Even though all of my scans have come back showing no tumors/cancer and all my tests are normal but one (my DHEA is raising back up again), the last time I saw the doctor she was like "I don't understand why you don't have cancer" so anytime I feel anything that may or may not be a lump I start panicking that I really do have cancer. I don't want to die before being able to experience love and a career and just life in general.

If my anxiety wasn't bad enough, why did the doctor pretty much tell me that I should have cancer?! I don't…or at least I didn't two weeks ago but I don't think they scanned my entire body so what if I have tumors in my arms or legs? Can you tell if you're sick before it's too late? And I refuse to lose my hair so what do I do for treatment…not to mention that I'll lose my insurance next summer.

[kaliope]

that was a pretty unprofessional statement for your doctor to make. I know when somebody makes a statement that creates anxiety for me, I turn to them to do something to ease that anxiety. could you ask her to explain her statement? why she is so certain you would have cancer. have her answer your questions to reduce your anxiety since she did so much to increase it in the first place. otherwise count yourself lucky that you beat her odds against you and were given a clean bill of health. take care.

Well, the explanation is that there is no explanation for my DHEA going up. I don't have PCOS or diabetes (I have low blood sugar if anything). Stress can also cause it, but I'm less stressed than I was when it was lower. The only other reason known to medical science has to do with tumors, which could be benign, but the way the doctor said it, it was like something was wrong that I didn't have cancer/tumors.

[Tonyh]

That was very unprofessional, but I have seen doctors like this. They seem to think patients are specimens that don't need bedside manner. It sounds to me like the doctor was just thinking random thoughts and vocalized it.

But I am here because of the same reasons. I have anxiety because I constantly think I am going to develop an illness. As soon as I see one little symptom, I start to imagine many others until I convince myself there is something wrong. A few years ago I felt ill, and it was all just stress and depression causing muscle aches, etc. But during one of my many doctor visits, and after running a few standard tests, that doctor says "well maybe it's cancer". Yes, just like that. As if he were talking about a cold. I openly freaked out and went into a panic in his office. He then realized what he had said and back tracked saying that he was just thinking out loud and that it was very unlikely that I had cancer. I obviously had a very bad few months after that of waking up with anxiety believing I was going to die. After some time I realized what the anxiety was doing to me and when I settled down, so did the symptoms. I never went back to that doctor again.
But you can't just let that make you feel that this means something horrible. Go get seen by another doctor for your own peace of mind.

[gayleggg]

I.Am.The.End., losing your hair would be the least of your worries if you had to go through chemo. I didn't think there could be any worse than losing my hair but that turned out to be the easy part. However, even if you did have cancer, not all cancer treatments make your hair fall out. Just be glad they haven't found anything and I'm sure they will keep a close check on you with you DHEA elevated but I can certainly see how the doctor's remark made you think.

i'm sure if you had something as serious as cancer, they would have found it by now- and would have told you. i can understand why you're anxious though. it's a scary thought

Originally Posted by gayleggg

I.Am.The.End., losing your hair would be the least of your worries if you had to go through chemo. I didn't think there could be any worse than losing my hair but that turned out to be the easy part. However, even if you did have cancer, not all cancer treatments make your hair fall out. Just be glad they haven't found anything and I'm sure they will keep a close check on you with you DHEA elevated but I can certainly see how the doctor's remark made you think.

This may not make any sense to you, but my hair is very important to me. Before I dyed it and figured out how to really take care of it, people made fun of the way I looked; I was ugly. Afterwards, I was suddenly pretty. I know it's ridiculous, but it's the way it is.

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

i'm sure if you had something as serious as cancer, they would have found it by now- and would have told you. i can understand why you're anxious though. it's a scary thought

You would think, but I don't believe doctors are all that competent. I mean, they refuse to try to find some other reason that my DHEA is high. Luckily, if I can find another doctor in the state I actually live in that's covered by insurance, I can just switch. I mean, it was all kind of a joke to her. To me, it's not a joke. Almost everyone in my family died way too young of cancer/leukemia. I was always the only one who didn't have grandparents because they had all died before I had even grown up.

[Jcon614]

Originally Posted by I.Am.The.End.

Even though all of my scans have come back showing no tumors/cancer and all my tests are normal but one (my DHEA is raising back up again), the last time I saw the doctor she was like "I don't understand why you don't have cancer" so anytime I feel anything that may or may not be a lump I start panicking that I really do have cancer. I don't want to die before being able to experience love and a career and just life in general.

If my anxiety wasn't bad enough, why did the doctor pretty much tell me that I should have cancer?! I don't…or at least I didn't two weeks ago but I don't think they scanned my entire body so what if I have tumors in my arms or legs? Can you tell if you're sick before it's too late? And I refuse to lose my hair so what do I do for treatment…not to mention that I'll lose my insurance next summer.

Oh god, can I ever relate. I felt this way since my early 20's and I am now 59. I had a scare when I was pregnant at 22 by a doctor who suspected melanoma. Scared the crap out of me and he was a quack. This started me on my journey of OCD. Every lump was cancer to me (still is). I can't tell u how many benign moles I had removed.

I feel for you. Please consider that some doctors are literally delinquent in bedside manner, not to mention that there are those that just prey on your fears and want your money by having you come back again and again. I swear that is what happened to me!

[gnat]

I get imaginary cancer with some regularity. Just went into remission last Tuesday, yet the doctor said even though it isn't cancer I should be in for an MRI in 6 months because the way my tissue is formed I'm at an elevated risk and I'm at a high risk due to genetics. It's hard to ignore the lumps, even when told they are benign cysts.

In your case I would get a second opinion. Be frank about your current doctor's comment and concern about your DHEA. Perhaps your doctor suffers from some incompetence in this area as (S)he does in bedside manner.

It's not uncommon for a doctor to now know what the heck is going on with a patient. This doesn't mean something terrible is going on, just that your doctor is clueless with the situation. Many doctors want you just to accept this, but there is no reason to if you don't feel comfortable with the "answer" you've been given.