Ive really tried :(

[Carrie8484]

Hi Kay
I can completely relate to how you are feeling as I also have HA on a similar level to you. I also suffer with various 'symptoms' that seem to persist and often manifest and this gets me in a blind panic about certain cancers. If you google any symptom you will come up with cancer and find a horrifying story about someone who's symptoms seem to relate to yours.
The thing is, there are so many reasons why we get aches,pains, coughs, breathing issues, lumps and other things.
You are a similar age to me (32?) and I also used to smoke .youve done the best thing by Giving up now and you are bound to have a cough for a good while after quitting or after having a niggling respiratory infection.
some people are just prone to coughing more - my boyfriend gets a cold and is then coughing for the next 3-4 months even though he's never smoked!
It's easy to link your cough to shoulder pain but you could easily have pulled your shoulder muscles a bit after coughing or even doing something else.
I'm not sure if I've read somewhere but have you had a chest x ray recently?
I wouldn't bother going through the referral process for all that again if your GP isnt at all worried. You'll just get yourself all upset and anxious prior to the appointment again.
I've been having some persistent bloating and cramping in my lower stomach recently and told my boyfriend I was worried about ovarian or bowel C.... he said 'you've had 3 false alarms already in the past year, I KNOW you don't have cancer'. At the time it annoyed me but it actually is true... we HA sufferers are so tuned in to our symptoms we go above and beyond what any 'normal' person would do when we experience symptoms. How many 'false alarms' have you had in the past year? X

[Kay8010]

Hi Carrie

Thank you for your message - Yes, 36 - had chest xray last year this time.....but I want to ask the GP next week at my appointment if I can be referred for another one and if not I will self refer this feeling of having lung cancer is terrifying me...I am not even thinking of smoking as the fear is consuming me all day long, I cannot enjoy life anymore...

I am so petrified, sitting crying on Saturday to my husband, he cannot comprehend my fear....

---------- Post added at 16:36 ---------- Previous post was at 16:32 ----------

Hi Kay
How many 'false alarms' have you had in the past year? X

So many, lung cancer last year, throat, stomach, bowel, breast this year (by which I can still feel the lump even though the GP said she couldnt feel anything) and now lung cancer again (worse symptoms than last year) - could the cancer have been there all along since last year and the chest x-ray has not picked it up, you see all these questions....I am even to the point now that if I start yawning too early in the evening I think its anemia or fatigue (a sign of cancer) or if i am not hungry (another sign of cancer) - FREAKS ME OUT

---------- Post added at 17:03 ---------- Previous post was at 16:36 ----------

Always think to myself, this is the ONE, right now!

[Kuatir]

Well you've stopped smoking for a week. Your body craving that next cigarette isn't going to be helping your mindset. Don't have a smoke, I'm just saying this so you can put some things into perspective. You've also just started Citalopram. Antidepressants have the habit of making you feel worse before you feel better. So you are a big ball of stress now, but you need to keep going before things get better.

Your doctor isn't concerned. This is good. What you need to do is to focus working on the anxiety. It's hard, but working on that will make you feel better and your symptoms will improve. Don't expect a quick fix, but work on it.

[Kay8010]

Well you've stopped smoking for a week. Your body craving that next cigarette isn't going to be helping your mindset. Don't have a smoke,

Not even thinking of smoking, the mental fear of lung cancer has taken over!

[pulisa]

HA makes you focus so much on yourself and your symptoms. Is there someone else in your family who needs your attention? Someone else on here who could do with support (not re comparing symptoms)? Just someone else to think about?

[Kay8010]

Thanks - not even talking about family as sadly I have non in the UK (originally from South Africa) - so debilitating.....I need sectioning!

[pulisa]

Thanks - not even talking about family as sadly I have non in the UK (originally from South Africa) - so debilitating.....I need sectioning!

Now you are being over dramatic. You are feeding your HA by deliberately reading up about lung cancer and scaring yourself..It's a pointless exercise and guaranteed to set you off on worst case scenario mode.

Ask for the xray but then what happens when it comes back clear? What happened when the other tests for the various cancers came back clear?

[Kuatir]

I don't think you understand what sectioning is. I also don't think you want to help yourself. You can get help, but the only person who can see it through is yourself.

[Bigboyuk]

I don't think you understand what sectioning is. I also don't think you want to help yourself. You can get help, but the only person who can see it through is yourself.

I get that felling too, there's no way Kay can be sectioned it's not as easy as oh I want to be sectioned and it happens, Kay really for her own good needs to move forward on this but sadly don't think she can, she may want too and also feel she has the 'tools' in place to do so. a few months back I couldn't see a way out with my problems either but Iam now taking positive steps in the right direction to make improvements in my life Cheers

[Kay8010]

I don't think you understand what sectioning is. I also don't think you want to help yourself. You can get help, but the only person who can see it through is yourself.

Excuse me? Hang on a little minute......I really do want help and I am willing to help myself, please do not insult me......

---------- Post added at 11:29 ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 ----------

I get that felling too, there's no way Kay can be sectioned it's not as easy as oh I want to be sectioned and it happens Cheers

That is not what I was suggesting.....it was a matter of 'the phrase used'....