Health anxiety #4

[Jadejones9596]

Currently feeling really worried… I’ve got a new kind of headache (it’s awful) which is squeezing and stabbing, Everytime it squeezes I get pains running down my legs. I wondered if this is a migraine thing or something. I get headaches at least twice a week and it’s exhausting

 

[stanleycupgal]

Currently feeling really worried… I’ve got a new kind of headache (it’s awful) which is squeezing and stabbing, Everytime it squeezes I get pains running down my legs. I wondered if this is a migraine thing or something. I get headaches at least twice a week and it’s exhausting

OK so first of all, please don’t panic. As a sufferer of terrible headaches for the past year, I’ll tell you that every dr and specialist I have seen have all said the headaches are not actually the key symptom of a tumour (if that’s what you are worried about)
To me it sounds like you’ve got neck or back pain. There are nerves that run through the body so it’s likely if you have tension that it’s radiating through to your legs etc.
could you go and get a massage? Or see a chiropractor. Both have been excellent for managing my headaches.

 

[stanleycupgal]

Currently feeling really worried… I’ve got a new kind of headache (it’s awful) which is squeezing and stabbing, Everytime it squeezes I get pains running down my legs. I wondered if this is a migraine thing or something. I get headaches at least twice a week and it’s exhausting

Did you get any answers?

 

[ChampagneBox]

Have just started learning how to drive and had a lesson on Wednesday, yesterday my forearms were soo crampy, and my right side shoulder pain that goes underneath my boob is back I’m also triggered by it being breast cancer awareness month driving makes me anxious, does anyone else ever have upper back/shoulder or arm pain after driving?

 

[Tommyb]

Have just started learning how to drive and had a lesson on Wednesday, yesterday my forearms were soo crampy, and my right side shoulder pain that goes underneath my boob is back I’m also triggered by it being breast cancer awareness month driving makes me anxious, does anyone else ever have upper back/shoulder or arm pain after driving?

With what you said I'd bet anything you are holding yourself stiff (as we tend to do with anxiety) all your muscles and tense. This will trigger pain. You need to relax your muscles. Holding yourself like this can also trigger nerves which can cause pain. Hot baths, water bottles etc

 

[Mamacita]

Have just started learning how to drive and had a lesson on Wednesday, yesterday my forearms were soo crampy, and my right side shoulder pain that goes underneath my boob is back I’m also triggered by it being breast cancer awareness month driving makes me anxious, does anyone else ever have upper back/shoulder or arm pain after driving?

That's definitely from using muscles in a new way and being tense when driving which is very normal when you're learning. Driving isn't always easy on back and shoulders though once you're more relaxed so it doesn't have as much of an effect

 

[Honeystar]

How do you all determine when checking your breasts what’s normal lumpy tissue and what’s a lump? I can never remember from one check to the next what they feel like, I know they say to get used to what’s normal for you but I feel like every time I check I find something new that could be a lump or could just be lumpy tissue. I wish you could go and get them checked each month by a Dr, if only! I find it so hard to know what I’m feeling

 

[Mamacita]

How do you all determine when checking your breasts what’s normal lumpy tissue and what’s a lump? I can never remember from one check to the next what they feel like, I know they say to get used to what’s normal for you but I feel like every time I check I find something new that could be a lump or could just be lumpy tissue. I wish you could go and get them checked each month by a Dr, if only! I find it so hard to know what I’m feeling

I'm the same and honestly I don't it's impossible for me to tell me, I'm planning to go soon and see if I can get some early age scanning due to family history or just another ultrasound. My boobs seem quite lumpy in general and change a lot during the month so it's very hard to tell.

Ugh I have weird stabbing pain in my right side, similar to ovulation stabbing pain that I sometimes get but according to my app it's still around a week until ovulation. Really don't need the stress right now. Hoping it's just gas or something but feel fine otherwise and it's been going for like a day and a half now

 

[ChampagneBox]

I'm the same and honestly I don't it's impossible for me to tell me, I'm planning to go soon and see if I can get some early age scanning due to family history or just another ultrasound. My boobs seem quite lumpy in general and change a lot during the month so it's very hard to tell.

