Ironman
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Posts posted by Ironman
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23 hours ago, Ms.Moon said:I had my annual with my OBGYN. I have thyroid nodules. I have been getting scans for a few years. The schedule I had been on was a scan every two years. I do not remember getting a new schedule of going every year. I didn’t go last year. I believed I had to go this year. I was sick since September with my allergies I have either had a cough or was outright fighting a cold since September of last year. I am still not 100% I still have post nasal drip and I am still coughing. My issue is my doctor told my that on my last scans I had new thyroid nodules and my lymph nodes were reactive. I wasn’t told that it was a problem or was asked to come back but now that I know that I am worried. One of my lymph nodes on my neck is engaged. It has shrunk down quite a bit because I am not as sick as I had been but I can still feel it. I got very sick in November and it was very swollen but it’s shrunk down but it hasn’t completely gone away. I have been googling even though I know I shouldn’t do that. The thyroid nodules and engaged lymph nodes are signs of thyroid cancer. I see that the lymph node engagement might point to the cancer spreading. I have an appointment for scans next month and right now I am terrified. Thyroid cancer is very fixable but now I’m worried that it might have spread because I was not paying attention.
Right now, I wouldn't assume cancer at all. That's your mind thrwowing it in. The only thing you can do is wait for the test. Let the doctor make the diagnosis.
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23 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:I looked again this morning and saw some of the pinkness is gone from one corner of the eye but I have a red spot, probably where I've been rubbing. I need to stop it but my vision hasn't changed. Is this good?
Yes - it was probably just some irritation. If the redness had gotten worse, a doctor would probably have helped.
As long as it improves, you're good.
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18 hours ago, Tink1716 said:So it’s not that the bruise hurts or anything it just won’t go away! It’s been 14 days and takes up my whole top of my foot and ankle! I went to the er and they did blood tests, tests for clotting, and few others and they all came back normal! I have to see a podiatrist on Thursday (feeling a bit nervous)
but my nausea with anxiety just won’t let me eat I mean it can go on for weeks and nobody understands! But I am not one that can afford to lose not even a pound! Just wishing there was ways to help! I been dealing with this for about 25 years but as I get older it gets harder on my old self 😂
thank you so much for reaching out I appreciate it
WIth a bruise, it's not really the clotting.....the blood kind of disperses. It will actually turn red, then green and yellow. It doesn't clot, which is a good thing. They might be concerned that it isn't clearing, but I would bet there is a medication or cream to help.
With anxiety, we need to learn what is worth worrying about - filtering out what we can change versus what we can't. In your case, you went to the doctor with a legitimate concern. That is good - you stepped up and handled the anxiety correctly. It's the unknowns that we have to work, because it is easy to make things bigger than they should be and worry about it. Then......when we are better at handling things, we go through a stage where we worry because we aren't worrying like were used to anymore....
I get the nausea thing - that's me to a T. When I had moderate to severe anxiety (and I had PTSD levels in 2004-2005), I remember going a whole day eating half a Wendy's value meal....and only drinking half of the soda. I was afraid to eat anything more that day. Dehydration could have easily been an issue. It's hard to get out of the cycle of thinking, but we have to do it. Eventually, you will get your appetite back.
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8 hours ago, Tink1716 said:I have really bad health anxiety I have since I was young! Now being older you would think I could control it but I just can’t! My biggest thing is when I get to worrying about something I completely lose my appetite! Like the thought, smell, or even thinking of food makes me nauseous and gag! So right now I have a crazy bruise on my foot it won’t heal I been to the er 3 times and all blood work and X-rays come out fine but I can’t get my appetite back! But no one in my family understands me especially my husband and it’s lonely! I’m only 5’1 and lost about 6 lbs (so I weigh about 90lbs right now)in the last 10 days and I would just like a friend or someone that goes through similar experience with eating! Everyone thinks I want to be this way to not be able to eat and I’m just struggling to get out of this crazy cycle!
Sincerely Just someone looking for a friend or someone who understands
Anxiety causes nausea for me. Is there a cream you could put on the bruise? I would think there would be a product or two.
If the doctors have said there is nothing wrong, then you need to go with that.
Eventually, you will get your appetite back. Just make sure you are really worrying about things that you should be; the rest isn't worth the brain cells.
