Kidney disease

[I'm not dying right?]

First time posting.just signed up here. I've been dealing with health anxiety for several years now. Didn't know what that was till recently. From a random pain or other symptom, to the immediate Google search, to the self diagnosis, then primary doctor, and referral to a specialist. I've thought I've had several diseases or conditions over the years. Currently this past year I've been dealing with testicle and groin pain. Automatically i assumed testicle cancer. All the signs were there. I later after literally 5 doctors i was diagnosed with varicocele at the emergency room and because i was jabbing side pain they did a ct scan and found a7mm kidney lesion. Now the ache on kidney is getting more nagging and I'm awaiting another more detailed ct scan on kidney lesson and and hopefully survey for the varicocele because that's where my real pain is. I can't seem to stay off google and I'm wondering if my symptoms are getting worse because of the anxiety or something serious ous wrong. I have labs to do on Friday. Hopefully I'm a hypochondriac and not really dying. Any advise or anyone else have an ache on mid back on either side under ribs?

 

[matisworried]

first and foremost, sorry you're going through this. people with health anxiety tend to be hyper-focused on the sensations that happen in our bodies. this can lead to the exaggeration of physical symptoms. the craziest thing is that anxiety can even cause physical symptoms.

for your own sanity, please don't research your symptoms online. it is absolutely one of the worst things anyone can do and will only lead to more anxiety and more symptoms.

try and remember that worrying is literally good for nothing. whether you worry and obsess over this or not, the outcome will be the same.

7mm is not very big. did they give any indication as to what they thought it would be? I'm guessing that if they thought it was anything serious, you'd be set up for quite a few more tests other than some labs.

really try and carry on with your life and STAY OFF OF GOOGLE! keep us updated!

 

[I'm not dying right?]

Thanks for the reply. On the 7mm lesion they recomended contrast ct scan to get a better look at it. I'll be going in for that on the 24th and bloodwork this friday. I kind of picked apart my last bloodwork from june when they found the lesion. A couple things are out of range. Can you speculate on that? Have you reviewed your bloodworks in the past and if so were any of them out of normal range? I will do my best to stay off of google. It really does eat me up and dress me out. I thought if I lean toward a forum like this itll help keep my mind in the right place. Im more worried about kidney disease than cancer really because I've read kidney cancer is very curable in my age group over 95% success. Yet kidney disease isnt reversable. Thank you so much for reply you have no idea how bad I've needed someone to bounce things off of to keep my sanity.

 

[matisworried]

Thanks for the reply. On the 7mm lesion they recomended contrast ct scan to get a better look at it. I'll be going in for that on the 24th and bloodwork this friday. I kind of picked apart my last bloodwork from june when they found the lesion. A couple things are out of range. Can you speculate on that? Have you reviewed your bloodworks in the past and if so were any of them out of normal range? I will do my best to stay off of google. It really does eat me up and dress me out. I thought if I lean toward a forum like this itll help keep my mind in the right place. Im more worried about kidney disease than cancer really because I've read kidney cancer is very curable in my age group over 95% success. Yet kidney disease isnt reversable. Thank you so much for reply you have no idea how bad I've needed someone to bounce things off of to keep my sanity.

unfortunately, I'm not a medical professional so it's hard for me to comment on lab specifics. i have not had labs come back as abnormal but in my line of work, I've seen plenty of abnormal ones. generally, the cause is minor... sometimes it's nothing at all.

as a person that's suffered from HA for 35+ years, take it from me: googling symptoms only increases anxiety and catastrophic thinking. with HA, we can't reasonably or responsibly do "research" because our brains are wired to jump to the worst possible scenario and accept that as fact. besides, Google is a crappy doctor anyway... type in "runny nose" and within five clicks, it'll be telling you that you have nose cancer. for my mental sanity, i had to commit to leaving doctoring to doctors. after all... they went to medical school, got a degree and have thousands of hours of experience. me? i have an iphone with internet access and have exactly zero degrees.

and again, worry does no good. it doesn't change what you do or don't have so why do it? i mean, unless you like having 10/10 anxiety all the time... i know it's hard and it's not realistic to have NO concern... a little is normal, but why do things to elevate it?