Ugh I have weird stabbing pain in my right side, similar to ovulation stabbing pain that I sometimes get but according to my app it's still around a week until ovulation. Really don't need the stress right now. Hoping it's just gas or something but feel fine otherwise and it's been going for like a day and a half now

I get this quite regularly! normally gas, or could it be constipation?
have you lifted anything heavy/done any heavy exercise out of the norm lately?
---

How do you all determine when checking your breasts what’s normal lumpy tissue and what’s a lump? I can never remember from one check to the next what they feel like, I know they say to get used to what’s normal for you but I feel like every time I check I find something new that could be a lump or could just be lumpy tissue. I wish you could go and get them checked each month by a Dr, if only! I find it so hard to know what I’m feeling

Same girl!

 

[Mamacita]

I get this quite regularly! normally gas, or could it be constipation?
have you lifted anything heavy/done any heavy exercise out of the norm lately?
---

Same girl!

I always lift heavy at the gym but it doesn't feel like anything from that. I don't feel gassy either haha hopefully just a random thing

 

[missymunch]

Hi all , new to the thread . I feel so ashamed today and this feels like a place to lay this down .
I’m a psychotherapist specialising in anxiety . These last few days my health anxiety as been triggered as my mum is unwell. I spent hours googling , I imagined her funeral and how we will look after my dad . I know I’m a wounded healer . I know the theory around managing my mixed anxiety disorder . I have never fooled myself into thinking I’m “cured” however I feel a fraud . How can I consider myself a professional , I look at my degrees and feel like an imposter . My clients know my history somewhat as I make it clear on my website I have lived some of their experiences too . I just feel ridiculous that once again I have allowed myself to spiral and engaged in all the behaviours I know are unhelpful . I have 6 clients today and need to box my stuff away but again the shame feels overwhelming.

 

[stanleycupgal]

Hi all , new to the thread . I feel so ashamed today and this feels like a place to lay this down .
I’m a psychotherapist specialising in anxiety . These last few days my health anxiety as been triggered as my mum is unwell. I spent hours googling , I imagined her funeral and how we will look after my dad . I know I’m a wounded healer . I know the theory around managing my mixed anxiety disorder . I have never fooled myself into thinking I’m “cured” however I feel a fraud . How can I consider myself a professional , I look at my degrees and feel like an imposter . My clients know my history somewhat as I make it clear on my website I have lived some of their experiences too . I just feel ridiculous that once again I have allowed myself to spiral and engaged in all the behaviours I know are unhelpful . I have 6 clients today and need to box my stuff away but again the shame feels overwhelming.

Health Anxiety doesn’t discriminate. Yours are probably also tied to grief for your mum in her current health battle.

It’s reassuring even ‘professionals’ have set backs. Don’t be hard on yourself, allow the feelings to be valid.

 

[Sharkfan]

Spoiler: Long post about menstrual issues

Hi all this is a long one but I feel like I need to get it off my chest. I’ve had issues with my period and menstrual cycle since I first started when I was 10 and have often had my problems brushed off as being normal and just being due my body changing as I went through puberty. I actually didn’t have my second period until a whole year after my first and that was my first experience of menstrual cramping. I ended up crying to the school nurse who just gave me a hot water bottle and sent me back to class. Throughout my teens I would have a period every few months and each time would experience debilitating pain, along with nausea and other symptoms.

I went to my gp when I was 16 who told me it was normal and just offered me pain that didn’t make much of a difference. Due to other factors and my embarrassment after being told what I was complaining about was normal, I didn’t really bother getting any other treatment/answers as I gaslighted myself into thinking it didn’t affect me much as my periods were irregular. However earlier this year I decided to go back to the doctor as I was about to finish uni and looking for a job and did not want it to affect my work. I had a phone conversation with my gp to explain the issue and got booked for blood tests. She called me a few days later to let me know everything apart from my prolactin levels were normal and that she was referring me to the endocrinologist.

