Have I got rectal cancer?

[BlueIris]

The other thing to bear in mind is that you might have an upset stomach for a little while. It should pass within a few weeks, though.

[nomorepanic]

I have a feeling this will open a whole new can of worms for you though Toby

[Toby2000]

Thanks everyone, yep Carys I’m on Sertraline

I do want to get better and I’m sort of glad about this but I don’t like the fact that I’m just sat here when I want to find out what’s wrong with my bowels.

I havent had any stomach problems yet, hopefully I won’t

And how do you mean NMP?

[nomorepanic]

I mean the side effects of the anti-depressants.

[Toby2000]

I mean the side effects of the anti-depressants.

I know what to expect from them I think. So far it’s just been a low mood

[nomorepanic]

I really don't think the low mood is going to be from the meds after just one dose to be honest.

[Toby2000]

Oh, maybe it wasn’t a a side effect then. It just seemed very sudden

I’m so panicked now about weight loss.. I still have belly fat in the middle of my stomach but on the sides I have what looks like loose flabby skin from where I’ve possibly lost weight

I was never FAT fat but I had a little bit of a stomach. When I lean toward I can grab the belly fat in the middle but around that it feels loose and hollow

And no matter how much I seem to eat to put it back on, it stays the same

And I don’t think it’s anxiety because I don’t worry enough to cause weight loss, I just live with darker thoughts that trouble me but don’t feel enough to cause weight loss

I read it can be caused by white blood cells attacking cancer cells which can use up a lot of energy... could that explain why I had eosinophilia?

[BlueIris]

Have you been weighing yourself, Toby? Unless you have quantifiable evidence, it's probably safe to chalk this one up to anxiety brain.

[Toby2000]

Sometimes I feel fat, sometimes I don’t

Like I say, I was never fat, I’m tall and average but I have a bit of a belly

I still do have a bit of a belly but it feels like I’ve lost some of it and I have a lot of like “rolls” around my belly that makes me think that’s where I’ve lost weight

I haven’t weighed myself but I don’t feel like I need to, I feel like I can just tell it’s gone

I can also slightly see my ribs outlined. Just slightly, not dramatically

Would weight loss with BC be dramatic? Would I have any belly fat at all? :/

[BlueIris]

You're 18, your body is still changing as you grow.

Unfortunately, part of suffering from anxiety is accepting that gut instincts and feelings you have may be at right-angles to reality. You genuinely can't "just tell", because your brain has become habituated to reading the worst into every situation.

A couple of years back I worried myself to the point of physical sickness over a dark irregular mark on my husband's heel that was there for a month or two. He said it was a blister but I absolutely knew it was melanoma. Eventually, the mark cracked and fell off, leaving the healed skin beneath. Bear in mind, I'd known with a stone-cold certainty that it was malignant melanoma and that his usual middle-aged male back pain came from bone mets.

The thing about being a person with HA is that pretty much everything your instincts tell you is wrong.