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10 hours ago, sTeaLth said:Kind of out of no where over the last few weeks these fears over small short term memory misses have crept back into my mind to where I can't help but focus on every time I miss something small. The last time I really had this come on strong was August 2024. It all but vanished for the most part this last year. Little times here and there that made me think about it but I let it go quickly. I had my annual last week and she asked me if I had any dementia worries. I had never been asked that by a doctor but sadly was right in the beginning of a fresh anxiety spike of fearing it again. I am really trying to believe it's anxiety again. I feel like it would be far worse and wouldn't have vanished for so long if it had truly started a year ago. I was okay yesterday and started to calm down and let it go and then this morning another small thing with work happened. Something small but forgetting I sent a message to a co-worker, telling others I hadn't don it, and then realizing I had. To be fair, it was a quick follow up and he never answered until much later, so I think I just didn't think much of sending it. But you would think I would remember having sent that small question when someone asked me if I had. Little things but they spike that anxiety bug telling me something is clearly wrong! I don't usually find myself struggling to this degree these days. But this one has caught me off guard.
I have been having similar issues at times. I think it is just stress and feeling distracted. When you are stressed, anxiety can be easily triggered. We are more sensitive to anxiety triggers!
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On 9/9/2025 at 2:16 AM, Walking Circles said:I've been battling it for a few months now. Really sucks because I thought I was past this one.
Yesterday I fell off my back porch. I was carrying some very light boxes out back, one in each hand, and when I stepped my right foot down (there's about a half step height between my doorway and porch) as soon as it hit the porch I pitched over and fell. I think I recall my ankle rolling as it hit the porch, which my ankles are prone to, and I think I may have stepped with my foot partially on this thick plastic rug we have. The rug is about an inch in height so my foot may have been even more uneven.
Either way, I ate ****, HARD. Skinned that leg up, landed on my wrist on one side and elbow on the other.
I'm afraid this is due to some weakness. Later that night that same right foot kind dragged the ground at the tip for one step. Then it did it again just now while barefoot. Freaks me out that it's done that both with and without shoe now.Now that right leg is twitching all over.
I've been terrified this is somehow the start of the end for me, and just about everything I see with any emotional content has been bringing me to tears.
Have any of you ever fell before without a very good explanation? Ever had the tip of a foot feel like it drug the ground for a bit during a step?Yeah, I have fallen like this. I wasn't aware of my surroundings.
Are you sure that what happened in ALS? Things like this happen to be people pretty often.
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6 hours ago, Thrufaith said:I should mention I was on Augmetin about 6 to 7 weeks ago..could that cause elevation in my liver enzymes?
I am not a doctor, but I looked it up (without anxiety). The Augmentin likely caused the elevated enzyme levels, and it is still in the zone of time after stopping the meds. They will return to normal. No liver problems that aren't fixing themselves now.
Dehydration can cause muscle cramping, dizziness, headaches, confusion, etc. Drink more water.
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On 8/7/2025 at 4:53 PM, sTeaLth said:I do get those regularly. And while this looks similar, it doesn’t come out when I squeeze at it. It also almost seems like extra skin is over there. It’s just odd. Not incredibly scary looking… but it doesn’t take much with anxiety.
It is likely the same issue. To combat it, make sure to brush your teeth and floss when necessary. Also, keep the mouth moist..not dry.
I also rinse with either an antiseptic (Listerine) or peroxide.
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1 hour ago, sTeaLth said:Just curious if anyone else has ever had anything like this and if I should be concerned or not. I noticed a white spot a few weeks ago and assumed it was a tonsil stone, which I get often. It wont come out though and just moves around if I mess with it. It then becomes red and the white disappears for a few days before returning. I have no other symptoms outside of it is there and looks a little odd compared to the other side. I'm trying to be rational about it and not run to Quick Care to have them tell me I'm fine. Any thoughts? (sorry about the pictures but describing it is difficult without seeing it.)
It could be a tonsil stone in forming, too. They smell bad when I had them, I remember that.
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13 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:I'm already on an ACE inhibitor which works wonders but it's still elevated at the doctors because of my anxiety.
In a couple of short hours I'll be at my appointment, not much I can do now except pray my anxiety settles down
You have to provide an update. You can't leave this thread in suspense lol.
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1 hour ago, AbeLinkedIn said:You're right, it's the lipids that are concerning me, I'm overweight and already have HBP so anything like that freaks me out.
I think my anxiety is really just the worst part, my doctor's really a sweetheart and helped me get off Xanax when I was prescribed that for anxiety and it didn't work. I think part of it is I don't want to disappoint her too since last time I saw her she was praising me on my good health considering my circumstances
I fight similar issues - I was on Paroxetine for years, but switched to Cymbalta due to the weight gain and bruxism/teeth clenching. I am getting my FOURTH and final crown due to the damage done over the years. The weight gain causes the high blood pressure.......and I jogged 24 miles a week! It makes no sense to gain 65 pounds on Paxil, then switch to Cymbalta and lose over 25 of them, and then gain back 10. They need to look at these meds and their side effects - they deny the weight gain to keep us on them.