 

[I'm not dying right?]

Thank you so much for your help it has really put my mind to ease a little. I actually woke up this morning with slight chills and tingling fingers and was able to minimize my search to one rather than a hundred goggles hopefully soon I will just note the symptom and bring it to my doctor when I go in. I have four kids and my wife doesn't work so I think my HA comes from a sense of responsibility of my kids needing me to survive properly. Plus my extreme unrealistic thoughts of possibly not seeing them grow up kills me inside and escalates my anxiety. If you haven't need to vent tell free to contact me on here

 

[Amw311]

Thank you so much for your help it has really put my mind to ease a little. I actually woke up this morning with slight chills and tingling fingers and was able to minimize my search to one rather than a hundred goggles hopefully soon I will just note the symptom and bring it to my doctor when I go in. I have four kids and my wife doesn't work so I think my HA comes from a sense of responsibility of my kids needing me to survive properly. Plus my extreme unrealistic thoughts of possibly not seeing them grow up kills me inside and escalates my anxiety. If you haven't need to vent tell free to contact me on here

Hi there, I can’t give much advice on the kidney stuff but I just wanted to say I can relate to the family stuff. I am a stay at home mom to my twin toddler boys who are almost 2. The thought of having a terminal disease (which I am always convinced I have) is pretty excruciating now that I have my little ones. It’s really difficult, I have a very supportive husband but even still, I often feel like I’m drowning with all of my anxiety.

 

[I'm not dying right?]

Hi there, I can’t give much advice on the kidney stuff but I just wanted to say I can relate to the family stuff. I am a stay at home mom to my twin toddler boys who are almost 2. The thought of having a terminal disease (which I am always convinced I have) is pretty excruciating now that I have my little ones. It’s really difficult, I have a very supportive husband but even still, I often feel like I’m drowning with all of my anxiety.

My wife is supportive too. Do you have any symptoms for concern? When we have people depending on us it makes it so hard to just live normal without worry. We have a baby girl also coming in a couple weeks and a 3 yr old and im everything to him. Im so convinced something is terribly wrong this time tho. What are your current concerns?

 

[Amw311]

My wife is supportive too. Do you have any symptoms for concern? When we have people depending on us it makes it so hard to just live normal without worry. We have a baby girl also coming in a couple weeks and a 3 yr old and im everything to him. Im so convinced something is terribly wrong this time tho. What are your current concerns?

Right now I am 100% convinced I have MS because of a strange pain/tingling sensation in my lower leg and foot. I have been convinced I had this disease in the past too, but of course, this time feels real and like i definitely have it

 

[I'm not dying right?]

Ive heard many people concerned about having ms. My kidney concerns i cant find anyone else with which is what concerns me most. Have you had vision issues? Im sure youve done many hours of research so i dont want to pretend i know much about it. I promised my wife if i got a clean bill of health this time that if i get another worry that id see a psycologist. It has taken a toll on her as well because i end up convincing her to worry about me and shes 8 1/2 months pregnant. Makes me feel guilty. Hopefully after you get your next reasurance of good health you can try to take that into consideration as well? Im now worried that my worry is going to end up causing a real health issue. Good luck

 

[Amw311]

It really takes a toll on our loved ones which makes it even harder than it already is on its own. My husband, like I said, is very supportive but I can see him growing more and more weary of my new ailment each couple of weeks. My constant state of worry really upsets him and I can tell. I love being an involved and active mom, but my current state and headspace makes it hard to be fully present with my boys which isn’t fair to them. And yes, I’d suggest seeing someone, talking with a therapist has really helped me in the past. I’ve always been very against medication but I told my husband that it if kept affecting our lives like this that I would go and at least see/talk about possible medication. It’s a rollercoaster. I hope you’re able to let go of some of your fears so that you can enjoy your new baby being born soon. Congrats by the way!

 

[I'm not dying right?]

Thank you and after you hear about your situation id love to hear back from you on here that everything is fine. I will be doing the same.