I always think about inheriting the big C from an uncle

[Worlding101]

Hello all. I have moderate health anxiety that is untreated on top of the reflux issues I have.

My mother’s older brother who is stubborn as hell was diagnosed with thryroid cancer around 15 years ago.

Back then, I wasn’t a hypochondriac and was just told that he was being treated for one of the most curable cancers. I remember he never went to chemo but just radiation therapy.

To this day, he is alive albeit with other unrelated health issues due to ageing. He is now 67.
My uncle has always been the black sheep of the family. He is very stubborn and does not follow doctor’s orders. He is a very difficult man to be with.
I do not recall anyone else in our clan who has been diagnosed with the big C. My grandparents from both sides died of different causes. My late father died of the complications of diabetes (due to lifestyle).

I have always been a hypochondriac and I cannot help but think that I, a 29 yo old man, is just waiting for the big C to hit me.

I always think about this at night: how your risks greatly increases if the big C runs in the family. It keeps me awake.

I do not know if my uncle is just an isolated case, but it still bothers me. My mother went for a CAT SCAN last year for an endless cough (diagnosed as allergic rhinitis) and it was clear so that puts some relief.

I just can’t go on through a day without thinking about inheriting the big C.

 

[Larii]

I also feel this way. There's no history of cancer in my family, apart from my dad who had prostate cancer - he never had chemo/radiation, just surgery, and hes fine now - but that was due to his old age so there's no genetic risk for me. I keep thinking the big c might hit me too. My biggest scare is being told i have months to live i really don't know how to break these horrible thought patterns. Chances are nothing will happen to me but still i cant help that seed of doubt

 

[Vandelsrock21]

Hey wondering 101 i can relate to you with my familys history of health issues. My grandma died of lung cancer before i was born from second hand smoke. We also have a uncle with ms. And strokes and heart disease. Alcoholism too. I think about alot like my genes are tainted. I just try to take care of my body and hope for the best. We cant cant control this aspect of life but i think the main thing you and i are dealing with is not living are life to its fullest. Your young still alot of life left. Dont let this hold you back.

 

[matisworried]

just try to keep in mind that even if certain cancers run in your family, that doesn't mean you'll get them. also try to keep in mind that everybody has things in their family that could potentially cause problems at some point in their lives. I'd wager most families have cancer, diabetes, heart issues, other serious health problems in their families. it's part of being human.

worrying about those what-ifs really is pointless. it won't prevent things from happening, it won't cause things to happen. all it WILL do is take up time you'll never get back.

 

[mollyfin]

While it's true that there could be a genetic component, that's mostly true for medullary thyroid cancer, which I'm guessing he didn't have since it's quite rare and harder to treat than the more common ones. Most thyroid cancers just happen for unknown reasons. And most cancers are inherited in a direct line - you're more likely to get them if a parent or perhaps a grandparent had them.

However, even if you do get it, like you said yourself, it's curable and easy to treat. My last thyroid biopsy came back positive for follicular thyroid cancer. I'm...I mean, I wouldn't say I'm fine, because I'm on an anxiety forum, but that hasn't given me any trouble since the surgery to remove it.

Everyone has health problems at one time or another, and most of them can be dealt with. Worrying about them won't prevent them, though. If you're worried, make sure you get yearly physicals and ask your GP to feel your thyroid while you're there if they don't do that already. Heck, discuss this with your doctor in general; that way they can give you context for your worries and hopefully make things seem less scary.

 

[anxiousinamerica]

I have the opposite problem. I was an adopted kid, so I have no idea of what diseases might run in my biological family. I just do what I can to take care of myself to stay healthy, and go to the doctor when I think something may be wrong.

My next physical is in January, and I plan on asking my doctor what he thinks about the possibility of getting an early colonoscopy. The official recommendation by doctors is age 50, though I believe they're considering lowering the age to 45...but if you have a family history of colon cancer, I hear they recommend as low as age 40, which is how old I am. I'm not in a panic about it or anything...it's just something I feel that I need to begin thinking about. But I have to be able to trust the doctor's judgment too.

In one sense, it isn't too bad not to know your family's medical history, because ignorance is often bliss. But in another sense, it's a scary thought that the possibilities are wide open, and you never know what could be lurking in your DNA. I just try to tell myself that right now I'm OK, and as long as I practice my due dillegence in terms of taking care of myself, and seeing the doctor regularly, than I'm really doing all that I can do. I think that's the attitude you have to develop, regardless of what your family's history may be, and whether you know it or not.

