Panicking because I got it in my head that I might have a cancer

[Stret]

For months already my throat is completely dry and there is no amount of water or tea that can help resolve it. I wake up at night just because of my throat being so dry. It is not just the throat but further below, larynx and all the way to the lungs. If it were infection it would have been gone by now. There is no pain but only that very dry feeling constantly present. 

So I arranged next week to see a specialist and find out what is going on. But in the meanwhile, I'm absolutely convinced that something horrible is happening. I am not usually like this. But lately several of my friends, all in their 30s and early 40s were diagnosed with cancer, or had a stroke. As children we were exposed to depleted uranium and I am just waiting for my turn to be diagnosed with cancer. Grim, I know. 

Anyone has any advice on how to deal with these thoughts so I can sleep till I see my doctor? Thanks.

[d0nnivain]

Try a humidifier so there is more moisture in the air to coat your throat while you sleep.  Do make sure you are properly hydrated -- 8 glasses of water per day. 

[Happy Lemming]

Are you running an air conditioner at night??  They remove the humidity from the air, thus the air is dryer.

Maybe research an evaporative cooler for your cooling needs.  It adds humidity to the air.

[poppyfields]

5 hours ago, Stret said:

For months already my throat is completely dry and there is no amount of water or tea that can help resolve it. I wake up at night just because of my throat being so dry. It is not just the throat but further below, larynx and all the way to the lungs. If it were infection it would have been gone by now. There is no pain but only that very dry feeling constantly present. 

So I arranged next week to see a specialist and find out what is going on. But in the meanwhile, I'm absolutely convinced that something horrible is happening. I am not usually like this. But lately several of my friends, all in their 30s and early 40s were diagnosed with cancer, or had a stroke. As children we were exposed to depleted uranium and I am just waiting for my turn to be diagnosed with cancer. Grim, I know. 

Anyone has any advice on how to deal with these thoughts so I can sleep till I see my doctor? Thanks.

Well I just googled "reasons for throat being dry" and below is the list of possible causes.  NO mention of cancer.

Dehydration.

Sleeping with your mouth open.

Hay fever or allergies.

Cold.

Flu.

Acid reflux or GERD.

Strep throat.

Tonsillitis.

Good idea to see a doctor though, he/she will properly diagnose and provide remedy.

I am not a doctor but I know enough about cancer to know that IF it were cancer (a malignant tumor) you would not be able to swallow and you would most likely be coughing up blood.

So try to not stress about so much if that's possible.  

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by poppyfields

[basil67]

removed.  Poppy beat me to it 

Edited July 26, 2021 by basil67

[Fletch Lives]

Stop worrying about things that may never happen to you. Ask the doctor for some meds for anxiety. You should not be worrying about this.

A very wise man once said, "Worrying will not add even a single day to your life."

[poppyfields]

I don't understand why more people don't utilize Google.  The world wide web is a powerful source of information!

In this case, it would have saved you OP from unnecessary stress and anxiety worrying about something that is so unlikely, but again it's good to see a doctor to determine the cause and receive treatment regardless.

Edited July 27, 2021 by poppyfields

[d0nnivain]

4 minutes ago, poppyfields said:

I don't understand why people don't utilize Google more.  The world wide web is a powerful source of information.

In this case, it would have saved you OP from unnecessary stress and anxiety worrying about something that is so unlikely, but again it's good to see a doctor to determine the cause and receive treatment.

 

While this is true, there is one key fact I highlighted below from the original post which gives more credence to the OP's fears: 

 

7 hours ago, Stret said:

As children we were exposed to depleted uranium

That exposure may change the equation.  

[poppyfields]

29 minutes ago, d0nnivain said:

 

While this is true, there is one key fact I highlighted below from the original post which gives more credence to the OP's fears: 

 

That exposure may change the equation.  

 

I think it's important to educate yourself about these things so you don't become unduly stressed and anxious about it.

But yeah definitely have it checked out OP and good luck.

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by a LoveShack.org Moderator
fact checking required

[ShyViolet]

It's irrational to assume it's cancer before you've even seen the doctor... try to keep this in perspective.  What you have is health anxiety.  I've suffered from health anxiety for quite a few years.  The first rule of health anxiety is: don't EVER google symptoms and illnesses.  This googling is more likely to fill your head with irrational fears of life-threatening illnesses, and it's not remotely helpful.  There is no point in speculating and going down the endless rabbit hole of "what if..." thinking.  Make no mistake.. this is anxiety.  Don't mistake google for an actual doctor with a medical degree and decades of experience.  Just wait to hear what the doctor has to say.

