topic Health Anxiety & Bronchitis in Anxiety

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 12:00:29 GMT

Hi guys,

A short backstory: For the past month I've been on several different sets of antibiotics for several different things, which has really been stressing me out. The main one I've been worried about is bronchitis, which all started when I coughed up some grey/black phlegm which I knew wasn't right, I've been on 2 sets of antibiotics for it already.

Which brings me to this point. I'm still noticing little bits of black phlegm here and there even after all these antibiotics. I'm trying my hardest to convince myself that it's probably just remnants of the infection and that it'll probably clear up soon and the doctor even said it should clear up within a week, but I'm still stressing over it almost constantly. I'm coughing on purpose every so often just to check if there's any black phlegm, and 99% of the time there isn't but then I'll cough up a tiny bit and get thrown right back into the loop. There have been at least 4 times in the past few weeks where I've gone "I'm finally getting better!" only to see more black phlegm and get worried again.

The thought that keeps popping up in my head is "what if it's lung cancer?" because I stupidly googled the symptoms, and of course one of the things that popped up about black phlegm is that it could be a sign of lung cancer. I smoked weed pretty often for around two years or so but stopped smoking it a few weeks before the black phlegm popped up and haven't touched it since, so now I'm worried sick that maybe the smoking has lead to lung cancer. I'm regretting ever smoking anything at all and am pretty confident that even if it ends up just being bronchitis I will never smoke again or at the very least very very occasionally.
On my last visit to the doctors, they also took my pulse and my blood pressure, both of which they said were high, which has got me worrying about that stuff too which isn't helping.

I've had Health Anxiety for over a year now, but this time it's different. Before I'd have imagined symptoms that I couldn't actually see, but this time with the black phlegm I can actually see the symptom, which stresses me out even more.

If there is anyone with any knowledge of bronchitis (nurses, doctors, people who have had bronchitis before) and could shed some light on what might be happening or maybe share similar experiences they've had, that could really help me out. I think at this point I'll wait maybe 1 or 2 more days and if I still see black phlegm I'll go in for the chest x-ray.

Thankyou

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Desedrata — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:48:42 GMT

Idon't have any medical background. I just want to make that clear first up.

At the end of the day if your doctor is content to proceed and it will give you peace of mind then by all means get the x-ray.

Instead of forcing yourself to cough you might like to make a steam bath by filling a bowl with hot water and getting a towel and placing it over your head and the bowl to trap the steam in so, that you can inhale the steam to loosen up the phlegm. That way it will come up without you needing to force the coughing.

As for your bloodpressure that is most likely due to your anxiety and the added stress of you not being well. Also, you forcing yourself to cough could be causing it to elevate especially if you are coughing whilst doing the check. When ever you check your blood pressure it is important to remain still and not talk as well. My bloodpressure goes to the moon and back when ever I get the tiniest bit stressed and I'm still ticking so, I expect you have nothing to worry about. When you go to see your doctor get him to check yours again as a precaution if he doesn't automatically do it.

I think laying off the smokes for a while if not permanently is a great idea as not having the smoke in your system will aid your body to heal. Also, it will give you the oppurtunity to address your anxiety issues without masking or exasterbating the symptoms.

I hope you get better soon.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 06:54:26 GMT

Thank you for the reply, it helped me out.
The next time I see black phlegm if I even do at all, I'll definitely ask my doctor to do the chest x-ray as he's already got the referral written up in-case if I want to do it.
I agree that it was probably the anxiety that made my blood pressure and pulse go wild because I've never had either of those two things measured so I was really anxious to see the results, which probably just botched the results. The main problem I'm having now is that I'm paying very close attention to my heart rate because I'm worried that I may have some heart problems, but that's most likely just my anxiety talking because I've done a lot of very physical tasks in the past and never had a single problem.

I'll definitely give the steam bath a shot, I'm just very anxious to be healthy again after a month straight of being sick. It's made me realize that I took being healthy for granted, and I'll definitely try harder to be healthier in all aspects of life in the future.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Desedrata — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:49:28 GMT

My heart rate tends to go up with my blood pressure when stressed and you have been under a lot of stress but don't worry the doctor will check it at the same time as your blood pressure and let you know what's going on.

