]

Is it definately a lymph node in your neck? I only ask because my mum had something similar-sounding, and the doctor said it was a calcium deposit in one of the lower-down salivary glands, totally harmless and eventually disappeared of it's own accord. If doctors have felt it, and ignored it, they think it's harmless and normal. And you're right, 25 is awfully young for ovarian cancer.

"I know from reading I probably have nothing to worry about but I feel like there are two parts to me.. the logical part and the anxious part.. and right now the anxious part is winning out. "

This makes so much sense to me. We know it's anxiety. The rational, logical part of us knows it is anxiety, but the panic-driven fear response that comes with finding something slightly strange about our bodies is strong enough to override what we know.

[ep10]

Thanks for the replies :) It's ok siram, you didn't make me anxious, I was just anxious anyway. I understand that you were telling me that it was nothing to worry about :) You're right about the annoyances of our healthcare system.. I guess I'm just grateful that I can keep my insurance, even at a high cost. I'm sure you've heard about preexisting conditions.. but where I'm going has the universal healthcare, but it will be several months before I can use it.

pd, thanks for writing back. My sister is in nursing school and she also explained that there is 'a lot going on' in the neck.. nodes, glands, muscles, veins, etc. Her son has pretty much the same thing I have and she had them check it out many times and is told it is nothing.. so I SHOULD not even think about it right?

If only I could think that way.. but I am feeling a bit better than I was earlier.. hopefully the doctor will reassure me.

[ep10]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd let you know that I went to doc and all is ok. I feel so much better! He wasn't my usual doc but we talked about my cyst and he said that my chances of having something serious with that are less than his chances of winning the lottery. He felt my neck and said he actually felt a few nodes, not just the one, but they're all completely normal and only to have someone look at it if it's big.. as in, sticking out of my neck big.

He wrote me a script for some anti anxiety meds, so hopefully that will help me not to develop any new fears.

Thanks for caring :)