Question for Dr. Höllering. Cancer fear again!
You may remember that some time ago I asked a question about the risk of cancer (specifically leukemia) because I had been driving in a car for a long time that occasionally smelled like gasoline.
In the last few days, my fear regarding this has increased again, as I have noticed several symptoms on myself that concern me.
About a month and a half ago, I noticed several small areas in my beard where the hair was growing sparser than the rest. My dermatologist eventually told me it was likely Alopecia Areata, a harmless autoimmune disease where the body rejects its own hair. Usually, the hair grows back. I should just wait and see.
However, she did not examine me or take any samples or anything. I just told her that I had a spot in my beard where the hair seemed to be falling out. She only glanced at it briefly, nothing more. Now I wonder, what if it's not Alopecia Areata after all? What if it's something else? Because it's not like these spots are completely bald. They are just sparser than the rest. So I googled and read about many cases of hair loss sufferers... and almost all of them had a blood test done. So I wonder: if their doctors ordered a blood test for hair loss, there must be other causes than Alopecia Areata, right? Causes that can be found in the blood. I wasn't necessarily thinking of leukemia at this point, but maybe other deficiencies, disorders, etc.
That's one story.
Then, about a week ago, I discovered a kind of "bump" on my neck. Completely by chance, as I was putting on cream. Not where the lymph nodes are, but more towards the center. Where you can feel the hyoid bone (I believe that's where the hyoid bone is) when you touch it. Very tiny. So at first I was very worried that maybe I have a tongue tumor or some other tumor. However, sometimes it also feels like this "bump" is superficial, on the skin, and not on the hyoid bone or whatever lies underneath. Maybe it's just a normal notch in the hyoid bone. My mother, however, did not feel anything when I had her feel it. Like I said, maybe I'm overreacting again. But there is still a lingering doubt.
That was the second symptom.
But what worries me even more now is that since yesterday I have been unusually cold. I am generally someone who sweats very easily and therefore has more problems with heat than with cold. That's why it's so unusual. I'm usually warm. I almost never feel cold. But last night I was shivering (well, it was colder than the days before, but in my opinion, that's not the reason). Even under my relatively thick blanket, I was shivering and had to put on a T-shirt. Especially my legs and feet are constantly cold (although I often wear shorts). When I googled again, I came across "circulation disorders" as a common cause of shivering. And the hypochondriac in me immediately thinks: circulation disorder = leukemia.
However, I have also had an underactive thyroid for several years. I take medication for it, and I'm actually well-adjusted, even though the last check-up was a year ago. In my opinion, that's not the cause.
That was a lot of text, I apologize. In summary, given all these symptoms, I just have a feeling that something is not right in my body. Additionally, as mentioned before, I am a hypochondriac. And all these celebrity deaths this year (many of them from cancer) may also be influencing me in some way. That's why I'm not entirely sure if this is just another fear reaction from me at the moment (meaning that I am interpreting harmless symptoms as dangerous symptoms) or if there really is cause for concern.
And since my family doctor is currently on vacation, I wanted to ask an expert here: is my fear of leukemia exaggerated? Do my symptoms actually occur in leukemia? And should I trust my dermatologist regarding Alopecia Areata, or should I have another blood test done just to be sure?