That was it. My gp did not offer any other advice or information and now I’m left waiting for what could be a year to speak to someone else about my issues. I’ve obviously Googled it and the most likely cause of high prolactin is a benign tumour which is quite scary to think about as it can cause infertility and osteoporosis. I’m worried now I’ve let this go on for 12 years now and might have life long issues all because I let myself believe period pain was normal.

 

[jackolantern]

Spoiler: Long post about menstrual issues

Hi all this is a long one but I feel like I need to get it off my chest. I’ve had issues with my period and menstrual cycle since I first started when I was 10 and have often had my problems brushed off as being normal and just being due my body changing as I went through puberty. I actually didn’t have my second period until a whole year after my first and that was my first experience of menstrual cramping. I ended up crying to the school nurse who just gave me a hot water bottle and sent me back to class. Throughout my teens I would have a period every few months and each time would experience debilitating pain, along with nausea and other symptoms.

I went to my gp when I was 16 who told me it was normal and just offered me pain that didn’t make much of a difference. Due to other factors and my embarrassment after being told what I was complaining about was normal, I didn’t really bother getting any other treatment/answers as I gaslighted myself into thinking it didn’t affect me much as my periods were irregular. However earlier this year I decided to go back to the doctor as I was about to finish uni and looking for a job and did not want it to affect my work. I had a phone conversation with my gp to explain the issue and got booked for blood tests. She called me a few days later to let me know everything apart from my prolactin levels were normal and that she was referring me to the endocrinologist.

That was it. My gp did not offer any other advice or information and now I’m left waiting for what could be a year to speak to someone else about my issues. I’ve obviously Googled it and the most likely cause of high prolactin is a benign tumour which is quite scary to think about as it can cause infertility and osteoporosis. I’m worried now I’ve let this go on for 12 years now and might have life long issues all because I let myself believe period pain was normal.

I have hyperprolactinemia which is the condition you are referring to, it's actually relatively common in young women. The endo will most likely send you for a CT or MRI scan to look for a benign tumor on your pituitary gland which would be causing the high prolactin levels, mine didn't show anything (which often happens too!) but regardless, the treatment is generally the same, a medication that lowers your levels. In a very small amount of cases, surgery is needed to remove the tumor if it is particularly big and causing problems with your optic nerve (I think that's the one) but this is not often. I also have PCOS and despite both those conditions, got pregnant in 2 weeks and have a healthy toddler I did have significant pregnancy complications but this had nothing to do with the prolactin. Most people don't ever find out about the condition because it's not often you have your prolactin levels checked, and many of us have no symptoms other than the irregular periods, so don't worry about the 12 years. All the endo is likely to say is there is a very slight increase in the risk of gynae cancers because we don't shed the lining as regularly and the cells can build up BUT this is tiny and is the same for irregular periods of any causes. If there's anything else I can help with just ask

 

[ChampagneBox]

Been poking round in my armpit and now I can feel a lump but it’s all a bit lumpy across the back of the front muscle just where your boob meets your armpit, but the other armpit doesn’t have the lumpy texture on the inside of that front muscle it’s defo not a blocked pore, I get those frequently and it’s deeper than that

Kind of feels like the round lumpy texture you get on top of your muscles on your stomach

 

[stanleycupgal]

Been poking round in my armpit and now I can feel a lump but it’s all a bit lumpy across the back of the front muscle just where your boob meets your armpit, but the other armpit doesn’t have the lumpy texture on the inside of that front muscle it’s defo not a blocked pore, I get those frequently and it’s deeper than that

Kind of feels like the round lumpy texture you get on top of your muscles on your stomach

I think it’s worth getting that checked. Probably nothing but better to be safe

 

[Codiaeum]

Spoiler: Long post about menstrual issues

Hi all this is a long one but I feel like I need to get it off my chest. I’ve had issues with my period and menstrual cycle since I first started when I was 10 and have often had my problems brushed off as being normal and just being due my body changing as I went through puberty. I actually didn’t have my second period until a whole year after my first and that was my first experience of menstrual cramping. I ended up crying to the school nurse who just gave me a hot water bottle and sent me back to class. Throughout my teens I would have a period every few months and each time would experience debilitating pain, along with nausea and other symptoms.