It sounds like there is a possibility of putting you on a blood pressure med. I am on one - Losartan low dose. I am borderline hypertension normally. I had an eye hemorrhage in 2016 that left me pretty visually impaired due to a sinus infection. I took decongestants (should have been antihistamines) the morning of an angiogram and the doc flipped out and sent me to the ER when I had a 148/108 BP. I was back down to my normal range while in the ER, but they still put me on the med.
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2 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:I'm also kinda freaking out about the throat, IDK if it's a muscle thing or a persistent infection or even cancer (Unlikely at my age I know) but my voice for the most part is fine, it just hurts when I talk in a higher register (I'm a voice actor for some indie cartoons) but it acts like it wants to be okay then hurt other times.
I might ask the doc about it but I'd rather not run through a battery of tests
It's quite a stretch to call your throat issue cancer. It doesn't just come up in one week - according to your post from last week. Cancer wishes it was that aggressive. If it's lasted a week, I'd bring it up to your doctor. Infection, maybe, strep throat, maybe - there are antibiotics/penicillin for those. It could even be stress on your voice - simple relaxation. Again, bring that up and have him take a look - it wouldn't hurt......but don't call it cancer!
If there are any tests, it would be the tongue depressor AAHHHH test and maybe a throat culture with one o' them Q-tips on a wooden stick.
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9 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:So I took another look at my results and didn't look at the lipid panel and holy smokes I saw a lot of red numbers. My actual appointment is on Friday so now I'm scrambling to find a way to address this. Are normal ranges just ideal or do the red numbers in excess mean I'm diseased and about to have a heart attack at any moment and Google's not helping
The red numbers, I would think, would mean something is out of range. The doctors would know how to interpret the results.
You can't really know for sure until they tell you. It could be anything. I know that my cholesterol goes weird sometimes and the doc threatens to give me another pill to take, but then it goes back in-range.
It is best not to think about things - too much to speculate on. The doc will likely go over results.
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3 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:Okay so I got my results and aside from a slightly elevated A1C and Baso numbers I'm good
As time went on
it was easy to see
You're lowering
your Anx-i-e-teee.
Jardiance maybe really swell
but I'm really glad
your tests went so well! hahaha
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2 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:Tomorrow's the day, the fast starts now, I'm getting my last throws of anticipatory anxiety. I shouldn't be freaking out over a simple test but my mind is making it a much bigger life or death deal than it logically is
You got it.... positive self-talk. The doctors will point out what they are after. This is just a regular test; you should be okay.
We are in the same time zone lol. T-minus 7 hours 29 minutes.....
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3 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:I think what happened was I was painting this week and had to move some furniture that hadn't been dusted in ages, so you think irritants could have played a part? It sounds like I'm getting better but still I don't want to give myself a death sentence when anticipatory anxiety is in a fever pitch
Dust will absolutely do it. You're breathing it in, and likely through the mouth if you are lifting objects.
It sounds like you are doing better. It's positive self-talk. Instead of taking so much on, you break down the attack into manageable pieces.
You'll be fine.
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2 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:Okay so I'm not so much freaked out about the test now, I'm confident I'm good, but now I'm worried about the throat. My voice is kinda gravelly and raspy in spots and my throat is a little sore. My breathing is fine and I really have no other signs of an infection (Besides hot flashes which have since gone)
You can still have that checked out. They might be able to help. I get sore throats as a precursor to a cold, but also allergies, and if I snore.
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2 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:So in essence I shouldn't really be worried? The appointment is exactly two days from now at 9:50 AM Friday and I'm dreading it. Add to it I got some kind of throat bug which is not doing my preexisting anxiety any favors.
The throat bug is completely different - probably allergies. I even get a weird throat from snoring. Just watch that - if it persists, you can ask about it.
As for the testing, you really can't assume anything because you don't know. The doctor can ask for specific tests. Fasting is normal for these tests. As I said, the goal is to get their data based on an empty stomach - it is your baseline.
At the worst, they would either tell you to change your eating/get more exercise, prescribe meds, or do more tests (the least likely outcome).
If it is a general test, they are just getting basic data to see how you are doing. They don't always tell you results unless there is something that concerns them......so for some docs, it's a "no news is good news" situation.
Anticipatory anxiety is ALWAYS worse than the actual event itself.
......and remember to BREATHE when they draw the blood lol. The first time I ever had it done, I sweat profusely and nearly passed out!
