back pain.

[4048robert]

Hello All

This is my first post. I think I might have health anxiety, i have seen two doctors and a muscular skeletal physiotherapist about a solid smooth lump like cord down the left of my thoractic spine T8 that moves from side to side when I'm lay down, but gets hard when I stand up straight, they have all said it Is not anything to worry about but they have not explained what it could be. I get lower back and iliac crest pain that is intermittent. But they don't think there is any connection between the two symptoms. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[matisworried]

Hello All

This is my first post. I think I might have health anxiety, i have seen two doctors and a muscular skeletal physiotherapist about a solid smooth lump like cord down the left of my thoractic spine T8 that moves from side to side when I'm lay down, but gets hard when I stand up straight, they have all said it Is not anything to worry about but they have not explained what it could be. I get lower back and iliac crest pain that is intermittent. But they don't think there is any connection between the two symptoms. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

first and foremost, welcome to the forum and i'm sorry you're going through this.

i guess the long and short of my advice would be to trust your doctors. you've had three professionals tell you it's nothing to worry about so i think it is totally reasonable to accept that. not doing so is classic HA behavior. please remember that medical professionals have a vested interest in being thorough and catching disease when it's presented to them... not doing so gets them sued and can cost them their careers. heck... if you want to be really cynical, you could even say that they stand to make a ton of money off of patients and insurance companies by doing things like ordering MRIs and ultrasounds or referring people to specialists... and if they're not doing that stuff, it's because they're VERY confident it's not necessary. is there something specifically you're worried about?

the other advice i'd give is to discuss your worry and anxiety with your doctor. trust me... it's much easier to treat anxiety early. the longer you let it fester and grow, the harder it is to get under control.

 

[4048robert]

Thank you for your reply. I do suffer from OCD/Generalise Anxiety Disorder, I'm trying to seek help to have CBT but the NHS weighting list Is 5 months long, I spoke with them today, they told me to make an appointment with my GP. thank you for your advice.

 

[matisworried]

Thank you for your reply. I do suffer from OCD/Generalise Anxiety Disorder, I'm trying to seek help to have CBT but the NHS weighting list Is 5 months long, I spoke with them today, they told me to make an appointment with my GP. thank you for your advice.

wow, that's quite the wait. i know it's obviously not ideal, but there are lots of decent podcasts and youtube videos regarding mental health/treating anxiety. that might be something to look in to in the meantime? i think it's a very good thing to discuss your anxiety with your GP as well... and while you're at it, you could ask for clarification regarding your back.

is there a specific concern you have regarding it?

 

[4048robert]

wow, that's quite the wait. i know it's obviously not ideal, but there are lots of decent podcasts and youtube videos regarding mental health/treating anxiety. that might be something to look in to in the meantime? i think it's a very good thing to discuss your anxiety with your GP as well... and while you're at it, you could ask for clarification regarding your back.

is there a specific concern you have regarding it?

I did have an appointment tomorrow but I cancelled the appointment, I feel like I will just be fueling my OCD/Anxiety. I have been to the doctors quite a bit over the last 7 months. It all started with lower abdomen pains, I have had lots of different blood tests, colonoscopy and a ultrasound, all came back clear they think I have IBS. Then the back pain started and I found the lump like cord on my back. I have been averaging going to the doctors once every two weeks for the last 7 months, surprised I have not got my own parking space yet. thank you for the advice I think by going to the doctors again I will be just seeking reassurance, which is never enough with OCD. I have to just try and ingnor the thoughts and stop going on Dr Google.

 

[Cuchculan]

Sounds like a subluxation in the back area. I am sure that is a name you might have heard of before? It is kind of like when fluid becomes trapped in an area of the back, can be due to posture or a few other things. It has nowhere to go at all. Just look at any chiropractic video on you tube and you will probably see similar. They deal with those sort of issues a lot. Once that happens, say that is on your left side, the right side tries to help the left side out and take the pain away and it adjusts in a way that it shouldn't be. Could be as simple as a quick correction by a chiropractor. That was just the first impression I got when reading your post. I am no expert on these sorts of things. So everything I just wrote may be all wrong. I may have it all wrong. But just throwing the idea out there.

 

[4048robert]

Thank you il have a look on you tube. mines like a smooth cord that runs down T8 on the left hard but moves when standing but moves more from side to side when lying down. Drs and MSK said it feels like a lipoma and its nothing to worry about. Hard not to with Health anxiety.

 

[matisworried]

Thank you il have a look on you tube. mines like a smooth cord that runs down T8 on the left hard but moves when standing but moves more from side to side when lying down. Drs and MSK said it feels like a lipoma and its nothing to worry about. Hard not to with Health anxiety.

I've got a few lipomas. mine are very small. when i found the first one, i freaked out and ran to the doc. two key things he told me that eased my mind (because i was concerned it was cancer) first, cancerous growths are fixed and won't move around at all. second, they're generally very firm/hard and that wouldn't change because of positioning.

I did have an appointment tomorrow but I cancelled the appointment, I feel like I will just be fueling my OCD/Anxiety. I have been to the doctors quite a bit over the last 7 months. It all started with lower abdomen pains, I have had lots of different blood tests, colonoscopy and a ultrasound, all came back clear they think I have IBS. Then the back pain started and I found the lump like cord on my back. I have been averaging going to the doctors once every two weeks for the last 7 months, surprised I have not got my own parking space yet. thank you for the advice I think by going to the doctors again I will be just seeking reassurance, which is never enough with OCD. I have to just try and ingnor the thoughts and stop going on Dr Google.

good for you for canceling your appointment. it seems you've gone to the doctor plenty lately. with all of the tests you've had, the chances of you being significantly unwell are pretty small.

for what it's worth, I'd guess my health anxiety decreased by 80% when i committed to staying the hell off of the internet. it's the absolute worst thing to happen to people like us. the worst part about it is that dr. google is an extremist quack and has no business practicing medicine.