I went to my gp when I was 16 who told me it was normal and just offered me pain that didn’t make much of a difference. Due to other factors and my embarrassment after being told what I was complaining about was normal, I didn’t really bother getting any other treatment/answers as I gaslighted myself into thinking it didn’t affect me much as my periods were irregular. However earlier this year I decided to go back to the doctor as I was about to finish uni and looking for a job and did not want it to affect my work. I had a phone conversation with my gp to explain the issue and got booked for blood tests. She called me a few days later to let me know everything apart from my prolactin levels were normal and that she was referring me to the endocrinologist.

That was it. My gp did not offer any other advice or information and now I’m left waiting for what could be a year to speak to someone else about my issues. I’ve obviously Googled it and the most likely cause of high prolactin is a benign tumour which is quite scary to think about as it can cause infertility and osteoporosis. I’m worried now I’ve let this go on for 12 years now and might have life long issues all because I let myself believe period pain was normal.

Hey,

I have had "milk" despite never being pregnant and went to the doctor for it - like you, it was diagnosed as high prolactin. This is way more common than it seems and most often, has no medically relevant culprit. Yes, there is a thing where a benign tumor has formed in the pituitary gland, the treatment is usual hormones and then it's all gone. I know it sounds scary, but please try to not worry - this is common but not commonly talked about.
Like you, I also menstruated early at 10 and then had irregular but heavy periods until I got a Mirena. I've since learned that I generally have a hormonal imbalance likely caused by PCOS (doc not sure if actually PCOS due to said Mirena) and the high prolactin levels are a symptom of that. Your doctor can advise on how to better treat you and also hopefully provide you better pain options - you might also want to raise the pain specifically with her to check whether you might have endometriosis, which can happen on top of PCOS.
---

Hi all , new to the thread . I feel so ashamed today and this feels like a place to lay this down .
I’m a psychotherapist specialising in anxiety . These last few days my health anxiety as been triggered as my mum is unwell. I spent hours googling , I imagined her funeral and how we will look after my dad . I know I’m a wounded healer . I know the theory around managing my mixed anxiety disorder . I have never fooled myself into thinking I’m “cured” however I feel a fraud . How can I consider myself a professional , I look at my degrees and feel like an imposter . My clients know my history somewhat as I make it clear on my website I have lived some of their experiences too . I just feel ridiculous that once again I have allowed myself to spiral and engaged in all the behaviours I know are unhelpful . I have 6 clients today and need to box my stuff away but again the shame feels overwhelming.

Being faced with a very real situation in which you worry about a loved one and how this might impact you is normal ❤ Being a therapist doesn't make you exempt from feeling the way you feel and I would argue, makes you a better therapist, as you can understand your clients on a level that some people might not be able to. You're not a fraud, you are a compassionate human dealing with what life has thrown at you right now. You have a professional lense of looking at things, but that shouldn't mean that you cannot allow yourself to feel anxiety. Please take care of yourself and I hope your mum feels better soon.

 

[stanleycupgal]

Currently feeling really worried… I’ve got a new kind of headache (it’s awful) which is squeezing and stabbing, Everytime it squeezes I get pains running down my legs. I wondered if this is a migraine thing or something. I get headaches at least twice a week and it’s exhausting

What happened with your headaches?
Currently also having headache issues

 

[ChampagneBox]

Okay so I know I’m being an idiot, but I am overwhelmed and triggered by a big life event this weekend happening - jaundice in the eyes can’t come on and disappear within minutes can it?

 

[Tommyb]

Okay so I know I’m being an idiot, but I am overwhelmed and triggered by a big life event this weekend happening - jaundice in the eyes can’t come on and disappear within minutes can it?

Absolutely not. Your eyes are literally deceiving you. If you had jaundice it would be there all the time.