Health Anxiety! Obsessed with cancer!

Hi Linzi! Rest assured you are in good company. I am dealing with the same thing right this moment. I have myself convinced I have lymphoma. I had bloodwork a few months back and the results were great. My white blood cell and red blood cell counts were right where they should be. The doctor has checked the lymph nodes in my underarms twice now and they are fine. I just can't let it go. Last night I slept wrong on my neck and it hurts pretty badly. I was rubbing my neck and think I felt a bump. I checked the other side of my neck by my trapezius muscle and it doesn't feel as large. I have been panicked all day long. I even made my husband check. He told me they feel exactly the same, but I just think he wanted me to calm down. I think the best we can do is reach out to one another on these forums for reassurance. I hope you feel better soon! 

I completely understand what you are going through. I have had a swollen node on the back of my neck since April 10th (that's when I noticed it anyway) and I have made myself sick with worry ever since. I'm driving my husband insane, telling him I'm dying soon. I go from one thing to another and it literally is ruining my life. I see the doctor tomorrow and I'm terrified. I don't know what else to do.

How did it go?

Since you have a fever, at least that explains why the nodes could be enlarged. That makes perfect sense, so I would try to calm down and relax on that part. I know it's way,easier said than done though. I can't seem to calm myself, so I sound like an idiot trying to tell someone else to calm down. I hope you feel better soon.

Appreciate the message back thank you Tiffany, it's  most likely to be the case even if my mind tells me otherwise at times.Keep helping I too try help others when I can't practise what I preach from time to time thanku 

I think this entire message board is helpful and comforting. I had regular blood work done in February and it was totally normal. But since then I think I have pain in various lymph nodes are my neck and underarms. The doctor has checked them twice and says they aren't even swollen. She thinks I am on sensory overload and the anxiety is making me exhibit the pains. I need to trust my doc and therapist that I am ok. Now I have started losing weight because my doctor had me start taking wellbutrin. One of the side effects is weight loss, but I am convinced there is something more sinister happening. Nevermind that I want to lose weight and I am never hungry from the medicine. My therapist told me yesterday that if something is wrong with me, like me losing weight. I have about 8 explanations that this is nothing harmful and is because of the medication, but my anxiety just jumps to the worst thing that could be happening and I am stuck there. He said I need to find a way to accept the present and find a way to jump off the wall where I think everything is cancer. I even saw my regular doctor last week and she wasn't concerned with the weight loss. I guess the reason I am rambling is that we all have reassurances from medical professionals that our symptoms are nothing major. And, for me, knowing others suffer in the same manner as I do helps me feel better about my thoughts. Try to focus on positive things and try not to think non-stop about your fears. I hope you find some relief.

Thank you I also lost weight from going to gym a lot and convinced myself it was something sinister, today I've been more relaxed because Some of my aches were not as bad, I really think I need to be ok with the fact I may get ill one day or it will haunt be till the day i do.I can't be on medication theirs to many cons anyway enough prattling on about me I hope you're doing ok ! 

I agree that the forums help ease fears knowing we aren't alone. I had blood work done Monday and don't have answers yet so of course I am thinking it's the worst. My doctor said she doesn't think this is anything serious as I don't have any other symptoms other than the swollen lymph node. If it's not down in 2 weeks I have to have an ultrasound. I just wish i could relax based on her saying she suspect anything serious. I don't know how to just accept it and stop with the nonsense.

I also am going through a possible health anxiety. In March 2017, I found a lump in my lower right breast really mobile and felt like a pebble . Went and got an ultrasound and they said they suspect it's a fibroidadonema. That wasn't good enough for me though I start picking and feeling and go and find another lump under my arm. My doctor orders another ultrasound and it comes back a cyst and noted small lymph nodes under my arm which I cannot feel. So I convinced myself I had breast cancer and shortly after that inflammatory breast cancer because my chest felt different on both sides and I was experiencing break outs on my chest and red skin ( probably from me touching it constantly). Now I have two lymph nodes on the back of my neck one on each side really small. I run back to the doctor only thing I have is a runny nose from allergies. She says they feel small soft and mobile. My blood work comes back normal. But that's still not good enough for me because I can't figure out why these lymph nodes would appear out of nowhere. Now I'm convincing myself there's a possibility of lyphoma. Before I googled up breast cancer I didn't even know what lymph nodes were. You would think by now I would be grateful that nothing is wrong with me and just be happy. Maybe if I stopped googling I would feel better.

Yes Michelle, googling things male it so much worse. So very much worse as it brings up the worst of the worst. I definitely would recommend to stop doing that. I have stopped and I seem somewhat calmer as it's been a week now since I did it. I still don't have the results of the blood tests so that scares me. If you feel so strongly and have those symptoms, maybe get a second opinion to ease your mind. I hope you feel better soon.

Michelle, we are dealing with EXACTLY the same thing. I found some lumps in my breast during my period. I went to the doctor and she thought they were cysts and sent me to have a mammogram and ultrasound. They weren't even able to find the cysts but did find what they thought was a benign fibroidadenoma. The doctor thinks the cysts were caused by an acne medication I was taking. I go back in 6 months for an unltrasound to make sure it hasn't changed. I am a little worried about that appointment looming in the distance. But the whole episode just derailed my anxiety and I had no control over my panic attacks. I was googling things as well and feeling pains all over my neck, shoulders and arms. I began thinking I have lymphoma as well. The doctor checked under my arms where I was hurting on two occasions and could find nothing wrong. I STILL can't accept it. She put me on Wellbutrin to help ease the anxiety and it made me start losing weight because I have no appetite. That made me panic even more because weight loss was associated with lymphoma when I was looking. My doctor said I shouldn't worry unless the weight loss continues over the next 4 weeks. Turns out the weight loss has stopped. And I even went to the dentist yesterday and they do an exam on my neck, under my chin and cheeks for growths and everything was good. I am STILL anxious though. I would recommend you STOP Googling right away and keep a journal of your thoughts. That has helped me a lot. And try to find a therapist if you can.

Yes some days are better than others. I've been trying my very hardest to stop googling things. I just wish these lymph nodes would disappear so I can stop worrying . Then again I may just find something else wrong once I find out this is nothing .

Yes actually I think I will start a journal. If it gets worse I am going to see a therapist. But hopefully I can overcome this before it gets to that.