OH! MY GOD

[mary60]

It doesnt stop, cancer phobia at all time high.

A 29year old colleague at work diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer and only given 6 months, another 2 weeks ago stomach tumour had nearly all her stomach removed and now a 50 year old with lung cancer op next week.
Funeral tomorrow of a friend of 45 died in the night with heart attack.

I am a total mess , I m 60 smoke 10 a day breathless after a cold wheeze and convinced I am riddled.
Could not sleep last night with jaw pain ( symptom of heart problem) wheeze cough.

Thhis bloody afflistion is wrecking my life, sometiomes I want to finish it befire it finishes me.:scared11::scared11::scared11::scared11:

[missykat]

this is all very very frightening! and i too wud be extremely on a all time high panic mode!! thats shocking about the 29 year old! best thing to do wud ignore and block it all out chill out with a nice book or some tea

[Frozen in fear]

Go to doctor to get a check up r u on meds for anxiety got

[judipat]

mary
Now look at this logically and calm down.
There will always be people, family, friends that will get ill and some will die - that dos'nt mean you are going to.
Most of us on this site have suffered every physical symptom imaginable and most of us are still here. I have had every illness from MS, cancer, heart problems etc etc.
you say you have had a cold and therefore you probably feel a bit crap. The wheezing is probably the remnants of the cold or you are hyperventilating (over breathing) due to anxiety. The jaw pain is most likely because you have been clenching your jaw (TMJ), very common with anxiety sufferers.
I'm not doubting you are very afraid of everything going on around you - i've been there, got the teeshirt. But, you need to understand how anxiety/panic can affect your body and mind and not let it get out of hand.

Good luck

Judi xx

[mary60]

Thank You Judi

I am so frightened, My Doctor is brilliant, have just been for smear and bllod test for meds for high blood pressure both fine, am far to scared for chest x ray.

Last September I had chest infection but she said lungs sounded fine, but its the Lung thing that terrifies me. Mum died with Lung cancer , and I heard its hereditary.

[judipat]

Mary

I know how you feel with the lung cancer fear as I smoke and it causes me huge anxiety.I'm 53 and I know I should stop but its not that easy.
Anyway, I was quite ill last year and had to be admitted. They did a chest xray and I was terrified. I thought, this is it! they are going to come and tell me I have only weeks to live!!!!. I worked myself up into such a frenzy, I was physicaslly sick.
Anyway, consultant came along and I felt such an idiot, I could hardly speak. He explained all they had done and what they were looking for etc and never mentioned the chest xray. He was about to get up and walk off, and i blurted out "what about the chest xray"???. "Oh!, that was fine - just a precaution".
I dont know where you heard lung cancer was hereditary - but, i dont think it is.
I think what you need to do is read all you can on this site and books etc and you will realise that you are not alone feeling as you do. You also need to beleive that all these physical symptoms are all a result of your anxiety/panic and that although real, they are not harmful. You also need to accept the way you are and when you feel yourself panicking, try and tell yourself - its anxiety, then try to relax your body and your mind.

take care

Judi xx

[Greenman50]

Can you not pack in the ciggies , if you stop i,m sure you would be less anxious about your lungs




Edit

sorry , just read my post and it looks like i,m preaching or telling you off , which wasn,t my intention . I know its difficult to pack in .

All the best

x

[westofengland]

1 in 3 of us will get cancer at some point in our lives. The fear isn't going to go away so it's about learning to live with uncertainty.
You can reduce your risk though. I am not about to advocate visiting health web sites but the Cancer Research site has some great tips to help you reduce your risk
- not smoking (sorry!)
- exercise
- good diet avoiding lots of meat
- being careful in the sun
- watching the booze etc etc

So there's stuff you can do but to an extent, much of it is also down to genetics and luck, as it has been throughout human history. There are no guarantees but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy life

[mary60]

Thanks

This is a site for People who worry, most are intelligent enough to know most of it is illogical worry. That does not help.

I know all the statistics and the right and wrong things to do.

But as I said its illogical

[judipat]

Mary

The trouble with us HA sufferers is that are brains are going way faster than reality and our worry thrives on "what if's"
Yes, we know all the right and wrong things to do and not to do, we may be intelligent people, but that does not stop us being totally irrational when it comes to our anxieties - and when that irrationality gets out of hand, we become ill.
I am a born worrier - i worry about worrying lol. I try very hard not to be like this and I dont wont to be like this - but I am and I accept this.
Acceptance, knowledge and belief are crucial if you are going to overcome your fears and accept the way you are.
take care

Judi

[mary60]

Judi you are bang on I reckon most people with H/A are very intelligent and think and analyse to a ridiculous measure.

\\\\of course we want to enjoy life but H/A inhibits our ability to do that as we think our lives will be cut short.

We are keenly honed in to every little pain twitch and sensation others would not even notice.

[Tish]

I'm not sure that 1 in 3 of us getting cancer is a true statistic. Rather, 1 in 3 of us will be AFFECTED by cancer, as in knowing someone close to us having it. I come from a big family and there are very few of us been affected by cancer personally.
(Touch wood)! x