Constant panic around cancer

[doireallyneedaname]

Hi All. I’ve been reading this forum for some time now but have just decided to make my own post.

I’ve suffered with health anxiety for around 3 years now, ever since my grandmothers sudden death. She was hospitalised and I actually found her dead in her hospital bed before the nurses had even noticed. This happened in another country and I noticed on the flight home a week later that my anxiety was different, because I felt really breathless and panicky.

For the next couple of weeks I had classic anxiety symptoms, which was a build up that led to my first panic attack. Before the panic attack I had gone to A&E convinced I had heart or chest problems because I felt I was struggling to take a deep breath, yawning to do so etc. They checked everything and said it was stress.

Anyway I’ve suffered with health anxiety ever since, so far mainly around melanoma, lymphoma, but since having my baby in February - cervical and ovarian cancers. I’ve had a mole removed and breast ultrasounds, all normal.

My problem is that for the last few weeks I’ve had an increase in discharge, it’s not an excessive amount at all but I usually don’t have any noticeable discharge so for me it’s a change. It started out like water but then before my period it changed to sticky. I looked it up and whilst this can be normal, it’s not something I’ve had before. It stopped for a day or so and then started again. I’ve read you should dry up right before your period and I didn’t.

As well as this, I’m on day 5 of bleeding which is not normal for me. I usually have a 4 day period. My cycle is regular. 30-35 days. So I’m panicking about the fact that I’m still bleeding. My period has been lighter than normal this month.

My dad actually had a cancer scare in the last few weeks so I’ve been under a lot of stress but I just don’t think that is what’s caused this.

I also went for my smear test recently and the result came back as “inadequate” supposedly meaning they didn’t get enough cells, but this has also sent me in to a panic and now I’m adding all these symptoms together and have reached the conclusion that I just have cancer.

[glassgirlw]

Hi there. Just wanted to say that for a good year, at least, after having my daughter - my period was all over the place - different from how I’d always been. Childbirth can wreak havoc on our monthly cycle and it can last for awhile.

that being said, you’ve been under a severe amount of stress with life events, new motherhood, and the craziness of 2021. It is absolutely likely that is messing with your cycle as well. I skipped my period altogether in November, and it came back in December. And my cycle was a day longer than normal in December too. Just waiting now to see what January brings.

you’ve had tests and they’ve came back normal - other than your smear, which “inadequate” only means they didn’t get a good swab to show them everything they needed to see. That’s happened to me as well, and so far no cancer here. Try to not stress and worry. I know it’s hard (even harder in these crazy times) but if you can direct your focus elsewhere it will help.