Worried about cancer. I'm serious

[bev1234]

I mentioned on here before about having white spots in my throat and swolken tonsils, a swollen:knot in my neck aaas neck pain. That had been here since February 1st. Its still all here. Sometimes I get pain down my neck and even on my chest close to my collar bone area. I've been on antibiotics twice, got my decayed teeth out, and I still have all these symptoms. I'm starting to fear cancer. I'm not trying to be paranoid and claim I know i'm right. But I am scared. Random pains all over and won't go away

[msgb98]

I know I am going to say to google something --- Tonsillolith.

The pain in the collarbone area could be muscle spasms and or trigger tender points.

[vardnas]

But I am scared. Random pains all over and won't go away

If you had constant pain in a concentrated area, then I'd be more concerned. But "random pains all over" don't sound like cancer to me.

[marc]

My doctor has told me that if the pain comes and goes and moves around, odds are it is nothing
serious.

[sixpack]

I mentioned on here before about having white spots in my throat and swolken tonsils, a swollen:knot in my neck aaas neck pain. That had been here since February 1st. Its still all here. Sometimes I get pain down my neck and even on my chest close to my collar bone area. I've been on antibiotics twice, got my decayed teeth out, and I still have all these symptoms. I'm starting to fear cancer. I'm not trying to be paranoid and claim I know i'm right. But I am scared. Random pains all over and won't go away

and why is this cancer?

[bev1234]

Yeah, they are random all over but it's mostly concentrated in my neck area.

And I don't know that it's for sure cancer of course, but it's still a possibility and is worrying me

[sixpack]

until you make the decision to deal with your anxiety disorder, you will continually jump to illogical conclusions.

[sixpack]

to throw a monkey wrench in your  "it is possiblity"---  it is also a possiblity that you may open your front door and have a man throw a pie in your face or that you'll win the lottery or that you'll get in your car and have a car accident today or your house will catch on fire.....  yes, it is possible, in that you have a throat.  But just like there are a multitude of possibilities in the world, are you going to live your life dying for most of it?

[vardnas]

Yep, I had the same thought as sixpack about the "possibility" comment. I doubt very much that cancer is a possibility at this moment for you based on your symptoms. You're jumping to that conclusion on your own. Cancer, in a nebulous, far-off-into-the-future kind of way is a possibility for ALL of us. We cannot foresee the future, but if you concern yourself with the (albeit remote) possibility of getting cancer until you're 80, then that's a lot of wasted life, don't you think?

Bev, how are your efforts to control your ANXIETY going?

[bev1234]

You're both right. That was very irrational of me and was an impulse thought and I should hae stopped and thought about it. I've calmed down and realized that my symptoms don't even match those of cancer. My ears are hurting an my throat is itchy and stuff like that..

That being said- do you two, or anyone know if (if it is an ear infection) that it could be dangerous? I've had it for almost 2 months with the same symptoms (swollen tonsil, white spots, itchy ear itchy throat, and pain in my ear. I've been on antibiotics twice and it didn't work. I know none of us are doctors but as humans who have experienced things, i'm just curious  as to if i'm in any danger. And does anyone know if eat infections can go away on their own eventually? I'm worried it could spread to my brain... I don't want to ask as a hypochondriac, I don't mean to repeatedly sound irrational. But I need opinions. Thanks

[mariea]

What does the dr say?  I was sure I had throat cancer as a stupid dentist I went to was very concerned about a growth I had in my throat and wanted her oral surgeon to immediately remove it and biopsy it for cancer.  I booked an appt right away and then found out her oral surgeon wasn't on my insurance.  Someone mentioned that I should not have a surgeon look at it because all they do is remove things.  I went to an ear nose and throat dr and was 100% positive it was not cancer and that it was a tag of skin left over from when I had my tonsils out.  I went and got a second opinion, and the second opinion said the same thing.  Go get an opinion from an ear nose and throat dr, not because I think it is cancer but because you may have an infection in your tonsils that antibiotics can't kill.  I had that back in high school and couldn't get rid of strep throat.  They said the infection was embedded in my tonsils so the medicine couldn't completely kill it and I had to have the removed.  To me it sounds like you have some infection that doesn't want ot go away...possibly they are giving you the wrong medicine etc.  As for an ear infection, I used ot have then as a child and don't remember my throat hurting.  I would guess your throat infection is causing your ears to hurt, but obviously you have to check with a dr.  Good luck and I hope it clears up fast.  Whatever it is, don't panic as it doesn't sound like anything life threatening, more just annoying. 

