Hi! New Here

[bmitch]

Hi everyone,

I am new here. I am a college student and 21 years old. I was recently diagnosed with an ovarian cyst...everything was fine until I started googling things and basically convinced myself I had ovarian cancer. I went to doctors, got blood work and x-rays and got that ruled out. However, it still made me very anxious. I lost my appetite and although it is better, I am still forcing myself to eat most of the time. Just recently I began having trouble sleeping. Classes also just started so that seems to be adding to things! When I think about needing to fall asleep and stay asleep, I get more stressed about it. Same thing with food-when I think about needing to eat I get more stressed about it. I am trying to get myself out of this funk and any kind of help would be much appreciated.

I am, for the most part, against medication. I have heard horrible stories about how it has changed people's lives in a negative way, sometimes causing a horrific addiction. Does anyone have advice/been down this road before?

Thanks in advance. :-)

-Bree

[gypsylee]

Hi everyone,

I am new here. I am a college student and 21 years old. I was recently diagnosed with an ovarian cyst...everything was fine until I started googling things and basically convinced myself I had ovarian cancer. I went to doctors, got blood work and x-rays and got that ruled out. However, it still made me very anxious. I lost my appetite and although it is better, I am still forcing myself to eat most of the time. Just recently I began having trouble sleeping. Classes also just started so that seems to be adding to things! When I think about needing to fall asleep and stay asleep, I get more stressed about it. Same thing with food-when I think about needing to eat I get more stressed about it. I am trying to get myself out of this funk and any kind of help would be much appreciated.

I am, for the most part, against medication. I have heard horrible stories about how it has changed people's lives in a negative way, sometimes causing a horrific addiction. Does anyone have advice/been down this road before?

Thanks in advance. :-)

-Bree


Hi there Bree,

Firstly, I saw the doctor recently about a pain I was getting in my pelvic area and she said it's most probably an ovarian cyst. She said they are quite common and not to worry. It went away a couple of days after that. I try to avoid Googling medical stuff because it always makes me panic as well lol.

I've also had problems sleeping nearly all my life and I'm 40yo now. The best thing to do is tell yourself that not sleeping won't kill you. You might be tired the next day but noone ever died from lack of sleep. Also, I find deep breathing and concentrating on the breathing is good because it slows your heart down and helps stop your mind racing.

With regard to medication, I try to stay away from sedatives like Valium because they do cause addiction. But anti-depressants like Zoloft and Prozac have helped me quite a lot and you don't have to keep taking more and more to get an effect (like Valium).

All the best :)
Gypsy

[Kuma]

Medication is not all bad. I have tried it, when needed. It has its place. Sure, if you can feel well and get sleep without medication, that is optimal. But these drugs exist for a reason. I would not go popping benzos all the time, or taking any drugs without medical advice. But if you feel like it might help, talk to a psychiatrist. Some SSRIs, or beta blockers, or sleeping pills -- or yes, even a benzo, taken very judiciously, only when really needed, might enhance the quality of your life. Then again, once you get past the shock of the ovarian cyst, you may be fine without meds. Good luck. Have fun. College is a great time of life.

[I am not a doctor, and nothing I write is intended to constitute medical advice]