freaking out about cancer

[Rosie2]

Hi everyone
So I've been having CBT and it's going really well, with everyday general anxieties and health worries the things I've learned have helped me deal with them amazingly.. but atm I'm freaking out so much about Cervical Cancer.

It must be the only cancer which slipped under my radar because I read an article about it on DM where a 23 y/o died suddenly from it.. and I googled 'Cervical Cancer' and the first thing I clicked on was a forum where loads and loads of women were saying that the 25 year age for a smear test was far too high and that it was causing loads and loads of young girls to die because they weren't being screened.

I'm so terrified right now because I've had unprotected sex (one off when I was quite young) and even though I've been screened for all the STDs ect, I didn't realise that HPV was the virus which caused Cervical Cancer. I just know I must have caught it that time, and since I found out that I've been having on/off panic attacks for over 24hrs now. I'm so close to tears even writing this because I feel like I've just been given a fatal diagnosis

IT also says online the main symptom is random bleeding, and I've been to the GP before because I have had irregular periods/too regular periods and bleeding, sometimes 3 times a month.. surely that must be a sign? I had an internal ultrasound (I think it was an ultrasound) because of the bleeding but that came back clear and my GP just suggested I could go on the pill because I'm young and it's probably just hormonal. But 2 people I know who are aged 20 and 21 have both had abnormal cells detected "precancerous" ones, and I'm terrified that I've left it too late, plus I would get denied a smear for the next 6 years (and I don't expect to live that long)

What can I do? Would the internal scan have found cervical cancer if it was there? I'm terrified.. I can't even bear to leave my house or do anything because I feel like my life is coming to an end.. I think this is my worst H/A yet and I really don't think I can cope with feeling like this for any longer.

[lfc65]

Hi Rosie. The HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer has been routinely given to girls in secondary school for some time now so given your age, you are very likely to have had the vaccine but you probably don't remember! Your intermittent bleeding is likely to be hormonal. You should probably speak to your GP and if you really stress about your health anxiety, they may let you have a cervical smear test to put your mind at rest. And stay away from google!

[paul80]

Hi Rosie. I second Ifc65's advice - keep clear of Google! I made the mistake of consulting Dr Google and managed to convince myself that I had colon cancer. Our body often plays up, but try not to think the worst when it does. As Ifc65 says, the cause is more likely to be something else.

[unsure_about_this]

Hi Rosie

I don't know much about cervical cancer myself being a male. but agree with Ifc65 and paul80 advice and do not Google. I have managed to convince myself that I had so many cancers over the last two years.