If you're still really concerned you can download a free app. To keep track of your blood pressure and heart rate and keep a note of any extra strain you are under at the time you checked it.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 07:48:26 GMT

After a couple of days of no black phlegm, I again coughed up some black phlegm today. I'm getting so fed up with this cycle of thinking I'm finally recovering only to cough up more black phlegm a couple of days later. I think I'm going to go in for the chest x-ray today and just get it over and done with, and also while I'm at it bring up a few other concerns with my GP.

At this point, I've pretty much convinced myself that something is wrong with me, which is the main reason I've been putting off the chest x-ray and hoping I get better. I'm not looking forward to getting the results back at all, but if they end up coming back clean at least I can finally stop stressing over it. I've also realized that the only times I've gotten out of the house in the past month are to go to the GP or pharmacy, and I'd really like that to change but can't seem to get my mind off of my health concerns. This past month has probably been the worst my health anxiety has been because I've had actual health concerns to worry about instead of just symptoms I've imagined.

Here's hoping the chest x-ray comes back clean.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 09:56:44 GMT

So I went into the GP again, and the doctor didn't seem very concerned at all. He said "it's going to be nothing no doubt about it" and said I can go on antibiotics again but didn't recommend a chest x-ray because he didn't think there was a need for one.

On one hand, that's very reassuring to know that he doesn't even think I need an x-ray in the first place and that he thinks it's nothing, but on the other hand I'm starting to suspect that maybe some of the doctors don't take my concerns all that seriously because the second they see my medical record and see a huge list of things that ended up being nothing, they could just be putting off what I say as just being my health anxiety and ultimately a waste of their time.

That being said, that might not be the case at all and maybe I'm just making a huge deal out of something that's commonplace for them, but I can't shake this slight distrust I have for some of the doctors.

I guess I'll just get on the third set of antibiotics and hopefully after that, I'm good to go. If there's still black phlegm even after this set, I'm 100% going to get the chest x-ray.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Guest_9462 — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 11:15:13 GMT

Hi Max, I would advise getting a second opinion,and asking for a series of scans of your lungs to be done ASAP..if you are a smoker, it could explain it a bit,but prolonged dark phlegm isn't a good sign...if your doctor won't listen, maybe take a visit to your emergency ward and tell them it doesn't seem right to you...they should investigate...cheers..

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:08:21 GMT

I feel like I should go into more detail here.

I don't get black phlegm super often, I might go a couple of days without seeing any at all and then on day three I'll cough up a tiny bit and then that's it. I also spend pretty much all of my time inside my room that is very dusty and not very clean at all, so it could easily just be dust as well. I'm thinking that maybe dust builds up in my phlegm over time hence why I only see it maybe every few days.

I've actually gone to I think 5 different doctors at my local GP about this, and none of them seemed very concerned and just put me on antibiotics. Only one of them brought up the possibility of getting an x-ray done, but when I brought that up with the other 4 doctors they didn't seem to think it was necessary.

I'll definitely take your advice though and get the x-ray done, even if it ends up being nothing I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Guest_9462 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:40:56 GMT

Ok Max, yeah I guess that ma lies sense.anyway I hope your ok .

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:43:40 GMT

To be more specific it looks like the phlegm itself is clear or maybe yellowish like normal, but inside the phlegm there are little black specs which makes me think it's just dust build-up. I'm no medical expert and I'm too worried to google it myself, but that's my best guess.

Thanks for the well-wishes, hope you're doing okay as well.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Guest_9462 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:44:04 GMT

Please excuse the wrong spelling..this here is really bad for over correcting and wrong spelling...I've had really serious lung infections myself..hope all goes well for you.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Guest_9462 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:48:13 GMT

Sure Max...i had multiple blood clots in my lung seven years ago with pneumonia..that cause lung nodules and further lung infections..but thats all cleared up now..so, i know about lung problems...if you can try pool aerobics, i know that helps with lung problems.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:25:25 GMT

I've decided I'm going to go in for the chest x-ray tomorrow even though I'm on more antibiotics. This time around I'm going to try and go into as much detail with the doctor as I can about what's been happening, ask questions about what might be happening, and ask for the chest x-ray even if they don't think it's necessary.
Even if it just ends up being dust in my phlegm, at least I'll know and can stop going on the antibiotics. If it ends up being something worse, at least I stopped putting it off and can actually get something done about it.