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On 7/20/2025 at 12:33 PM, AbeLinkedIn said:They said it's a basic test for a checkup, I'm just spiraling in my anxiety between this and other personal issues RN. I can't focus
It is fasting too, I checked, all my previous tests were non-fasting, which is making me even more anxious like they're actively trying to find something to diagnose me with and give me a death sentence.It shouldn't scare you. The whole reason for the fast is because what we consume affects the results. For instance, I had eaten TWO pieces of Twizzler licorice prior to a blood test.....well, if it's made of sugar.... yep. Cheese and tuna can affect cholesterol readings! Tuna has "good cholesterol" but it can still affect the readings.
The result came back with a blood sugar level of 101 - they immediately told me they were worried about pre-diuhbeetuss. Yep - I got yelled at when I told them that I had had two pieces of Twizzler candy. My sugar level is about 80 when I fast.
You can have coffee...but stay away from soda and sugary stuff about 12-18 hours before the test.....and have the test done in the morning as that usually helps.
Out of all of this, it gives you a status of things that might need to be tweaked. I even had my vitamin D levels checked which resulted that I was low in vitamin D. My doctor told me that that is actually an epidemic - most people are low in Vitamin D and don't know it! It's good for bones and the immune system.
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2 hours ago, AbeLinkedIn said:Hey all! I hate to be back here but I have a fear in the back of my mind about a checkup I have next week. I have the actual checkup first then a week after that I visit my actual doctor. My doc's actually really awesome and helps with my fears, helped me get off another medication (Xanax) with minimal withdrawal, and always supported me so it's not so much her I'm afraid of.
This checkup includes a blood test which is honestly what has me the most worried. Granted it's just a basic test and last year my numbers came back pretty much perfect, but this anxiety is eating at me like if they find something wrong with me despite feeling no discernable symptoms.For context, I'm a 32 year old male who's overweight and has high blood pressure controlled with medication. Otherwise I'm healthy insofar as I don't have worrisome symptoms. I really just need reassurance that my numbers will come back fine whenever I have my test done.
Just make sure you do the fasting beforehand. It clears any food-related blood changes. Chances are good that you will be fine. It depends on the tests being done.
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Those skips were probably panic related.
It actually takes a panic attack to break us out of sleep mode. We have to have something jar us out of hibernation! The heart rate goes back up to get us going.
That sounds encouraging.
On 7/8/2025 at 12:03 PM, sTeaLth said:I sent in my heart monitor early last week and just got my call back from the Cardiologist today. He reports "all is fortunately normal". For those still dealing with this, I wanted to let you know that I was still having the skips while wearing the monitor a few times per day. Usually when I first woke up in the mornings. Still, it was normal. I can rest easy and move on now. Thanks for all the great words. of encouragement.
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On 6/20/2025 at 4:43 PM, angrry said:Hi Ironman. I’m pretty worried to be honest. The spectre of some serious illness is still hanging over me. I think if the blood work comes back clear again it will help. A clear ultrasound will really make me feel better. I think my age is affecting my mind now too. I’m 62. So I’m getting into the age bracket where serious illnesses are more likely to happen. Here are some positives. No weight loss, not tired all the time, I can still go to the gym and workout. I have a good appetite. The abdominal pain isn’t terrible. I keep trying to keep all these things in mind. But the darkness does creep back in. I’ll keep trying to stay positive though.
I guess the site was nonresponsive for a bit....
It's easy to fall into the trap of "Something is still wrong with me even if I know all of this" - we got to specialized doctors as we get older.
You'll need to update us on the tests. You stick with the known stuff. The rest is just mind entrapment.
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5 hours ago, angrry said:quick update....all my autoimmune testing came back negative...dr is still concerned about the itching so he has requested another full blood workup and is sending me for an abdominal ultrasound...the wait continues
It's breaking down the possibilities. Itching could be nerves, or a skin issue, so something else. It's all about just finding out what is going on. So far, you see to be in clear.
What is going on with the mind through all of this? How are you handling it?
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On 6/17/2025 at 10:53 PM, angrry said:thx ironman...well...yes and no...I still worry about pancreatic ca....lymphoma has pretty much been ruled out...i think liver issues as well....but not pancreas....health anxiety is a terrible thing...i'll be glad when i finally get some definitive answers about all this....the search continues...i also hope i hear soon from the aortic clinic about when I will finally meet with the cardiologist....it's been two weeks since my echocardiogram
Make sure you take in the information. If there is health anxiety, you could end up back with all of worry returning, even after you get all the information from the doctors.
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Spasms around anus
in Health Anxiety
Posted
I can't say I have had anything like this, but I'd wonder if it'd tardive dyskinesia.