hypochondriac & recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer

ellkay · Post by **ellkay** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 3:44 am

my worst fear came true a few weeks ago. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. fortunately for me its a curable cancer and I will be ok. HOWEVER, I am a hypochondriac so I am now fearing that i have other cancers - lung cancer to be exact. I am getting worse everyday. my chest feels funny. I notice every twinge or ache in my body. my lungs feel congested. I literally have it all. I am trembling everyday. I just don't know how to get over this. I don't want my anxiety to cause a real heart attack or something. I am an emotional wreck. I don't show it - nobody would know. I really need to talk to someone about this......

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:42 am

You have already taken the first step which is to realize that your fear of all sorts of other cancers is your hypochondriasis talking to you. You've gotten some scary news and no wonder its all stirred up. This is completely normal for anxiety sufferers. The next step will be harder. So you do not sit and drown n what ifs you are going to have to ask your doc some questions. DO NOT research this on your own. DR.Google has never treated or cured one patient and the info you find will do nothing but scare your further. Unless you have medical training do not attempt to decipher medical info. It will just drive you insane, trust me. I am coming out of a serious illness myself and it taught me a couple of things. If you are obsessing about having something then go get checked. I would convince myself I had something then was too afraid to go to the doctor. By the time I WOULD finally go, I was an absolute wreck and I didn't believe them when they told me I was okay. I waited too long! So, before this takes away all your peace, go and get some answers. Knowledge is power, truly. Ask your doc if thyroid cancer usually metabolizes elsewhere.. do you need further testing... could you get a chest x-ray just to give you some peace of mind? Yes, the waiting for the result (a couple of days) will be hard but it will stop you from suffering for weeks.

The good, no GREAT news is that the cancer you have is quite curable. You are going to be just fine, you just don't believe it yet! Hang in there and ride this anxious episode out. I know how horrible life is thinking you are about to die an awful death. This is just anxiety and one of its manifestations.... when you notice that you are getting hypervigilant, do something to counter it... get up and walk around, call a friend, take a bath, sing a song, do something physical. Or call someone but DO NOT talk about being sick.

You will come through this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:21 am

Hot Rod - thank you for your response. I did have a chest xray when I was in the hospital because I had a bad cough and they said it was perfectly normal. That got me a little further but now I am back peddling. I have tried to stay away from the internet. I knew the facts about thyroid cancer before I ever even thought I could possibly have it. I was convinced I didn't have it and now that I do I feel like I might be missing something else. I am so scared. I am definitely using what I was taught from the cd's but I am being challanged by this. Had this happened 5 years ago I would probably be hospitalized so I am doing better then I would have years ago but I am tired of feeling this way.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:43 am

I know this is hard, I really really do understand. I obsess about my heart. Got super freaked about the palpitations I was having and broke down and went to the doc only to have some test come back bad when it was actually good! That totally blew my confidence in docs for quite some time. It was horrible. Even after the more intensive tests came back okay I still didn't really believe them. So time passed... then I had some symptoms that I just knew were a heart attack. Didn't go to the doc because I was too scared and I didn't REALLY believe it was my heart. However, I finally did go because I got so absolutely miserable I couldnt' stand it. Turns out it wasn't my heart (surprise, surprise) and, like you, felt much relief. For awhile. Now, a few months later, am struggling with the fear again. What works for me is to do something that directly counters the thought that I have heart problems. Like get up and exercise. Then, when I don't conk over dead, my brain 'gets it" and I go on with life. I also taped a copy of my normal EKG to the fridge so that I saw it every day. What you could do is write the words, 'chest x-ray is CLEAR" really big on a piece of paper and put that where you will see it every day. I also started doing a list of affirmations every morning. Here is most of them:
WHAT is reality?
· What is REAL is that I have costochondritis, doc examined me TWICE and reached the same diagnosis – I am NOT a cardiac patient!
· What is REAL is that I have fibromyalgia in my left side
· What is REAL is that it will always be worse in the mornings.
· What is REAL is that I underbreathe and it is anxiety
NONE of these things are cause for concern or fear. These are just little symptoms NOT anything catastrophic.

What is REAL is that I am young, I am healthy.
Is it REALLY feasible that there is an impending heart catastrophe looming? All the damn time? NO!
Do I REALLY have a heart condition? NO!
Here is why NOT:
· Normal nuclear study Normal echocardiogram
· Normal cardiology visit TWICE Excellent Lipids for years!
· No shortness of breath… EVER Exercise, no problem!
· Excellent BP, always!

I know that is quite a list but what I was striving to do was PROVE that I was not about to die. My brain seems to require proof so that is what I gave it. And, I was very firm. Like I was talking to a kid that I'd had just about enough whining out of.... kind but brooking no argument. Very matter of fact. It really helped alot. I don't even use them anymore. Change them to fit your situation. Get copies of your labs from your doc. They will release them to you, it's the law, they have to. Ask the tough questions about metabolizing to other parts of the body and right down the good answer I know you will get. Read it out loud to yourself and when anxiety and doubt starts in on you, very firmly turn to it and face it down with all your factual statements. Do some breathing exercises and then get busy doing something else. Anxiety loves to worry and fret and be busy. Give it something to snack on like something you LIKE doing...

Hang in there... you will get through this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:21 pm

I have to say onething, don't beleive what you think. When you diagnosis, result shows it.
If it occurs, take proper medications. Generic epirubicinis an anthracycline drug in which used to treatment for different types of cancer. hope well to soon back.