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Could I have cancer?
30F with lung or other cancer symptoms?
I’m a 30 year old female. I’ve vaped for the last 2 years but have never smoked cigarettes.
Yesterday I woke up with excruciating sharp chest pain in the left side. It felt like my heart so I immediately went to the ER. They did a full EKG and blood work, I was also sent for a chest x-ray.
Everything came back completely fine, however now I’m having the sharp pain in both my chest and my left upper back (feels like it’s under my shoulder blade close to my spine).
Movement doesn’t help, pain killers have not helped, and I’ve gone for a massage which did nothing.
The pain starts in the afternoon and gets worse at night and when laying down.
I do also struggle with anxiety and am 6 months post partum. I only hold baby on left side, but again the pain does not seem muscle related as I did not sustain an injury, range of motion doesn’t affect it and painkillers do not help.
I’m now panicking that I have lung cancer because googling says sharp pain in these spots could be cancer. Please help I am so anxious and my doctor will not request any additional tests since I’ve done them all!
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in response to @izzylizzy1998. I am so sorry for your suffering. Having lived for the past several years with an undiagnosed but real medical problem, I understand your frustration. I would not encourage cancer testing, cancer cannot be diagnosed without undergoing many different kinds of tests, and even then it is difficult to diagnose. Your labs" They seem okay? The WBC count might be a sign of some kind of infection, or the body's response to something that might be "off." Vomiting after drinking reminds me of college, can you abstain for awhile to see if that makes a difference. Vomiting alone is horrible enough. I am chuckling as I recall this book I had at one time in my life, "The Preppy Handbook." "Hugging the porcelain bowl" became a favorite line during college, as at some point after attending too many fraternity parties with their "jungle punch" in a large garbage container caught up with me. It really did taste like fruit punch, but later I realized they had been adding 100 proof alcohol to the mix, and the results were "official."
Lymphoma testing is complicated, results in many many repeated lab tests. While my labs are dangerously low in terms of my RBC and hemoglobin, I have been assured I do not have blood cancer, something that runs in my family. A PET scan ruled out tumors.
Are you afraid of cancer? This is a common problem, I understand. Every female relative on my mother's side of the family has had breast cancer, so I understand your fears. However, could you try to "let go" of the cancer anxiety and try to focus on something else, or "reframe" your thoughts into some kind of creative endeavor? It does not have to be perfect, but I have found that anything creative more or less sets my mind at ease, thus the huge mural I am painting on my living room wall. No one wants to get cancer, but in reality, very few are diagnosed with cancer only after repeated and expensive tests. I am not being insensitive, because I too was afraid of cancer, even though I hoped that I did have it so that I could have more "hope" about my future.
However, in your case, perhaps trying to look at yourself and your symptoms in a different light might be of benefit. Your labs are normal, swollen lymph nodes "could" be a sign of infection, and the itching could be a result of dry skin. For dry skin I use Aquaphor and it works like magic. Daily fatigue? Do you have fibromyalgia? Could the alcohol and vomiting be playing a role in your current situation? There was a period of my life when I too enjoyed a cocktail or two, but later found out I have the "X" factor, as both of my parents were alcoholics, and for me one drink was too many and ten was not enough. I quit after landing in the ER because I was afraid I was going to overdose. Imagine how I felt when my friend CJ picked me up. There I was laying on a gurney in the hallway, no shoes, looking and feeling like a vagrant. And to top it off, she called my sister and told her what happened. Go figure.
I wish you the best. I understand your cancer fear as it runs in my family. My father died of leukemia, my mother died of breast cancer that had come back and landed in her brain. Grim.
Please be kind to yourself.
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6 ReactionsThank you for reaching out! I do have health anxiety and my father died of cancer when I was young. I’m a new mom so my PPA has exasperated my anxiety as a whole and I am so scared of leaving her or falling ill.
I don’t drink much but when I do I get bad neck pain and throw up - I read this can be a sign of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
I’m going to see a naturopath in a few weeks to see if I have any low hormone levels and if I can try a diet change with supplements to help my overall malaise.
I’m also seeing my dentist next week for a second opinion on the lymph nodes as they might have a better idea.
It’s hard not to let the fear of cancer take over 🙁
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2 Reactionsin reply to @izzylizzy1998 I understand. Several months ago I discovered a lump near my breast, had an ultrasound, but alas, it was just a lymph node that was "popping up" because I have lost so much weight. Try to let the "cancer fear" go, and try to imagine that you don't have cancer. I understand. Both of my sisters had breast cancer, along with every other female relative on my mother's side of the family. I have been lucky so far, and even though I have a "precancerous" condition, it pales in concern to many of my other issues.
You are strong and you can do this.
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2 ReactionsI am not in the medical field so I can only tell you what I know from my experience. First, my WBC count has been around 3 for at least the last 10 yrs. and I'm fine. Second, I've had a similar rash and put Calamine lotion on it for a few days and it cleared up. Can't hep you with the rest of the stuff but wish you luck.
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3 ReactionsIn my case, I've had low WBC for many years (3.2 in Dec.) but my other bloodwork is good enough that my immune system is fine (enough to attack me anyway). I have low alcohol tolerance (likely genetic), and had swollen lymph nodes in my jaw and armpits for decades and the same for skin rashes on my arms and legs. I had fatigue until hypothyroid was diagnosed 20 years ago, and it came back with long covid last year (gone now). Also almost everyone in my family has died of various cancers, usually in their 60's. On those happy notes, I'm fine as along as I eschew gluten. My swollen lymph nodes, GI problems, and skin rashes went away 14 years ago when I was finally diagnosed with celiac disease, one of a few autoimmune diseases that I have collected (a sucky hobby). @izzylizzy1998 being a new mother comes with its own physical and emotional changes and hopefully your doctor listens to you. I hope you also can get enough sleep and escape from the various stresses that abound.
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3 ReactionsHi @izzylizzy1998. It is frustrating when you have so many worries and you feel as though you aren’t being heard. It sounds as though your physician is worried that your anxiety about your health is making you actually feel sick. That’s a real thing and many times a two-tiered approach with medical and therapy with a therapist who has experience with somatic complaints actually is very helpful. Accepting therapeutic help doesn’t mean you don’t have a physical problem as you can continue to work with your doctor toward the goal of ensuring you are physically healthy. What it does mean is that you have the therapeutic support to help you deal with your anxiety regardless of the etiology. Anxiety can actually make us feel sick. Sometimes so much that it even raises your white count, I’m told.
I might be inclined, like you, to feel that my physician is dismissing my concerns by making a referral to psychiatry, but if you can reframe that and look at it as a way to help you navigate your fears as well as the medical findings, it may actually be helpful. I have found therapy to be very effective in giving me tools with which to mitigate anxiety.
Do you think it might be helpful to have this conversation with your physician?
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2 Reactionsgo to another doctor for second opinion, try a major medical center and have a complete physical
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2 ReactionsHave you discussed the issues with your obstetrician in addition to your PCP?
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2 ReactionsAnother thought. Do you live in an area where there is Lyme Disease?
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1 ReactionYou might consider scheduling an appointment with a hematologist.
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2 Reactions