 

[Worlding101]

I also feel this way. There's no history of cancer in my family, apart from my dad who had prostate cancer - he never had chemo/radiation, just surgery, and hes fine now - but that was due to his old age so there's no genetic risk for me. I keep thinking the big c might hit me too. My biggest scare is being told i have months to live i really don't know how to break these horrible thought patterns. Chances are nothing will happen to me but still i cant help that seed of doubt

Hello.

Sorry for the late response. I really feel you. I heard that prostate cancer has one of the highest survival and cure rates. I'm glad he is doing fine now. I agree, these thought patterns really are bad especially when I go to bed.

Hey wondering 101 i can relate to you with my familys history of health issues. My grandma died of lung cancer before i was born from second hand smoke. We also have a uncle with ms. And strokes and heart disease. Alcoholism too. I think about alot like my genes are tainted. I just try to take care of my body and hope for the best. We cant cant control this aspect of life but i think the main thing you and i are dealing with is not living are life to its fullest. Your young still alot of life left. Dont let this hold you back.

Hi vandel, sorry to hear about this. i agree that we cannot control this part but i guess anxiety gets the better part of me. those times i spend worrying about all these things is not helping. and i cannot live my life fully. how are you coping?

just try to keep in mind that even if certain cancers run in your family, that doesn't mean you'll get them. also try to keep in mind that everybody has things in their family that could potentially cause problems at some point in their lives. I'd wager most families have cancer, diabetes, heart issues, other serious health problems in their families. it's part of being human.

worrying about those what-ifs really is pointless. it won't prevent things from happening, it won't cause things to happen. all it WILL do is take up time you'll never get back.

thank you for talking some sense to me. my dad was diabetic and somehow i dont feel anxious about it because i try to keep myself active and fit. he acquired it before due to unhealthy lifestyle. losing time worrying about it really hits me.

 

[Worlding101]

While it's true that there could be a genetic component, that's mostly true for medullary thyroid cancer, which I'm guessing he didn't have since it's quite rare and harder to treat than the more common ones. Most thyroid cancers just happen for unknown reasons. And most cancers are inherited in a direct line - you're more likely to get them if a parent or perhaps a grandparent had them.

However, even if you do get it, like you said yourself, it's curable and easy to treat. My last thyroid biopsy came back positive for follicular thyroid cancer. I'm...I mean, I wouldn't say I'm fine, because I'm on an anxiety forum, but that hasn't given me any trouble since the surgery to remove it.

Everyone has health problems at one time or another, and most of them can be dealt with. Worrying about them won't prevent them, though. If you're worried, make sure you get yearly physicals and ask your GP to feel your thyroid while you're there if they don't do that already. Heck, discuss this with your doctor in general; that way they can give you context for your worries and hopefully make things seem less scary.

Hello. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

It's interesting to meet someone here with the condition. I honestly haven't asked what type of cancer it is/was but I do hope it's the one that's more manageable.

I'm sorry about the diagnosis but do know you are in my thoughts. May I ask how are you moving forward with your treatment both for the cancer and your anxiety?

I have the opposite problem. I was an adopted kid, so I have no idea of what diseases might run in my biological family. I just do what I can to take care of myself to stay healthy, and go to the doctor when I think something may be wrong.

My next physical is in January, and I plan on asking my doctor what he thinks about the possibility of getting an early colonoscopy. The official recommendation by doctors is age 50, though I believe they're considering lowering the age to 45...but if you have a family history of colon cancer, I hear they recommend as low as age 40, which is how old I am. I'm not in a panic about it or anything...it's just something I feel that I need to begin thinking about. But I have to be able to trust the doctor's judgment too.

In one sense, it isn't too bad not to know your family's medical history, because ignorance is often bliss. But in another sense, it's a scary thought that the possibilities are wide open, and you never know what could be lurking in your DNA. I just try to tell myself that right now I'm OK, and as long as I practice my due dillegence in terms of taking care of myself, and seeing the doctor regularly, than I'm really doing all that I can do. I think that's the attitude you have to develop, regardless of what your family's history may be, and whether you know it or not.

Hi there. You know, throughout my anxiety journey, I've somehow thought about this. What if I were adopted and didn't know much about my risks? I won't say that I perfectly understand what you are going through. I trust that you are taking proactive steps to ensure your health and that you are seeing your doctors regularly. I don't know much about colon c, but I've heard it's less common in people below 60. I hope we can get through this together.

