How would you react to a potentially serious health scare?

Question

Recently I discovered a fairly large lump on the side of my neck. I was naturally very concerned and made an appointment to see my doctor right away. I had blood tests and a scan and it turned out to be a swollen lymph node which has since gone down. I've known several people in my life who ignored signs that they were ill because they were afraid to find out, two of them died. 

How would you react if you found something that could be potentially life threatening? Would you consult a doctor or just hope that it would go away?

Comments

If it is something that I don't have idea about, the first thing I would do, which is obviously the ideal thing to do in that situation, is to visit the hospital to find out what it is all about. 

Answer 1

When I find out about a potential health scare, I panic at first then I  try to calm myself. I admit that I try to do a self diagnosis first before visiting the doctors. I browse the internet for similar symptoms and come up with a diagnosis. The doctors further confirm it and I'm often almost right. This helps me reduce the tension of waiting for the possible outcome of the doctor's test.

I know a lot of people who who'd rather take self prescribed medication hoping the symptoms would go away. They end up wasting money because it gets worse than before and they are left with no choice than to go see a doctor. Then it costs more than it should have.

Comments

I did exactly the same as you would. I panicked, googled my symptoms but made an appointment. I don't think we can help but be afraid when something potentially serious happens. I am fine again now though.

Answer 2

I would go to different doctors as soon as I could. I would gather as much information as possible and would talk to different doctors to get different opinions. If I thought it was cancer I would go talk to specialists right away, and if I did not feel that the doctor gave me the best he could I would keep going, until I was satisfied. I would also get multiple tests and would not really rely in a single answer.

I would also make sure to keep an eye on the injury area to make sure it was not getting bigger.

So I would basically go in at least three different doctors and also cancer specialists. I would make sure to have as many tests done as possible. Good luck!

Answer 3

Several years back I had a problem with my eye. I started to have a black area at the top of my eye that I couldn't see out of. I made an appointment with an eye doctor to see what was wrong. They told me I had a detached retina. I was a bit shocked to hear this one. The eye doctor I had seen wasn't a specialist and told me that there was nothing he could do for me. 

I was scared to lose the vision in my eye and made another appointment immediately with a specialist. Because of the time, the first doctor took in his tests and finally telling me he couldn't do anything for me the tear in the retina grew. This made the surgery more difficult and they had to operate on my eye twice. 

I will always try to find out what is wrong with me, even if I don't like what I've found out. I think it is better to get treated immediately and not wait until it is too late. 

Comments

That sounds frightening, Did they tell you what had caused it and how is your sight now?

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Nobody said how come the retina detached in my eye. After 2 operations I was able to regain my vision back in my eye. However, it did take a few years for the central vision to return back to normal. For a few years, it was like I had double vision and I had to learn to overcome this and work around it. Now the central vision seems to have returned to normal. From what I understood this can happen after a retain tears and the way mine had to be repaired. 

Answer 4

I would try to keep as much of my life as possible separate from the situation and would either go to my friends or family if I were left alone. I would also take any steps necessary to protect myself and my friends and family.

Answer 5

Life threatening diseases tend to be ignored so much but for me I will just visit a health center to know what might be the problem. It's not wise to ignore things. 

Answer 6

It is best not to panice. We need to be vigilant and alert when having this kind of situation. Being panicky cannot do anything good for us.

Answer 7

You are lucky to have consulted a doctor as for me i would ignore it at first, if after a while it did not go away i would think of consulting a doctor to check

Answer 8

If I found something that could potentially be life threatening, I would absolutely consult a doctor immediately. Ignoring a potential health scare is not a safe option, and can lead to worse consequences down the line. I would take it seriously and make sure to seek the necessary medical attention.

Answer 9

Give yourself time to process the news and be kind to yourself as you adjust to your new situation. Allow yourself to feel. It may seem better in the moment to avoid experiencing your emotions, but they exist whether you're paying attention to them or not.