Constantly worried about cancers ( pancreatic to be specific).

[Worriedalways]

Does anyone else constantly worry about getting cancer to the point that you have pain? I’ve had health anxiety most of my adult life and it creeps up every 7 or 8 years or so. It used to be my heart I was worried about because I would have panic attacks that made me have racing heart and extra best but now the last two times it has been cancer Ive convinced myself I have. About 4 years ago I scheduled a mammogram and before it got so stressed out I started doing self exams and did so much that I had myself sore. Once that came back clear the pain moved to my stomach and I convinced myself I had pancreatic cancer. Had abdominal ultrasound and blood work , colonoscopy and all and eventually settled down and the pains went away. These episodes seem to happen after a very stressful situation builds and builds. I am back to thinking I have pancreatic cancer. Had another abdominal ultrasound and Bloodwork. Vaginal ultrasound found 3 fibroids in my uterus so I have an appointment with Gyno next week to discuss. Does anyone know if fibroids can cause mid back and abdominal pain? I’ve been dealing with left side pain, stomach and back pain after I eat and at night and diarrhea periodically. Bloodwork and ab ultrasound were clear.
Also I feel guilty for worrying so much when I know there are people out there who have been diagnosed and are struggling.

 

[Souris]

I'm the same way. Cancer is my big fear. I'm coming out of a particularly bad flare of my HA worried about cancer. I have 100% convinced myself I have cancer multiple times over the years, but I didn't.

Fibroids can absolutely cause pain anywhere around your abdomen and back! (My mom had them.) Similarly, I had ovarian cysts many years ago and oh boy, the pain they caused in that area!

When we worry, it can really affect our digestion, because our mind and gut are so intertwined. It's possible that your worrying is messing with your digestion, which causes you to worry more, which affects your digestion more. It's a vicious cycle.

 

[blueberries]

Yes, I worry about cancer all the time, it's my #1 health fear. At one time or another I have gone through a cancer scare of just about every body part, multiple times I should add. And I tend to fixate on the worst, ovarian, pancreatic.

This only happens to you every 7-8 years? Just want to make sure I understand correctly what you wrote. If it does, consider yourself lucky. I'm this way just about every day.

Fibroids can cause terrible pain and heavy bleeding or they can come with no symptoms at all. I have one my gyno was following for a few years but then I had to switch to a new doctor so it's no longer being followed. It was small and he said there was no need to do anything with it. I have so many abdominal and back symptoms - I don't know if they are from the fibroid or not or something worse .

 

[Worriedalways]

I'm the same way. Cancer is my big fear. I'm coming out of a particularly bad flare of my HA worried about cancer. I have 100% convinced myself I have cancer multiple times over the years, but I didn't.

Fibroids can absolutely cause pain anywhere around your abdomen and back! (My mom had them.) Similarly, I had ovarian cysts many years ago and oh boy, the pain they caused in that area!

When we worry, it can really affect our digestion, because our mind and gut are so intertwined. It's possible that your worrying is messing with your digestion, which causes you to worry more, which affects your digestion more. It's a vicious cycle.

Thank you for your response. I saw a gastroenterologist last week to schedule me colonoscopy ( it’s been 4 years and my dad died from that) and I brought my scan reports and Bloodwork to him. He said he was pleased and to try to quit thinking about pancreatic cancer. Also said what you just said about the mind and the gut being connected. I’m so paranoid I literally check my eyes a couple of times a day to see if I’m jaundice. I know. Coo coo. My wife what’s to kill me. ( not really) but it’s affecting my day to day life. It’s so weird. I can go years without worrying and then something happens and I go into this tailspin. Lose appetite. Lose weight. Constant worry and then when I start eating again have stomach issues. Thank you for the response.

Yes, I worry about cancer all the time, it's my #1 health fear. At one time or another I have gone through a cancer scare of just about every body part, multiple times I should add. And I tend to fixate on the worst, ovarian, pancreatic.

This only happens to you every 7-8 years? Just want to make sure I understand correctly what you wrote. If it does, consider yourself lucky. I'm this way just about every day.

Fibroids can cause terrible pain and heavy bleeding or they can come with no symptoms at all. I have one my gyno was following for a few years but then I had to switch to a new doctor so it's no longer being followed. It was small and he said there was no need to do anything with it. I have so many abdominal and back symptoms - I don't know if they are from the fibroid or not or something worse .

Yes. I go for years being normal and then some stress thing will send me into a health anxiety scare. This time it was my job being overwhelming and my mom who has the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s flushing all of her medicine down the toilet. It just sent me over the edge. I had this same feeling in my stomach and back the last time this happened in 2016. Had test and it eventually went away. This one was sooner than usual and seems worse and hanging on longer. I’ve made the mistake of reading google symptoms and of course I feel like I have them. I did the ovarian cancer scare right at the beginning of this and when that was ruled out I switched to pancreas. Feels like I’m crazy. I’m also in menopause so that’s another demon that’s causing issues. Thank you for responding. It does help to chat.