 

[smilingsoul]

A family history of cancer is no guarantee of a genetic component. Cancer is a complex interaction of your body with its genes, the environment you live in, and the choices you make. Not that anyone is responsible for their cancer (maybe with the exception of smoking), but since eating properly, getting good sleep, and exercising regularly lower your risks both for cancer and anxiety disorders, it makes a lot of sense to take those reasonable steps.
Medical tests have to be combined with the professional opinion of doctors. Any test can have a false positive, where the test says you have a condition, and false negatives, where it misses the condition. Those frequencies are well understood by the physicians, and they know when the benefit of testing outweighs the risk of a false positive and the cost of the test.

 

[mollyfin]

Hi - it was follicular thyroid. It ended up being a type that's so low-grade it's only considered "pre-cancer" until it's spread, which mine hadn't. (Apparently they made the change in classification a few years ago. I found that pretty interesting.) Had my thyroid out - the side that didn't have the massive lump was full of cysts so my surgeon figured there was no sense leaving it behind as it probably wouldn't function right, but it would have been safe to just take one half of the thyroid - and that's the end of it. Follicular thyroid cancer can spread but it's almost always curable even then, so while my HA went nuts a couple of times, it wasn't really that serious. The main danger I was in was the airway obstruction from the goiter, not the cancer/pre-cancer itself. (It was benign and stable for a long time and I stopped getting it checked. In hindsight that was a mistake, but live and learn.)

My body likes to produce benign lumps and lumps that have sketchy plans to potentially become cancer pretty regularly. No idea why. Hormonal imbalances probably. Gotta go for a scan soon to make sure nothing's grown back, but after that it's done with.

The vast, vast majority of thyroid cancers are equally curable. Some people have a longer road to it and have to do treatments, but the treatments are very effective and have minimal side effects. Something like 95% of them are the easily treated types, and most of those are cured. I was literally told by my endocrinologist when the biopsy came back, You have cancer, but don't worry about it. So even if you do get it - which isn't likely but hey anything can happen - it'll probably work out okay.

 

[Worlding101]

A family history of cancer is no guarantee of a genetic component. Cancer is a complex interaction of your body with its genes, the environment you live in, and the choices you make. Not that anyone is responsible for their cancer (maybe with the exception of smoking), but since eating properly, getting good sleep, and exercising regularly lower your risks both for cancer and anxiety disorders, it makes a lot of sense to take those reasonable steps.
Medical tests have to be combined with the professional opinion of doctors. Any test can have a false positive, where the test says you have a condition, and false negatives, where it misses the condition. Those frequencies are well understood by the physicians, and they know when the benefit of testing outweighs the risk of a false positive and the cost of the test.

Thank you for your response. I am trying to put my mind at ease by understanding these. I need to really make good changes in my lifestyle.

Hi - it was follicular thyroid. It ended up being a type that's so low-grade it's only considered "pre-cancer" until it's spread, which mine hadn't. (Apparently they made the change in classification a few years ago. I found that pretty interesting.) Had my thyroid out - the side that didn't have the massive lump was full of cysts so my surgeon figured there was no sense leaving it behind as it probably wouldn't function right, but it would have been safe to just take one half of the thyroid - and that's the end of it. Follicular thyroid cancer can spread but it's almost always curable even then, so while my HA went nuts a couple of times, it wasn't really that serious. The main danger I was in was the airway obstruction from the goiter, not the cancer/pre-cancer itself. (It was benign and stable for a long time and I stopped getting it checked. In hindsight that was a mistake, but live and learn.)

My body likes to produce benign lumps and lumps that have sketchy plans to potentially become cancer pretty regularly. No idea why. Hormonal imbalances probably. Gotta go for a scan soon to make sure nothing's grown back, but after that it's done with.

The vast, vast majority of thyroid cancers are equally curable. Some people have a longer road to it and have to do treatments, but the treatments are very effective and have minimal side effects. Something like 95% of them are the easily treated types, and most of those are cured. I was literally told by my endocrinologist when the biopsy came back, You have cancer, but don't worry about it. So even if you do get it - which isn't likely but hey anything can happen - it'll probably work out okay.

Thank you again for your response. I've tried avoiding reading stuff that Dr. Google gives me except for the responses here which have given me relief because of the proper context and stories from people who have had the condition first hand. Thank you again.