[sixpack]

yes some ear infections clear on their own.  I suppose that would be the ones that are viral in nature.  quite a few peds are holding off a few days on giving anti-bs on ear infections as some seem to clear. 

do you even have an ear infection?  or does your ear just hurt?  ears hurt when they are congested.  doesn't mean they are necessarily infected.  AND I know you say your throat is infected and you've gone through two rounds of anti-bs.  BUT are you sure they are still infected?  I mean you were sure your teeth were infected too, and they weren't.

I had ear infections constantly as a kid.  One of my kids, when she was little, would get pneumonia and ear infections pretty darned often.  all of my other kids had ear infections too.  Docs always just gave anti-bs.


and bev, honestly and for true, you have some kind of oddball fixation on brain infections.   WHY do you always go there?   Listen I've never had a brain infection from ear issues.  my right ear, btw, is continually plugged up.  my left ear drum, almost 3yrs ago, burst from an ear infection.  It hurt like a SOB!!  but no brain infection.....  None of my kids have EVER developed a brain infection either.  In fact I"ve never known a single person who has had a brain infection due to ear infections or throat infections.... 

bottom line:  Has there ever been cases of brain infections due to ear infection?  Hey I suppose it is possible.  Many things are possible.  BUT brain infection  caused by ear infections ranks up there with all the other minute possiblities of cancer that you worried over yesterday. 


Bev what are you going to do about your catastrophic thinking?  You know you can't really live a happy life worrying about something new each and every day.

[vardnas]

You know you can't really live a happy life worrying about something new each and every day.

This is true, six, but I'm sure you can recall during your own struggle with anxiety, and I sure can with mine, that we get the way we get (sad, worried, obsessive) BECAUSE we're not happy. I know I certainly wasn't happy when I was in the throes of my anxiety. Worrying about disease and obsessing over disease kept me from confronting the reasons WHY I was so unhappy. It was a distraction, and a distraction of the worst kind, being so miserable that convincing myself I had leukemia or liver problems was the way I chose to spend my free time. Awful.

That being said, bev, you are going to continue to find new and lovely diseases and disorders to fear until you get to a point where you feel like you want to be happy and live; when you finally realize that you've been sitting on the sidelines of life and your desire to jump in and live it is bigger than all the regrets you have of your past. No one—not a therapist or friend or certainly anyone on this board—will be able to say the magical words that will get you to this place. Treatment helps, absolutely (and please pursue some, if only to hasten your return to fully functioning society), but your best allies in this fight are time and the DESIRE to heal. I am optimistic that you'll eventually feel that desire; I know that one day you'll burn out from all this catastrophic thinking.

[sixpack]

This is true, six, but I'm sure you can recall during your own struggle with anxiety, and I sure can with mine, that we get the way we get (sad, worried, obsessive) BECAUSE we're not happy. I know I certainly wasn't happy when I was in the throes of my anxiety. Worrying about disease and obsessing over disease kept me from confronting the reasons WHY I was so unhappy. It was a distraction, and a distraction of the worst kind, being so miserable that convincing myself I had leukemia or liver problems was the way I chose to spend my free time. Awful.

I didn't find I was unhappy in my life.  Most of my stuff came from my sense of uber-responsiblity and my more type A personality... then add a lot of stress.  THAT is what always got my pot a brewin'     Once I finally understood what was getting in my way and how anxiety affects us physically, I started getting better.

But I do fully agree that many peeps engage in HA out of unhappiness.

[bev1234]

I would be much happier if I didn't put myself through this. But the only thing is, before my to ails became swollen on February 1st, I never worried about health stuff. (Bearded my teeth, which were a whole different story because they were decayed past my gumline, and just so nasty and so painful. And I shouldn't have panicked about them being infected... But trust me my teeth were horrible) anyways, besides my teeth, I have never worried about health things until my tonsils and ears did this. It just scares me because I still have that knot in my neck. My ear hurts and is sore and very itchy and my throat is itchy and still has all of those white spots. Should this have been going on for almost 2 months now? It's so scary to me. I just want to get better and for this to be over. Why won't I heal?