Yes, I worry about cancer all the time, it's my #1 health fear. At one time or another I have gone through a cancer scare of just about every body part, multiple times I should add. And I tend to fixate on the worst, ovarian, pancreatic.

This only happens to you every 7-8 years? Just want to make sure I understand correctly what you wrote. If it does, consider yourself lucky. I'm this way just about every day.

Fibroids can cause terrible pain and heavy bleeding or they can come with no symptoms at all. I have one my gyno was following for a few years but then I had to switch to a new doctor so it's no longer being followed. It was small and he said there was no need to do anything with it. I have so many abdominal and back symptoms - I don't know if they are from the fibroid or not or something worse .

Yes. I go for years being normal and then some stress thing will send me into a health anxiety scare. This time it was my job being overwhelming and my mom who has the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s flushing all of her medicine down the toilet. It just sent me over the edge. I had this same feeling in my stomach and back the last time this happened in 2016. Had test and it eventually went away. This one was sooner than usual and seems worse and hanging on longer. I’ve made the mistake of reading google symptoms and of course I feel like I have them. I did the ovarian cancer scare right at the beginning of this and when that was ruled out I switched to pancreas. Feels like I’m crazy. I’m also in menopause so that’s another demon that’s causing issues. Thank you for responding. It does help to chat.

I'm the same way. Cancer is my big fear. I'm coming out of a particularly bad flare of my HA worried about cancer. I have 100% convinced myself I have cancer multiple times over the years, but I didn't.

Fibroids can absolutely cause pain anywhere around your abdomen and back! (My mom had them.) Similarly, I had ovarian cysts many years ago and oh boy, the pain they caused in that area!

When we worry, it can really affect our digestion, because our mind and gut are so intertwined. It's possible that your worrying is messing with your digestion, which causes you to worry more, which affects your digestion more. It's a vicious cycle.

What kind of cancer do you worry about? What did you do to resolve it?

 

[Souris]

I’m also in menopause so that’s another demon that’s causing issues.

What kind of cancer do you worry about? What did you do to resolve it?

I just started menopause after stopping birth control pills in October, and it absolutely can wreak havoc with our emotions! I think that's a big part of what triggered this latest bout of HA for me. It sends our hormones all into a tizzy. Hot flashes keep waking me up in the middle of the night, and not getting enough sleep also makes anxiety worse. I'm trying meditation and yoga to calm myself down. But you're right, it's another demon causing issues.

My latest HA was about multiple myeloma or really any cancer that had spread to my bones, because I was having huge body aches and when I went to the doctor, I had elevated calcium levels (which could be a signal of cancer). I was thinking I might have fibromyalgia, but that bloodwork sent me spiraling into cancer worry. It got really, really, REALLY bad -- I couldn't eat or sleep and was just a mess. My doctor wasn't worried, but sent me to an endocrinologist to ease my mind. Luckily I was able to get an appointment pretty soon because of a cancellation, and after more bloodwork, he was very reassuring -- he saw no evidence of cancer and determined that my calcium levels are elevated because my albumin levels are elevated. Calcium levels have to be corrected for albumin levels. He says the albumin levels are likely high either because of dehydration from menopause and/or a genetic component (I discovered that my mom has had very, very similar levels of both for several years, so it may just be how our bodies deal with those blood components post-menopause). Also, apparently birth control pills keep albumin levels reduced, and now that I'm off them, my body may have reverted to a different baseline.

So I'm coming out of that latest HA spiral and accepting that I don't have cancer. The body aches and stiffness have reduced, too, so it's possible my body is getting used to being off birth control pills and not having that daily dose of hormones.

My previous really bad HA scare about 14 years ago was about ovarian cancer, because of awful pain there and an ultrasound that showed an undetermined cyst in my right ovary. My doctor was sure it was just a benign endometrial scar cyst, but I was so convinced it was cancer that I ended up having surgery to have the ovary removed. My doctor only removed it because she knew I wouldn't get any peace until I knew for sure. It ended up being exactly what she thought it was, a benign endometrial scar cyst. So I went through surgery and lost an ovary because of HA and cancer fears! That was such an extreme HA experience that it taught me a big lesson and I hadn't had any major recurrences (although I have high HA every year around my mammogram) until last month. I think because of the way our brains are wired, though, that we're always bound to have it reoccur at some point, even if it's years between attacks.

 

[Worriedalways]

I just started menopause after stopping birth control pills in October, and it absolutely can wreak havoc with our emotions! I think that's a big part of what triggered this latest bout of HA for me. It sends our hormones all into a tizzy. Hot flashes keep waking me up in the middle of the night, and not getting enough sleep also makes anxiety worse. I'm trying meditation and yoga to calm myself down. But you're right, it's another demon causing issues.

