fear of hpv related cancers - is it just hypochondria?
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back in late august i noticed i had anal warts around my anus. i saw a proctologist as soon as i could (almost a month later) and he gave me a cream to use to help shrink the warts and took a biopsy of the warts themselves to see what type of hpv it is (low or high risk for cancers, etc.) the biopsy came back as low-risk hpv. a few weeks later i was having chest pain, really bad back pain, and was feeling really fatigue, was really worried and scared i was dying, i made my parents take me to the er. they did an ekg, some xrays of my chest and back and everything came back fine. i was told that these could be side effects of the cream i was on for the warts, which i was told to stop however the back pain still proceeded and was still really bad, so i made an appointment with an orthopedic. the appointment wasn't for a few days but everyday i would take a hot bath to try to ease the pain as well as take ibuprofen. along w/ that i started getting groin pain and had difficulty urinating and later constipation and heavy strain to have bowel movements which came out as nothing. i saw the orthopedic, he took some xrays of my back and spine and sent me out to get an mri. i then went online to research my symptoms which matched up nearly perfect to cauda equina syndrome, which leaves you paralyzed if not acted upon quickly. i begged had my father take me to the orthopedic and ask them to go over the mri with me before my appointment, 2 days later because i couldn't wait. i was very scared. i came to the office nearly 10 minutes before it closed and had another doctor take me last minute and told me that i had a slight herniated disk and some pinched nerves, nothing to worry about. she did say however she was concerned about the groin pain and difficulty erinating. still i had these symptoms and the back pain and was still convinced i had cauda equina syndrome. i then saw my general practitioner a few days later and told him i was worried about cauda equina he did a physical exam on me and said my mri would be a lot worse if i had cauda equina and i would have difficulty even walking if that was the case. he also checked my sphincter muscle and said because i had complete control over it i was fine. he did recommend i see a urologist and a neurologist. the urologist gave me a medication for what what he believes to be prostatitis, and i don't have much groin pain anymore and my urine stream is pretty normal. for now over a week, however, i've still been having difficulty having a bowel movement having little to no bowel movements, constant strain and well as "pencil thin" stools which i read to be a sign of colon cancer. when i wiped it was very mucusy, or sometimes it was "grainy" which i read could be dried blood. i was so scared. i was crying for days. i had an appointment with my proctologist in a few days to discuss other treatment options for the warts. when i went in i told him about my bowel movements and how i was very scared of it being colon cancer. he didn't seem to be all too concerned. i told him maybe it was chron's disease or colon cancer. he said if it was any cancer it would more likely be anal cancer. i asked what he thinks could be causing this he says he doesn't think i have anything to worry about but set up an appointment for a colonoscopy to keep me at ease. the appointment wouldn't be for a little over 2 weeks. i begged for something sooner but that was all they had. when i got home i looked up anal cancer and got myself even more scared. the survival rates were even lower than colon cancer. during this whole thing (a little over a week so far) i lost my appetite, lost nearly 10 lbs could barely eat, felt bloated all the time. couldn't stop crying. i called the proctologist's office and told them i was dissatisfied with my visit because the doctor didn't even check me despite having really concerning symptoms. the receptionist transferred me to another dr. who works under the one i was seeing, i told her all my symptoms and concerns and she told me i should take miralax every single day until my bowel movements get better as well as soak in the tub or a sitz bath after every attempted bowel movement. i asked her what she thinks it could be that caused this she told me it could be from nerves. she also told me to call her the next day and ask for an appointment to see her if i still felt nervous and wanted to talk face to face. i saw her and she did a digital rectal exam as well as a camera up the rectum, she told me everything looked fine and she couldn't see any blockage, she also assured me my prostate was fine. i asked again what she thought would change my bowel movements for over a week straight, she said it's probably from nerves and nothing serious. she's also the doctor that's going to do my colonoscopy. i've been taking the miralax every day as well as the sitz baths after every bowel movement and my bowel movements have become a bit easier to make, less strain. still not making a lot nor are they all "pencil" stools but when i wipe it's still mucusy and sometimes grainy which still has me worried. i also have been feeling my head and noticed what may be a lump on the back of my head, as i don't remember feeling it there before as well as really bad headaches which i read could be from hypochondria. i've been reading into hpv and cancer and what could case the possible lump i felt on the back of my head. i also felt a small thing on my back near my neck i wasn't sure was a lump or a pimple. i read something about head and neck cancer being a really common cancer related to hpv, the survival rates for this were even lower than anal cancer. i got so scared. i read a common symptom of this was a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. i started paying a lot more attention to how i was swallowing and felt like i could possibly be having symptoms. today i woke up and my throat was actually kind of sore and i had a little difficulty swallowing. i know hypochondria can make you think you have a disease you may not have and make you think you have symptoms you don't but a sore throat? i went to urgent care today and told the doctor i saw about the lump i felt on the back of my head as well as my throat. she said maybe i noticed the "lump" because i had lost a significant amount of weight and that could make my head feel different. i asked her about the smaller lump and she said it was a pimple, i asked if she was sure and she squeezed it hard and puss came out. she took a culture of my throat for strep and said everything seems to be fine. my blood pressure was fine. she said if i wanted a better look at my throat i would have to see an ENT, which i plan on seeing this week along with a gastroenterologist and a neurologist to see if the lump i feel on my head is a tumor or cancer related at all. a gastroenterologist for my fullness and bloatedness. i'm still very scared i have colon cancer and even more scared that the cancer could have spread elsewhere. has anyone else read about a symptom like a sore throat and later on developed one? i have my colonoscopy in a little under 2 weeks now and i'm very scared. i want to go back to being healthy and living my life the way i did.
1 like, 3 replies
kimberly59704 andram
Posted
linda61597 andram
Posted
Please don't worry, my son had anal warts & had them removed. He doesn't have any cancer or any other problems. He is gay & never worried about cancer, neither should u. Please feel free to contact me by private messge or on this site,
andram linda61597
Posted
i'm trying not to, this lump on my head is particulary scaring me though and causing me worry, urgent care doctor says not to worry and i'm seeing a nuerologist, hoping and praying for the best but God i am so scared