begging for help.

[megs18]

I am a 20 year old woman who has been struggling with health anxiety for about 6 months now. I don't smoke, try to do yoga or jog every day (probably more like every 3 days though), and am not overweight.

I took a long flight on Sept 1 and was on an all day bus tour yesterday. About two hours before the tour was over, I started feeling a burning pain on the side of my thigh. It was worse when I walked. I am on birth control pills, was pretty immobile all day, and have a family history of blood clots so I went to A&E as soon as the tour was over.

The pain I was feeling (and still feel) is like nothing I've ever felt before. It isn't terribly bad, just very odd. It sometimes feels achey, other times burning or hot. It's radiated down to my calf sometimes, but mostly is in my thigh. This is all only in my right leg. I don't see swelling or discoloration.

The nurses at the hospital checked my vitals (blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, temp.). Everything was fine except I had a slightly high temp. They felt all the way up and down my leg and I guess didn't see anything of concern. Because of my risk factors (traveling a lot, BC pills, family history) they did a d dimer blood test. The test came back negative for a blood clot. Since they consider me low risk (although I still don't really understand how I'm low risk), that test was enough to rule out a blood clot so they didn't do an ultrasound.

The nurse said it's probably muscular from being on a cramped bus all day, but it doesn't feel muscular at all to me. It's so weird feeling. Like a sharp burning pain that moves around and sometimes feels achey.

I know the chances of me having deep vein thrombosis is small, especially after getting that normal test result, but I am very concerned because apparently people have experienced false negatives with this test before (although I was reading studies on the d dimer and apparently false negatives for low risk patients are very, very rare, like in 2% of cases). My boyfriend thinks it might be a pinched nerve, but I don't know.

Someone please help me!

[HopelessWorrier2011]

Hi Megs,
I really feel for you at the minute as my anxiety has been sky high at the minute.

If you re-read your post you will notice you have rationalised the likelihood of it being anything serious but good old health anxiety will not let you fully comprehend this. You have had all the tests and I'm sure by now if it were a clot you would be in excruciating pain as some time has gone by since your trip.

If you are still anxious, go back for a second opinion and discuss how anxious it has made you I am sure they will put ur mind at ease.

I hope you find some comfort.

xx

[megs18]

HopelessWarrior, thanks for your advice. Since I see you are from the UK, do you happen to know if I went to A&E for a second time if it would be free?

[HopelessWorrier2011]

Are you in the UK now? If you are I'm 99% sure there will be no charge. Have you got travel insurance?
xx

[megs18]

HoplessWarrior2011, yes I do. I think it's only for emergencies though. There is no A&E in the small town I'm in, only a minor injuries hospital so I don't know if I could go there. I don't know if I should travel to go back to A&E since I don't know if it's considered an emergency or if they would even give me more tests. And I think seeing a doctor here is very expensive for me. I don't know what to do because I know nothing about the healthcare system.

[Traceypo]

Ring 111 and ask for advice hun xxx It's our NHS helpline xxx

[mark84]

megs18, if you're here in the UK I'm very sure you're entitled to free healthcare

Whati would say is there is a psychosymatic (cant spell it sorry) illness that is a side effect of anxiety, I've had it numerous times, it causes my upper arms and upper legs to feel almost like they've been burnt with boling water, however the skin looks fine.
If that is what it is then the more you worry about it, the worse it'll be. In the end after having one "patch" of it for two weeks I pressed and rubbed on it for an hour until I convined myself the pain wasn't real, and lo and behold it faded away over the next 24h.
Hope that is of some help, I cant remember the name of the symptom, but it's quite common so some one will know.

[HopelessWorrier2011]

Hope you got sorted and your mind was put at rest xx

[megs18]

I went to A&E again two days ago because I felt like I was having a PE. The doctor came out and spoke to me, felt my leg, and said the fact the d dimer test was negative was "reassuring". He said he thinks the leg pain is muscular and sent me home without doing any tests. I have continued to experience strange leg pain and have felt lightheaded and "off" constantly yesterday and today.

I also constantly feel like I can't breathe or like I can't take a deep breath, which might be the cause of my lightheadedness. Of course this is a symptom of a PE so I'm trying not to panic. I just want tests done to make sure I don't have PE, but since I'm an exchange student I'm not allowed to register with a GP and can only go to GP consultations which cost 90p, which is way too expensive. I don't know what to do and I'm trying not to freak out :(

[megs18]

Anyone? I feel very lightheaded, like I'm breathing through a straw, like I'm going to pass out. help