Talk Cancer

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -A warm hello to all from a new poster! I’m in the midst of dealing with what I assume is anxiety (though it’s not been clinically diagnosed as such). I’ve been under a lot of stress — divorce, downsizing at work, a strong bout of the flu — and have developed an array of physical symptoms that are scary, confusing and disempowering. They include heart flutters, dizziness, gastric upset, tingling in my extremities, a sense of "fullness" or pressure in my head, achey pains in my extremities, queasiness/light nausea…all capped off by this delightful <smirk sense of dread that the symptoms could be due to having some life-threatening illness. The "flutters" are, according to my MD’s assessment of a holter monitor reading, benign….but not imagined. Thanks to some postings here recently about this particular symptom, I’m almost totally accepting (g) that the flutters are, in fact, harmless and a result of excess stress in my life. On the other hand, I find it very hard to accept that all of the symptoms I experience can be chalked up to anxiety. Especially since many of the symptoms can be seen in other organic disorders which have not been, in my mind, ruled out. My MD and the doctor who covers for him (who I saw when he was on vacation) seem pretty convinced that I have nothing to worry about. Of course, to me, they seem cavalier. How might I go about putting my mind to rest <lol….my latest fear is   that I have brain cancer….and recently, I mentioned to someone that my shortness of breath was most evident on expiration (I meant INspiration, of course)…boy, talk about Freudian slips. So, any suggestions for decreasing my worry about having some fatal disorder? I have a big fear that if I don’t pursue things, and simply try to not focus on it, I will end up months down the road in a situation that could have benefitted from earlier intervention. Also, I’m wondering what folks think about posting here vis-a-vis anonymity…obviously, I’ve decided that getting some support and feedback is more important right now than posting anonymously, but I work in mental health care and may be being a little naive about the stigma of admitting to psychological difficulties. Any thoughts or experiences on this topic? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Make sure you are eating in a way to keep your blood sugar stable. margaret —

Response:

A warm hello to all from a new poster! I’m in the midst of dealing with what I assume is anxiety (though it’s not been clinically diagnosed as such). I’ve been under a lot of stress — divorce, downsizing at work, a strong bout of the flu — and have developed an array of physical symptoms that are scary, confusing and disempowering. They include heart flutters, dizziness, gastric upset, tingling in my extremities, a sense of "fullness" or pressure in my head, achey pains in my extremities, queasiness/light nausea…all capped off by this delightful <smirk sense of dread that the symptoms could be due to having some life-threatening illness. The "flutters" are, according to my MD’s assessment of a holter monitor reading, benign….but not imagined. Thanks to some postings here recently about this particular symptom, I’m almost totally accepting (g) that the flutters are, in fact, harmless and a result of excess stress in my life. On the other hand, I find it very hard to accept that all of the symptoms I experience can be chalked up to anxiety. Especially since many of the symptoms can be seen in other organic disorders which have not been, in my mind, ruled out. My MD and the doctor who covers for him (who I saw when he was on vacation) seem pretty convinced that I have nothing to worry about. Of course, to me, they seem cavalier. How might I go about putting my mind to rest <lol….my latest fear is   that I have brain cancer….and recently, I mentioned to someone that my shortness of breath was most evident on expiration (I meant INspiration, of course)…boy, talk about Freudian slips. So, any suggestions for decreasing my worry about having some fatal disorder? I have a big fear that if I don’t pursue things, and simply try to not focus on it, I will end up months down the road in a situation that could have benefitted from earlier intervention. Also, I’m wondering what folks think about posting here vis-a-vis anonymity…obviously, I’ve decided that getting some support and feedback is more important right now than posting anonymously, but I work in mental health care and may be being a little naive about the stigma of admitting to psychological difficulties. Any thoughts or experiences on this topic? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Response:

A warm hello to all from a new poster!

And a warm welcome to asap Patrick.  :) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’m in the midst of dealing with what I assume is anxiety (though it’s not been clinically diagnosed as such). I’ve been under a lot of stress — divorce, downsizing at work, a strong bout of the flu — and have developed an array of physical symptoms that are scary, confusing and disempowering. They include heart flutters, dizziness, gastric upset, tingling in my extremities, a sense of "fullness" or pressure in my head, achey pains in my extremities, queasiness/light nausea…all capped off by this delightful <smirk sense of dread that the symptoms could be due to having some life-threatening illness. The "flutters" are, according to my MD’s assessment of a holter monitor reading, benign….but not imagined. Thanks to some postings here recently about this particular symptom, I’m almost totally accepting (g) that the flutters are, in fact, harmless and a result of excess stress in my life. On the other hand, I find it very hard to accept that all of the symptoms I experience can be chalked up to anxiety. Especially since many of the symptoms can be seen in other organic disorders which have not been, in my mind, ruled out. My MD and the doctor who covers for him (who I saw when he was on vacation) seem pretty convinced that I have nothing to worry about. Of course, to me, they seem cavalier. How might I go about putting my mind to rest <lol….my latest fear is   that I have brain cancer….and recently, I mentioned to someone that my shortness of breath was most evident on expiration (I meant INspiration, of course)…boy, talk about Freudian slips. So, any suggestions for decreasing my worry about having some fatal disorder? I have a big fear that if I don’t pursue things, and simply try to not focus on it, I will end up months down the road in a situation that could have benefitted from earlier intervention.

When PD and GAD first hit, I think almost all of us search for a physical cause of the symptoms.  If we could find a physical cause, even some dreaded disease, we can at least say "so *that’s* what’s making me feel like this." and there is, at least, some logic in the symptoms and then control regained. What many do is insist that their doctors give them a thorough physical examination with, possibly, some tests to ensure that the symptoms that they feel are not due to some disease or other medical condition. When the results all come back normal, you can at least deal with the fears of some hidden medical condition when they pop up.  You are also faced with the "whys" that we all deal with when coping with PD.  The constant, ongoing speculations as to root causes of PD that are being discussed on asap all the time. While the search continues for why we have PD, you can at least gain a lot of comfort here from finding that many share your symptoms, how we gain some relief and, in some cases, a total respite from PD symptoms by many varied methods.  PD seems to be a very quixotic disorder – what works for one is totally useless for another.  No ‘one size fits all’ treatments so far.  For those of us who have had PD for many years, we went through years of different therapies and medications – mostly unsuccessful.  Lately though, the treatments are much more specifically tailored to PD symptoms and successful treatment usually can be found within a matter of months. Also, I’m wondering what folks think about posting here vis-a-vis anonymity…obviously, I’ve decided that getting some support and feedback is more important right now than posting anonymously, but I work in mental health care and may be being a little naive about the stigma of admitting to psychological difficulties. Any thoughts or experiences on this topic?

This is a very valid concern, considering the behaviours of insurance companies and employers.  In my own case, living in Canada, medical insurance is not a problem – everyone is covered here with no caveats or lack of $$$.  Employers are not a problem for me either, as I am on a disability pension.  I think others here will be able to discuss the pros and cons of anonymity far better than I can – especially in the US. Take care & keep posting. Mally  :)

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