Scared and need support

nicole1011

nicole1011

New member
A few months back I went to the doctors because I was feeling tired all of the time. I had quite a few blood tests and found out I was prediabetic. My blood tests also showed that my white blood cell count was elevated, as was my platelets and my red blood cells were smaller than normal (on three seperate blood tests). My doctor thought it would be a good idea if I was referred to a Hematologist. I finally got an appointment for July 16. The doctors office called today and asked if I could make it for tomorrow instead and I am freaked out!! I thought I still had 2 weeks to deal with the anxiety but now I don't. I am a little scared. I do not want to find out that I have cancer or anything like that. I know I am overreacting a bit but I can't help it. It could be anything that is causing those results. I just need some logical thoughts and I will be ok. Could you please provide me with some?
 
this is really easy to say but - don't worry about it until you have something to worry about - and even then... there's always treatment for pretty much anything...

Do not go poking around the internet searching for your symptoms - -you'll end up scaring yourself... anything could cause the results you're seeing, and it's good your not being made to wait...

Just relax as best you can and do something fun for yourself today... and good luck tomorrow :D
 
Thank you very much. Sometimes it takes hearing something from someone else to actually listen. You are very right about the internet. It can be a scary thing sometimes, especially where it concerns health and self-diagnosis. You are also right that I shouldn't worry until there is something to worry about. I will try to make it through today not thinking about it but I am a worrier by nature. As long as I don't turn to food to deal I will be ok. Maybe I should go shopping instead, or hit the gym extra hard today. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again, you are a very kind lady
 
Yes - definitely don't do anything that'll scare yourself.

Perhaps they had a cancellation and that's why they want you to come in tomorrow.

Good luck tomorrow.
 
yeh, ive made the mistake before of searching on the net or in medical textbooks and always let my imagination go in to overdrive. im a nurse too which makes it worse. a little bit of knowledge is sometimes a bad thing. remember changes in blood count can mean lots of different things, maybe a virus or even a simple infection can elevate your white cells. so easier said than done, but try not to worry. good luck for ? today. slim
 
So I went to the doctors and I still don't know anything. He said my iron was low so told me to start taking iron supplements. He also said the lymph nodes under my arms were big but that he didn't think it was cancer. He said they could be that way because of an illness I had in the past. He ordered a whole bunch of more tests including a stomach ultrasound so we will still have to wait and see. I hope the iron deficiency is causing my tiredness and that the supplements will take care of that. Also, under the clinical problems/diagnosis section of the lab form it says this "? vasculitis". I hope he is just being thorough and I don't have that. I will keep you posted.
 
Last edited:
Up your intake of dark green leafy vegetables as well. Spinach, broccoli, kale (if you can find something to do with it). Low iron is a fatigue causer and vegetables provide the body with iron.

Did you, or do you eat alot of sugar?
 
Thanks Tony, I will. If I do increase my dark green veggies and take an iron supplement (70mg) will that be too much iron? Also, I used to eat a lot of sugar but not for at least 4 months now.
 
kale (if you can find something to do with it).
Click to expand...
I'm like an idiot savant when it comes to food -give me an ingredient and i have a recipe that goes with it :) I'm bettere than google some times :D

Bean Kale Soup
1 tbs olive oil
9 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale
4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15 ounce) cans cannelini beans, undrained
4 plum tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained)
2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.


Bean and kale
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
3 clove garlic, crushed
2 ounces turkey kielbasa sausage, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced in half, and sliced thin
4 cups kale, chopped (I use the frozen variety)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
juice of 1/2 lemon

In a saucepan, place the cannellini beans, garlic, sausage, onion and kale with just enough water to cover. Season with 2 teaspoons of parsley, thyme and salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately garnished with Parmesan cheese and remaining fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice .
 
mal those recepies sound lush (except for the chicken and cheese of course) will try them out. im not sure what kale is though, can you get it in the UK?

ive also been victim to looking at medical stuff online. one small thing can set me off. all of a sudden a headache morphs into brain cancer, tingles in my feet is diabetes...it goes on and on. although i am a control freak and a bit of a hyperchondriac also so my mind runs riot sometimes. hey whos ever read a book or seen something on tv where someones ill and you have some of the symptoms, then the doc in the book or tv says "hey im sorry youve got AIDS/cancer/heart disease/etc" and then your like "oh shit. thats what i have"

really savage but for me this fear is pretty extreme. since i got depression a few years back ive been convinced that ive had brian tumours, heart disease, diabetes, aids, rabies, stroke, breast cancer. just the smallest thing starts it. dont look online! trust the doctor. even still sometimes i cant help but think they are wrong but ive been so ill before and im still alive. so who is right?

if in doubt, what i do is book my next appointment with a different doctor. (you may not always get a follow up appointment but cos i had my kidney out and am run down in general its standard precedure for me) having two profressionals diagnose the same thing helps me to think they are right. and DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS. sometimes i feel like i have to many things to talk about in a doc appointment. with my immune system which is very deficient cos of my old kidney meds i always have something wrong, but i feel like im wasting time becuase its not so bad. but the doc should always understand. if theres a nagging question that will cure your paranoia but may seem to you a bit obsurd and weird, ask it anyway. im telling you - it will save you and the doc a lot of time becuase youll just go back in a few weeks when you buckle again and take more of the doctors time.

long post! but its important i think. i hope someone who reads this will not be afriad to ask questions next time.

nicole - i hope you get results soon :) i had a blood test recently and my white blood cells are wierd also. not elevated but the different types of blood cells are - one of them is supposed to be 0-6 but mine is 26!! but i got my answers. it is an indictation of exteme allergy. could be life threatening if i dont learn how to cope with it. so not a nice answer but i found closure in knowing the answer. i hope you find yours soon
 
Kale is a leafy green vegetable, kind of like spinach but a little tougher and sturdier for lack of a better word - it doesn't shrink down as much as spinach does
 
ok if my dictionary translated the "kale" right.

i eat it quite often. and i make it very simple...chop it, cook it in seasoned water (depending on the root inside it cooks around 15-20 minutes) with potatoes. when done i drain it all, put bit of olive oil, a bit of garlic or whatever season i feel like putting in and mash it up. very simple and yummy :)

nicole i hope your tests came ok. good luck :)

Lena
 
Thank you everyone for your support. I haven't heard anything yet so I am still quite anxious. I will fill you in as the information comes in. Thanks again.
 
Thank you Storm Girl. That is very sweet of you.

Update: Hospital called and want me to come in for an x-ray. They didn't specify what will be x-rayed. I had a chest x-ray 2 months ago. I hope it is not another chest x-ray. Maybe my GP lost my results. Let's hope so. The saga continues.....
 
Got my test results in the mail but haven't seen the doctor yet. I am a little concerned by a couple of things written on it but since I am not a doctor I can't really say what it means One of the things that concerns me is my c reactive protein level. The normal range is 0-2 but mine is 3.4. It says "high risk for CAD (coronary artery disese). It is strongly advised to repeat test in two weeks". The other thing that concerns me says "kidney damage present but not clincally significant". So ya I don't know what these things mean so I will have to wait to see doctor.

After seeing my results, the doctor ordered a chest xray (again - this is the third time) so I went yesterday. All I can do is wait and see.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top