I'll post back with updates once it's all said and done.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Guest_9462 — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:39:51 GMT

Good Max, my sister passed away with small cell lung cancer...early signs where coughing up dark phlegm..etc..but she was a heavy smoker she lasted only a year at 45 yo..a mother of 4 kids too..it's probably not for you but I just wouldn't feel right ignoring what you've said ..you'll be fine.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 08:33:31 GMT

I'm so sorry to hear about your sister, that's awful. Cancer is so cruel.

~
I went in for the x-ray today. The doctor was pretty adamant that it was probably nothing or maybe allergies causing it and was actually laughing quite a lot about the whole situation which I didn't exactly appreciate because of how worried I was but it did help ease my mind in hindsight, because if he's laughing about it, it must not be that serious (at least in his mind). He also claims that people 'my age (20)' just don't get lung cancer, which I didn't exactly believe but maybe he's right. Maybe this whole time it has been allergies that I never knew about causing this.
Regardless, I asked for the x-ray and had it done, and I get the results back tomorrow. The next 24 hours are probably going to be the longest in my life, and I am going to be so damn nervous tomorrow, but if everything comes back clean I can finally close this chapter of my life and get on with things.

I guess this whole experience (assuming it's nothing serious) could be seen as positive in a way because it's scared me off of smoking and I highly doubt that I'll get back into it after all of this. It just isn't worth it anymore in my mind.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

monkey_magic — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 09:09:49 GMT

Hi 44Max44,

That doctor sounds insensitive. Coughing up black phlegm in my opinion should be taken seriously and he should have the decency not to laugh considering how worried you were.

I would be worried too if I were in your situation. I too dont agree that people in their 20's dont get lung cancer. It would be rare though and probably unlikely. I hope I'm not adding to your worries. It's just an opinion and I'm no doctor.

Hope you can find things to distract yourself with and good luck for tomorrow.

All the best, take care

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 09:26:26 GMT

Yeah, I definitely don't like that doctor at all and he seems really insensitive. I've been worrying so much about this stuff and he seems to put it off like he already knows without a doubt that it's nothing to worry about even though I've had no tests done until today.

The problem is I always just ask for the 'next available doctor' so it's luck of the draw whether or not I get one I like or not. I would ask for specific doctors but that usually means I have to book appointments or wait a very long time, and I usually just want to get whatever I'm worried about checked ASAP.

Thanks for the good luck, I feel like I need as much of that as I can get right now.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

monkey_magic — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 09:36:48 GMT

Hi again 44Max44,

I used to do the same- see the next available doc until I found one I can relate to and trust. It's easy to book him as I do it online.

It takes these scares to change unhealthy habits for most of us.

Ive smoked pot here and there and smoked here and there so I'm just as guilty.

My mum has a lung condition ( never smoked) and ppl get lung cancer that don't even smoke. It's the luck of the draw sometimes.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

44Max44 — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 10:57:11 GMT

I know I can book for my local GP online too, I've just never done it so I'm not really sure how to do it.
I might have to figure out how to do it and start booking appointments with only the doctors I trust, which at the moment is only really two or three of them at my GP out of over a dozen.
The doctor I saw today could see me within 5 minutes of me sitting down, so my guess is that other people don't really like him that much either and I can definitely see why they might feel that way.

In other news today has been the first day in over a month where I've actually been productive. I went down and got my haircut which I desperately needed, I listed some stuff to sell online (how I get most of my money), and I reconnected with my best mate and went for a bike ride with him after way too long of not seeing him.
The bike ride was actually pretty intense, but there was no coughing or sore throat or anything like that for me which gives me hope and confidence that the x-ray will come back clean.

Alright, I'll post back with results tomorrow, or maybe not. I guess it depends on how it turns out.

Thanks for all the replies, they've helped out a lot.

Health Anxiety & Bronchitis

Ukgirl — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 11:20:49 GMT

Hi I too suffer from health anxiety and have had respiratory bronchitis for 5 weeks coughing up yellow and grey phlegm Had two lots of antibiotics coughed up a little red blood in sputum and freaked Saw Gp and he assured me if it was lung cancer i would be coughing lots of black blood I am thinking maybe you have a virus as so much around at the moment I am still checking constantly Do hope you feel better soon