Hiya, 

I suffer from dreadful health anxiety myself and a few months ago I could honestly see myself writing this. First thing first - step away from google and please try not to overthink anything. When you are in a bad place mentally I find myself constantly looking for symptoms and then reading them. A good example I've been given is if you were looking for one specific car on the road you would see lots of them. So if you are looking for symptoms (Even if you don't realise you are) then you'll find them. 

The fact that your antibiotics have stopped the bleeding is a positive thing. Is it worth you making an appointment with your GP and talk about your concerns about health anxiety. Talk through your symptoms, write them down if you think that might help. Your doctor (if they are worth anything) will help you to talk through your symptoms and if necessary help you address your health anxiety. 

I am sorry you are going through this, it's dreadful when you are in these spirals. 

x

Thank you so much for your reply! It's truly debilitating being this way and it's frustrating when others don't understand how you feel. I don't pluck symptoms out of thin air, they're what drive me to be stressed and anxious. I'm glad someone understands this! I need to stay away from Google as it really is making my life a misery and I'm finding myself sat in work, home and even in bed googling things and reading stories.

I'm going to try to get in with my GP tomorrow and try discuss my symptoms with him. I must admit though, I am petrified. 

Thanks for your response, it's given me a glimmer of reassurance x

I've completely been there myself and I've been miserable with it. I still have to actively stop myself from looking for symptoms from time to time and often find I'm worse if I've been a bit run down, tired or stressed. Then I'll talk myself round saying that because I'm not worrying I'm going to miss some symptom :confused: You can drive yourself potty with it. 

I got referred to CBT which has been helpful for me. I also find it helpful when I'm really bad to talk through my symptoms with someone (in my case its my husband) and he can often talk me down. Or I put the symptom down in a diary and then I put a reminder in my phone for a week or so down the line to see if it's still there and often I find isn't there anymore and it's just because I'm constantly thinking about it at that point.  

But do talk through the symptoms you have with your GP when you see them - I really found listing them helpful. If you don't, you'll only come away and start overthinking the fact that you didn't mention them and that it could actually be something then the cycle starts again. My doctor is great now. She listens carefully to my concern, examines me and then if it's nothing makes it very clear that its nothing, or nothing serious (and she's referred my for a breast biopsy in the past because there WAS something ONCE!). So I know I can trust her judgement. 

Hope that things go well for you.  

Perhaps it is a good idea to write down my symptoms. I have frequently 'self-diagnosed' myself with things and then completely forgotten about them after symptoms disappear, but at the time it's SO real. I think this is why people get frustrated with me. This times feels different though, I feel as though there really is no other answer which is why I'm so scared about going to the doctors, I'm somehow just praying my symptoms disappear. 

Thanks again, I'll hopefully keep you updated with how I get on, bad or good x

Hi again,

For you and anybody reading, I have an update following my appointment today with the loveliest nurse you could possibly imagine! 

After talking and explaining my symptoms, she checked inside my ears and throat. She said my ear drums looks really dull which doesn’t mean infection because if it was infection they would be red. She said it’s due to inflammation in my sinuses. She said nodes in my neck don’t seem to be a worry because they’ve been there a while and from blood tests I’ve had done last week they’re all normal so it could simply be my sinuses.

My collar bone she said could be related to that too. She’s booked me a double appointment in 2 weeks time to monitor it and see if there are any changes because that’s the biggest sign of something sinister. She said it looks more like a swelling than a lymph node but want to keep an eye on it as it’s quite inoriceabkw to the eye.

I have to do a stool sample to see if anything is going on in my stomach but she said my diareah is most likely the antibiotics I’m taking for a bacteria infection. 

She knew how anxious I was and said a lot of physical symptoms come with that and just tried to reassure me that so far the bloods I’ve had done are not pointing to anything bad like lymphoma. She’s sending me for another blood test because she think I may have tooo much iron in my blood which can cause loads of symptoms. She prescribed me more esomeprazole tablets and a sinus spray which I’ve lrebipault used however didn’t keep up with the usage. She said these things can take weeks to get into our system so I should rite them off if I feel they’re not working after a few days which is what I’m guilty of. I’m hoping the stool test will shed some more light on this as I do suffer with acid reflux and abdominal pain.

Ive taken a lot of reassurance from this and she told me to remember that so far nothing is alarming or of concern and I need to relax. If I don’t feel reassured or if any changes aren’t present in the next to weeks they will immediately refer me to ENT Which is reassuring again as I don’t want to feel fobbed off.

Will hopefully keep this post updated :-)

Becky xxx

Hi Becky,

I hope you’re well. Just wanted to see how things went on and your results from follow up blood tests? I’ve been quite anxious myself this past month with experiencing similar symptoms as yourself.. I think my GP has had enough of me too and thinks it’s down to anxiety. 

I haven’t been myself recently and these posts sometimes help with reassurance.

Yasmin xx 

Hi just wanted to ask, how are you doing? Is everything fine now and did u find out what the Issue was?

Hi,

I have the exact same symptoms you've mentioned. Swollen clavicles, heartburn feeling, and given omeprazole, lymph nodes swollen on the right side of my neck, the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the right side of my neck is swollen.

I've been seen by my GP, oncologists, rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, and an ENT doctor. None say cancer but they also don't know what is causing the issues. I'm desperate for answers as it has been some time now.

Did you get any answers yet?

I have similar symptoms just now. Swollen lymph node, solid and doesn't move at all which doc is a bit concerned over. Had a lump in my throat for 4 months, got antibiotics and it didnt do much, and then started getting ear ache the last 2 weeks. Also started getting acid reflux so also been given tablets for GERD, never had heartburn or anything like that before so very strange!

Everything I've read about swollen lymph nodes (mines is directly under my ear lobe at the corner/ end of my jaw bome) says not to stress if they are not hard and move because it's probably viral but with mines being the opposite I'm starting to stress a bit. 

Waiting on bloods coming back and to go back to docs next week. ENT still not open which doesn't reassure me I'll even get seen!

Hi KTP21. Sorry to hear what you are going through. Where abouts are you? ENT is open in Lincolnshire. I've got a least one hard lymph node, in front of my right ear and one possibly near my thyroid and I'm currently awaiting a date for some scans. 

Worried is an understatement, but there is nothing I can do about it so trying to to make the most of life.