My latest HA was about multiple myeloma or really any cancer that had spread to my bones, because I was having huge body aches and when I went to the doctor, I had elevated calcium levels (which could be a signal of cancer). I was thinking I might have fibromyalgia, but that bloodwork sent me spiraling into cancer worry. It got really, really, REALLY bad -- I couldn't eat or sleep and was just a mess. My doctor wasn't worried, but sent me to an endocrinologist to ease my mind. Luckily I was able to get an appointment pretty soon because of a cancellation, and after more bloodwork, he was very reassuring -- he saw no evidence of cancer and determined that my calcium levels are elevated because my albumin levels are elevated. Calcium levels have to be corrected for albumin levels. He says the albumin levels are likely high either because of dehydration from menopause and/or a genetic component (I discovered that my mom has had very, very similar levels of both for several years, so it may just be how our bodies deal with those blood components post-menopause). Also, apparently birth control pills keep albumin levels reduced, and now that I'm off them, my body may have reverted to a different baseline.

So I'm coming out of that latest HA spiral and accepting that I don't have cancer. The body aches and stiffness have reduced, too, so it's possible my body is getting used to being off birth control pills and not having that daily dose of hormones.

My previous really bad HA scare about 14 years ago was about ovarian cancer, because of awful pain there and an ultrasound that showed an undetermined cyst in my right ovary. My doctor was sure it was just a benign endometrial scar cyst, but I was so convinced it was cancer that I ended up having surgery to have the ovary removed. My doctor only removed it because she knew I wouldn't get any peace until I knew for sure. It ended up being exactly what she thought it was, a benign endometrial scar cyst. So I went through surgery and lost an ovary because of HA and cancer fears! That was such an extreme HA experience that it taught me a big lesson and I hadn't had any major recurrences (although I have high HA every year around my mammogram) until last month. I think because of the way our brains are wired, though, that we're always bound to have it reoccur at some point, even if it's years between attacks.

Wow. We sound a lot alike. I have thought about having a hysterectomy so I don’t have to worry about cancers down there. . Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Worriedalways]

I'm the same way. Cancer is my big fear. I'm coming out of a particularly bad flare of my HA worried about cancer. I have 100% convinced myself I have cancer multiple times over the years, but I didn't.

Fibroids can absolutely cause pain anywhere around your abdomen and back! (My mom had them.) Similarly, I had ovarian cysts many years ago and oh boy, the pain they caused in that area!

When we worry, it can really affect our digestion, because our mind and gut are so intertwined. It's possible that your worrying is messing with your digestion, which causes you to worry more, which affects your digestion more. It's a vicious cycle.

Thank you for the info about the fibroids. I will discuss with Gyno this week.

 

[Asgmiami1]

I'm dealing with a pan can scare right now. Its got me wrapped so tight, I can barely function.
You mentiined something about weight loss and loss of appetite. How are you doing with that now?
That's what's got me worried the most.

 

[mimifourtimes]

Cancer is and was my most horrible agonizing fear. With every ache and pain - cancer was the culprit. Now that is has come knocking at my door, I realize that I didn't stress it away. Thinking about it all the time didn't send it away. The sad thing is we can't control it. If we could, no one would be terminally ill. If you want quality of life, try to think past it. Push through it. Talk through it. I hope you all have a great support system. That is important because most people don't understand anxiety. You don't look sick so because they don't see it they think you're crazy. As anxiety sufferers we know that the dizziness, the pain, the tingling, the itching and all the rest of our symptoms are real. Cancer is an illness that has no boundaries. Now that Covid-19 has had me isolated I've learned that life is worth living. I am going to enjoy the things that surround me. I hear the birds chirp. Butterflies are beautiful. I've learned to enjoy my house. I FaceTime my grandkids since I can't see them yet. These are the thoughts I can control and you know what, there is nothing more beautiful than to know that you have life for today. Anxiety takes that away from you. Don't let it. I won't.
Blessing to all you anxiety sufferers out there. I'm praying for you.

 

[Jgriffin]

Cancer is and was my most horrible agonizing fear. With every ache and pain - cancer was the culprit. Now that is has come knocking at my door, I realize that I didn't stress it away. Thinking about it all the time didn't send it away. The sad thing is we can't control it. If we could, no one would be terminally ill. If you want quality of life, try to think past it. Push through it. Talk through it. I hope you all have a great support system. That is important because most people don't understand anxiety. You don't look sick so because they don't see it they think you're crazy. As anxiety sufferers we know that the dizziness, the pain, the tingling, the itching and all the rest of our symptoms are real. Cancer is an illness that has no boundaries. Now that Covid-19 has had me isolated I've learned that life is worth living. I am going to enjoy the things that surround me. I hear the birds chirp. Butterflies are beautiful. I've learned to enjoy my house. I FaceTime my grandkids since I can't see them yet. These are the thoughts I can control and you know what, there is nothing more beautiful than to know that you have life for today. Anxiety takes that away from you. Don't let it. I won't.
Blessing to all you anxiety sufferers out there. I'm praying for you.

AMEN....I needed to read this today