Doctor again

It is so understandable why it causes so much anxiety, please don't blame yourself for that. I would be anxious too. It's something outside of your regular and periods themselves are already ridiculous, so.
You can always ask your dr if there is something you can use to stop the spotting, or if there is something that helps.

Also having this issue. I’ve always had ovulation spotting and a random day of spotting a week before my period. Everything was always normal and I’ve had it for years. It stopped when my daughter was born but this month I get random discharge with a streak of blood. I’m trying not to freak out because I had a transvaginal ultrasound to look at my ovaries a month ago. I had a pelvic ultrasound in April and I got my Pap smear 10 months ago and it was negative. So I’m trying to tell myself it’s ok, but I have cancer going through my head. It’s not continuous but it happened on day 8, day 12, day 14 and day 17 and I’m not due for my period until the 30th but I always get it early. It’s not a lot. It’s literally clear discharge with a small streak of blood maybe 1-2 times that day and the rest of the time it’s clear.

SB2017 said:

Also having this issue. I’ve always had ovulation spotting and a random day of spotting a week before my period. Everything was always normal and I’ve had it for years. It stopped when my daughter was born but this month I get random discharge with a streak of blood. I’m trying not to freak out because I had a transvaginal ultrasound to look at my ovaries a month ago. I had a pelvic ultrasound in April and I got my Pap smear 10 months ago and it was negative. So I’m trying to tell myself it’s ok, but I have cancer going through my head. It’s not continuous but it happened on day 8, day 12, day 14 and day 17 and I’m not due for my period until the 30th but I always get it early. It’s not a lot. It’s literally clear discharge with a small streak of blood maybe 1-2 times that day and the rest of the time it’s clear.

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In order for cancer to cause bleeding it would have to be at a size that I would imagine would get picked up by an ultrasound. You should still tell your doctor about it, but cancer doesn't make sense to me given your recent tests. Like, at all.

ThankfulJen said:

Husband called docs office and they said they are almost positive it is because they messed with my cysts and what not during the transvaginal.

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Makes sense.

But spotting this long?

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Yep. I mean, the cysts likely caused it in the first place even before you went to the doctor. The cysts are still there, so...

But everytime I go to the bathroom I get sick to my stomach when I wipe and see a bit of pink on the t.p. Hard finding a good place to be in.

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Do the work.

ThankfulJen said:

Right. But before it was just prolonged period. And maybe a random day or two of spotting.

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And then you got a transvaginal ultrasound that pushed the likely culprits around, so the tissue around them is likely inflamed. Or, maybe there's a another tumor that's somehow simultaneously so large that it's causing internal bleeding but also so noninvasive the ultrasound missed it and now it's suddenly causing more bleeding after your ultrasound for no specific reason. One of these things is very likely. One of them is very unlikely.

Here is something that happens with hypochondria. I'm not saying this is how you are or trying to tell you how your mind works, but this is something that happens with a lot of hypochondriacs and maybe it fits your experience. So what happens is, we have a bunch of generalized anxiety. We then experience a symptom and we attach that anxiety to the symptom. Our survival instincts inform us that if something is causing us this much anxiety, it must be dire, and as a result, the most catastrophic interpretations of those symptoms gain the most salience and feel the most likely and or real. The internal, unconscious thought process that your "survival mode" brain is experiencing is "if this blood on this toilet paper wasn't menacing, I wouldn't be feeling so terrified of it. Therefore it must be something and I should do something about it." It then feeds this information to your conscious brain, who starts to rationalize this thought process by deciding that your response is appropriate, regardless of how off kilter it is. The way out of this thought pattern is to actively address it each and every time.

I don't know if you have filled out that form I posted above, but literally print it out, sit down with a pen, and fill it out. Then post your results here and let's talk about that instead of just focusing on what you are afraid it might be. The more you start to address your HA induced thought process, instead of seeking reassurance for your symptoms, the more you will start to turn the corner and leave this kind of reaction in your past.

(All of none of this is to say you shouldn't follow up with your doctor and ask these questions when your biopsy comes back. But regardless, the sooner you get rigorously proactive about addressing your health anxiety, the sooner you will start to overcome it. It's that or start to accept that you will deal with this for the rest of your life.)

Says file not found. Opens microsoft edge to begin with. Like it is searching for a site.

Cuchculan said:

Says file not found. Opens microsoft edge to begin with. Like it is searching for a site.

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It works for me on Chrome for iOS.

ThankfulJen said:

I actually can't open the file for some odd reason.

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Can you download it and then the file doesn't open, or can you not get the file at all?

Can you see this? If so, you can just fill out the columns on a sheet of paper. The key is to handwrite it, as this helps you remember and think about it more overtly.

I love it when you give her homework to do. If she refuses make sure to give her lines.

Fraser said:

Can you download it and then the file doesn't open, or can you not get the file at all?

Can you see this? If so, you can just fill out the columns on a sheet of paper. The key is to handwrite it, as this helps you remember and think about it more overtly.

View attachment 1153

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Fraser I’m curious, only if you don‘t mind sharing, whether the CBT related materials are helping you with your thoughts related to your problem “down below”, or whether you’re nonetheless still struggling to some degreee?

Phillies Phan said:

Fraser I’m curious, only if you don‘t mind sharing, whether the CBT related materials are helping you with your thoughts related to your problem “down below”, or whether you’re nonetheless still struggling to some degreee?

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CBT and mindful meditation helped me and continue to help me. I'm not currently struggling with health anxiety, but my health anxiety tends to come and go in cycles or waves, so while I feel the best I have in many many years, I'm not going to say I'm "cured" or something. Also, my sense is that people with bad health anxiety never fully let it go; it's more about bringing your HA from a 10 down to a 3. And part of that means it's about cognitive changes that you have to keep in place for the rest of your life. In that sense, it's not unlike recovering from an addiction. In fact, in many ways it IS recovering from an addiction.

Fraser said:

CBT and mindful meditation helped me and continue to help me. I'm not currently struggling with health anxiety, but my health anxiety tends to come and go in cycles or waves, so while I feel the best I have in many many years, I'm not going to say I'm "cured" or something. Also, my sense is that people with bad health anxiety never fully let it go; it's more about bringing your HA from a 10 down to a 3. And part of that means it's about cognitive changes that you have to keep in place for the rest of your life. In that sense, it's not unlike recovering from an addiction. In fact, in many ways it IS recovering from an addiction.

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Absolutely, @Fraser ! Well said. It's exactly the same for me. I never claim to be "free" of health anxiety, but I've been able to apply what I've learned on my own and in therapy to make things much more manageable, so I don't spend every day incessantly worrying. I do think it's possible (because it worked for me) to fully let go of *some* health related anxiety, but I do agree that the overall premise of it will likely never disappear permanently. I'm glad you've found success with yours as well.

ThankfulJen said:

.....tomorrow is the big day.....

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Sending prayers and good vibes to you