[Stret]

I just want to say thank you for all the kind responses. 

Of course I tried drinking a lot of water, not having air-conditioner on, and I tried tablets for dry throat. No difference at all. It is very strange as that is the only symptom. 

Addressing the "to Google or not to Google", I am highly educated person, with doctorate and post-doctorate degrees in non-medical field. As a career researcher, I know of dangers of Googling symptoms and yet I just had to. You often get good info but often it leads to more unnecessary anxiety. Go figure. 

I am anxious because (as I said in my post) a big number of people that went to the same high school had strokes and cancers. All in their 30s and early 40s.
After bombing, NATO deployed soldiers here and they started getting ill with cancers after their service. They sued in their country and won. They managed to prove the causal relationship between living here after the bombing and their illnesses. Depleted uranium is my issue. I was on a balcony and watching the bombs fall around - I didn't go to the shelter as I figured out if a 2 tone bombs falls on the building, we would be buried alive anyway. When bombs would fall I felt the hit of a hot air in the face. I was breathing it all in not knowing illegal weapons were used. Our soil and water harboured (and probably still harbour) depleted uranium. 

I have an appointment with a specialist tomorrow. 

 

[Wiseman2]

10 minutes ago, Stret said:

They managed to prove the causal relationship between living here after the bombing and their illnesses. Depleted uranium is my issue. I was on a balcony and watching the bombs fall around - I didn't go to the shelter as I figured out if a 2 tone bombs falls on the building, we would be buried alive anyway. When bombs would fall I felt the hit of a hot air in the face. I was breathing it all in not knowing illegal weapons were used.

Sorry this happened. Have you had any trauma debriefing? This type of thing may cause post traumatic stress disorder.

Good luck with the specialist. Hopefully it's just allergies or some other form of benign cause for this symptom.

Good you are staying on top of any potential side effects. Many VA hospitals have special units for handling individuals exposed to radioactive material.

[Stret]

1 hour ago, Wiseman2 said:

Sorry this happened. Have you had any trauma debriefing? This type of thing may cause post traumatic stress disorder.

Good luck with the specialist. Hopefully it's just allergies or some other form of benign cause for this symptom.

Good you are staying on top of any potential side effects. Many VA hospitals have special units for handling individuals exposed to radioactive material.

Thanks for your compassion. I will check out those hospitals if need be. 

Talking of PTSD, something I find exceptionally interesting happened to me during those days of bombardment. I was alone at home as my mum got stuck elsewhere and couldn't leave. 

1. I was angry as hell at people who voted for people who bomb families and children in my country. I was angry at every NATO country. OK, this was not unusual under the circumstances.
2. When I saw our communication tower go down and we were cut off from the world with no info, no electricity, and no phones, I felt no hope for the first and the last time in my life. This is not your normal no hope feeling. This was a complete absence of any emotion. No fear at all. No anxiety. No trauma. Nothing. Zero. Emptiness of that kind cannot be described in words. This was probably my brain coping and protecting me from trauma. So in an answer to your question, I don't think I suffered from PTSD. What I did suffer from all my life is being overly sensitive to social injustice. My work is directed at creating more egalitarian society and I have excelled in my career to the top levels. I feel absolute rage at the rich countries and people exploiting and destroying the poor. I feel absolute fury when I see what is being done to nature and animals for the sake of money. My therapist told me he never saw anyone with such profound sense of justice. I guess this is the psychological consequence of the bombs for me. 

 

[Stret]

Polyp! I have a polyp. Pheew... I can get a quick operation in a month or so with some sort of electrical device that will cut them off. 

And also I probably had a minor inflammation of tissue that is surrounding the heart after Pfizer so it increased the symptoms. 

 

[d0nnivain]

Great news!   So happy for you that its something that can be addressed.  I'm sure it's a huge load off your mind.  

[BC1980]

The older you get, the more you start to think about the fact that you are going to die at some point. You start to have friends/family die, and you see friends that get bad diagnoses. You start to need more annual screening exams (mammogram, colonoscopy, ect.) It's a very natural anxiety to have, but it's usually transient. I work in healthcare, so I've convinced myself I have some horrible illness more times than once. Im glad everything worked out for you.